Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Macon, GA MSA — October 2026
Macon's jobs picture grows wider in people, narrower in industries.
Macon-Bibb's labor force and employment both expanded in September even as unemployment rose to 4.1% and the metro's diffusion index slipped to 33, signaling growth concentrated in fewer industries.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Macon-Bibb unemployment rate: 4.1% — Up from 3.9% a year ago; Georgia statewide at 3.3%
- Metro job growth breadth (diffusion index): 33 — Below 50-point expansion threshold
- Nonfarm employment, year-over-year: -0.5% — Essentially flat while labor force grew
- Financial activities employment change: -9.6% — Q1 2026, to 5,773 jobs, vs. health care +3.4%
Key takeaways
Labor force growth explains the uptick in unemployment.
Both the labor force (100,703) and employment (96,568) grew in September, yet the unemployment rate still rose a tenth of a point to 4.1%. That pattern is consistent with more residents actively searching for work, a sign of confidence in local opportunity.
Breadth of growth has narrowed beneath the metro's flat topline number.
A diffusion index of 33 — below the 50 expansion threshold — means job gains are concentrated in a shrinking share of industries even as overall nonfarm employment holds near flat (-0.5% year-over-year). Commerce leaders citing metro job growth should note which sectors are actually carrying it.
Financial activities' pullback stands out against the metro's health care strength.
Financial activities employment fell 9.6% to 5,773 jobs in Q1 while education and health services grew 3.4% to 21,509 jobs, the metro's largest sector at 22.8% of employment. The divergence underscores health care's role as the structural anchor of Macon's labor market even as other sectors soften.
H-1B filings surged locally, a small but notable signal of specialized demand.
Certified labor condition applications in the Macon, GA metro rose 180% in FY2026 Q1 versus a year earlier, albeit off a small base of 14 filings. The increase points to a modest but real uptick in demand for specialized technical talent that the local labor pool alone may not fully supply.
Median advertised pay by role — Macon, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,895 | $29,463 | $36,400 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,919 | $24,960 | $27,417 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $30,853 | $34,195 | $35,598 | Moderate decline | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $62,400 | $81,209 | $88,500 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $27,034 | $31,275 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $31,200 | $41,600 | $44,720 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $47,840 | $63,266 | $70,637 | Moderate decline | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $30,160 | $30,217 | $31,200 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $31,522 | $37,044 | $40,593 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $25,797 | $28,351 | $30,750 | Moderate decline | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $27,733 | $33,213 | $34,702 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $25,760 | $34,893 | $38,590 | Significant decline | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $55,120 | $61,593 | $67,071 | Stable | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $83,237 | $97,656 | $100,208 | Stable | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $118,885 | $143,803 | $147,250 | Moderate increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,106 | $134,539 | $151,343 | Stable | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $40,477 | $53,580 | $56,729 | Moderate decline | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst | $67,380 | $88,016 | $96,099 | Significant increase | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $59,126 | $72,121 | $79,561 | Significant increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist | $40,487 | $50,000 | $50,762 | Moderate decline | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $67,500 | $84,405 | $92,220 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $25,886 | $42,693 | $51,590 | Moderate decline | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $63,155 | $95,179 | $109,732 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $57,500 | $82,500 | $95,500 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst | $81,926 | $95,239 | $103,190 | Significant increase | $98,302 |
* State-level figure shown where metro postings were too few.
WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings (reported as the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay). Download: CSV · JSON
Industry snapshot
| Sector | Median advertised pay | Pay trend | Postings trend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction | $48,942 | Moderate increase | Moderate increase |
| Manufacturing | $73,621 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,490 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $65,549 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $61,900 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $53,573 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $69,127 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $79,500 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $27,171 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $65,778 | Stable | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Macon-Bibb's unemployment rate climbed to 4.1% in September, up from 3.9% a year earlier, even as the labor force and employment both expanded — 100,703 and 96,568 respectively — a combination consistent with more residents entering the job search amid stable underlying conditions. Headline nonfarm employment sits essentially flat year-over-year (-0.5%), with financial activities contracting 4.3% and education and health services still expanding, pointing to a metro economy growing unevenly across sectors.
What it means
Flat headline employment alongside rising labor force participation suggests Macon's economy has room to absorb new investment without immediate labor-supply constraints, a favorable signal for commerce leaders weighing expansion or relocation decisions. Sector divergence — financial activities contracting while wholesale trade and retail trade post gains — indicates the metro's growth is concentrated in specific industries, a distinction that matters for anyone assessing the durability of local consumer and business demand. Current conditions suggest economic development and commerce officials evaluate expansion-readiness narratives sector-by-sector, looking beyond a single aggregate employment figure.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Watch whether the diffusion index (currently 33, below the 50 expansion line) recovers over the next two reporting cycles. A continued drop would indicate job growth is narrowing to fewer industries, a leading signal worth tracking ahead of any public investment or incentive decisions.
Worth watching: Financial activities' 4.3% year-over-year contraction and 9.6% Q1 decline bear monitoring for whether the softness spreads to adjacent professional services, or stays contained to finance specifically.
Early indicator: Georgia's statewide initial jobless claims hit a 50-year low in September (15,874), a strong state-level signal; watch whether Macon's own claims data converges toward or diverges from that statewide trend in coming releases.
Emerging pressure point: National real wages are running behind inflation (median weekly earnings up 1.5% versus 3.5% CPI growth in Q3), a dynamic that can dampen local consumer spending. Commerce leaders should watch retail and consumer-facing sector performance locally for early signs of softened household purchasing power.
Sources
- Georgia Department of Labor — Macon-Bibb unemployment rose to 4.1% in September 2026, up from 3.9% a year earlier
- Georgia Department of Labor — Macon labor force totaled 100,703 with 96,568 employed in September
- Georgia Department of Labor — Education/health services employment grew 3.4% to 21,509 jobs; financial activities fell 9.6%
- Georgia Economics — Macon diffusion index at 33, below the 50-point expansion threshold
- H1BScope — H-1B labor condition applications in Macon rose 180% in FY2026 Q1 versus prior year
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia initial jobless claims fell to 15,874, a 50-year low
Methodology
Advertised pay from active employer job postings, not survey data. WageScape's median is calibrated to correct for spurious low-value postings: distribution analysis shows roughly the lowest 10% of raw values are erroneous entries, so the reported median is the 60th percentile of raw advertised pay. WageScape observes 98% of U.S. job openings daily.
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