Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · September 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Rome, GA MSA — September 2026
Rome's labor force grows as manufacturing pay cools.
Rome MSA unemployment rose to 3.3% in August but remains down from 3.9% a year ago, even as manufacturing and electrician advertised pay fell significantly against national wage growth slowing to roughly 3.0%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of September 2026.
Key indicators
- Rome MSA unemployment rate: 3.3% — vs 3.9% one year ago (August)
- Georgia unemployment rate: 3.2% — 0.9 pts below national rate of 4.1%
- National wage growth: 3.0% — vs 3.4% inflation, lowest since May 2021
- Georgia WARN filings, last 90 days: 18 notices — 2,709 workers affected statewide
Key takeaways
Labor force growth outpaces job strain in Rome.
August's unemployment uptick to 3.3% still sits well below last year's 3.9%, and both labor force and employment levels expanded over the same period. That combination is consistent with more residents entering or staying in the workforce rather than a weakening economy.
Manufacturing pay softness echoes a statewide pattern.
Metro advertised pay for manufacturing production workers and electricians both moved down significantly this month, tracking Georgia's broader contraction in non-durable goods manufacturing and construction. Local economic development groups may find this a useful marker for which trade and training pipelines face the most near-term pressure.
Health care remains the metro's steadiest growth anchor.
Certified nursing assistant and registered nurse pay both rose locally even as several other occupational categories softened, mirroring Georgia's statewide health care sector adding 19,100 jobs over the year. Floyd Medical Center and Redmond Regional Medical Center anchor a sector that continues to outperform the broader metro basket.
Wage-vs-inflation gap narrows local purchasing power.
National wage growth has slowed to roughly 3.0%-3.1% against inflation near 3.4%, and Georgia's statewide average weekly wage rose a comparatively modest 2% year-over-year. Rome consumers and small businesses dependent on local spending power may feel this squeeze even where job counts hold steady.
Median advertised pay by role — Rome, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $22,273 | $27,040 | $30,451 | Stable | $33,325 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,840 | $24,807 | $26,126 | Moderate decline | $31,200 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $31,355 | $34,240 | $35,360 | Stable | $38,000 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $54,582 | $75,000 | $83,200 | Moderate decline | $78,000 |
| Delivery Driver | $26,530 | $29,815 | $30,657 | Significant decline | $34,344 |
| Construction Laborer | $37,440 | $37,440 | $37,440 | Moderate decline | $40,560 |
| Electrician | $57,309 | $66,502 | $70,266 | Significant decline | $71,404 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $31,841 | $32,240 | $37,975 | Significant decline | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $33,532 | $38,480 | $40,110 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $24,001 | $26,524 | $26,586 | Stable | $33,756 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $33,358 | $52,000 | $54,080 | Significant increase | $41,106 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $34,175 | $37,432 | $40,509 | Stable | $43,680 |
| HVAC Technician * | $57,200 | $67,386 | $74,188 | Moderate increase | $70,720 |
| Registered Nurse | $84,592 | $98,352 | $99,320 | Moderate increase | $102,581 |
| Software Engineer | $90,250 | $129,500 | $146,800 | Significant decline | $153,652 |
| Data Engineer * | $99,151 | $135,953 | $152,955 | Moderate increase | $139,500 |
| Accountant | $52,985 | $53,843 | $56,826 | Moderate decline | $72,182 |
| Financial Analyst | $89,145 | $106,860 | $106,860 | Significant increase | $94,782 |
| HR Generalist/Manager | $54,862 | $66,254 | $75,500 | Significant decline | $75,000 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $46,361 | $59,253 | $70,614 | Stable | $62,354 |
| Operations Manager * | $65,000 | $81,400 | $91,730 | Moderate increase | $85,216 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $38,644 | $55,638 | $58,776 | Stable | $56,731 |
| Account Manager | $52,484 | $73,997 | $90,371 | Moderate decline | $92,749 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $54,937 | $80,500 | $99,000 | Moderate increase | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $80,206 | $96,510 | $107,200 | Stable | $98,279 |
* 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 | $47,292 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $55,000 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $34,112 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $50,440 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
| Information | $50,190 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $51,068 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $57,871 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $62,244 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $27,940 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Government | $68,461 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Rome MSA unemployment ticked up two-tenths of a point to 3.3% in August, yet remains down sharply from 3.9% a year ago, with civilian labor force and employment both expanding over the period. Softening in metro pay for manufacturing production roles (down, significant magnitude) and electricians (down, significant) stands alongside gains in health care wages, a divergence consistent with Georgia's statewide pattern of services and health care outpacing goods-producing and technical-trade segments.
What it means
Rome's tighter year-over-year unemployment rate alongside a growing labor force points to an economy adding workers without yet straining capacity, a combination commerce leaders typically read as room for selective business expansion. The pull-back in advertised pay for manufacturing, electrical trades, and skilled transport roles locally, even as health care and finance-adjacent occupations post gains, suggests uneven momentum across the metro's industrial base rather than a uniform cooling. Economic development officials may want to track whether the manufacturing softness reflects a single-sector adjustment or a broader shift, since Georgia's statewide data shows construction and professional/technical services also contracting year-over-year.
Looking ahead
Worth watching: Georgia's statewide professional/technical services employment fell 11,600 year-over-year; watch whether Rome's smaller base of office and technical employers shows a parallel pattern in coming months.
Early indicator: Manufacturing and electrician pay declines in Rome mirror a national WARN pattern concentrated in manufacturing (39% of Georgia's historical WARN-triggered layoffs). Local filings data over the next 60 days will clarify whether this is isolated or spreading.
Potential inflection point: National payroll growth slowed sharply to 29,000 in September with downward revisions to July and August; if that national deceleration reaches Georgia, Rome's labor force gains could flatten after several strong months.
Expected: Health care advertised pay gains locally (CNA/RN) are consistent with statewide sector strength; expect continued hiring signal durability in this sector regardless of broader metro softness.
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.
Free to read and cite with attribution to WageScape. Terms of use.