Labor Market Pulse · Finance · October 2026
Finance Labor Market Report: Valdosta, GA MSA — October 2026
Valdosta Controller pay climbs, but still trails the nation by half.
Metro Controller pay rose to $60,395 against a national median of $115,420, while FP&A Manager pay fell locally to $118,411 even as the national figure climbed toward $130,000.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Valdosta MSA unemployment: 3.6%-3.8% — vs 4.1% national rate
- Controller pay gap: $60,395 vs $115,420 — Metro median vs national median
- CFO turnover rate: 18.3% — Highest since pandemic, Crist|Kolder 2026
- Georgia unemployment: 3.3% — 11th-best nationally, Sept. 2026
Key takeaways
Controller pay is catching up, but the gap stays wide.
Metro Controller advertised pay rose significantly to $60,395 against a $115,420 national median — still less than half. Local employers competing for finance leadership against remote or regional postings may need to close this gap faster than historical adjustment patterns suggest.
Tax Specialist pay surge points to compliance-driven demand.
Metro Tax Specialist pay climbed significantly, tracking a parallel significant rise nationally to $69,556. Demand likely reflects year-end tax planning and compliance workload; confirm this before locking in permanent band increases.
FP&A Manager pay is softening locally while the national market tightens.
Metro FP&A Manager pay fell moderately to $118,411 even as national pay rose moderately toward $130,000. Divergence raises retention risk if Valdosta-based FP&A talent benchmarks itself against national remote-eligible roles during performance or counteroffer conversations.
Credit Analyst pay softened against a stable national market.
Metro Credit Analyst pay dropped moderately to $67,800 while the national median held stable at $71,397. A local-only decline may reflect reduced lending-adjacent hiring volume in the metro; track this before adjusting budgeted headcount costs.
Median advertised pay by role — Valdosta, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Controller | $49,405 | $60,395 | $93,923 | Significant increase | $115,420 |
| Senior Accountant * | $74,650 | $83,847 | $87,464 | Stable | $87,731 |
| Financial Analyst * | $66,935 | $90,889 | $97,590 | Stable | $94,646 |
| Billing Specialist | $30,873 | $37,440 | $40,571 | Stable | $49,000 |
| Tax Specialist | $29,766 | $39,712 | $39,712 | Significant increase | $69,556 |
| Credit Analyst * | $53,840 | $67,800 | $76,165 | Moderate decline | $71,397 |
| FP&A Manager * | $107,481 | $118,411 | $130,606 | Moderate decline | $130,000 |
* 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
Local market conditions
Valdosta MSA unemployment held near 3.6%-3.8% through mid-2026, well below the national 4.1% rate, as Lowndes County's retail, logistics, and higher-education employers keep demand for finance and accounting staff steady against a shallow local labor pool. Georgia's record statewide labor force growth and 50-year-low jobless claims extend into south Georgia, compounding sourcing difficulty for skilled finance talent even as professional and business services employment contracts statewide.
What it means
Metro Controller pay has moved up significantly to a $60,395 median while national Controller pay sits at $115,420, a gap that signals Valdosta employers are still underpricing a role now facing a national CFO-adjacent talent shortage — 85% of CFOs report finance staffing gaps and CFO turnover is running at 18.3% this year. FP&A Manager pay locally fell to $118,411 even as national pay rose toward $130,000, a divergence that may leave Valdosta employers exposed if regional finance talent benchmarks against national remote-eligible postings. Consider reviewing Controller and FP&A compensation bands against national movement before Q1 budget cycles lock in rates that may already lag the market.
Looking ahead
Expected: Q4 close and year-end audit cycles will test finance staffing depth as 70% of finance leaders nationally lean further into contract talent; watch whether Valdosta employers follow with contract Tax Specialist or Senior Accountant postings ahead of January filings.
Worth watching: Georgia's 74 YTD WARN notices through Q3 included Home Depot USA among the largest filers; any Lowndes County retail or distribution-linked WARN activity could release finance-adjacent talent (billing, credit, accounting) into the local pool.
Emerging pressure point: FP&A Manager pay divergence between metro and national markets may widen if national demand (+moderate) continues while local postings stay flat — a gap finance leaders should model into retention risk for incumbent FP&A staff.
Early indicator: National CFO turnover at 18.3% and a 37.5% external hire rate suggest finance leadership vacancies are increasingly filled from outside; Valdosta employers should assess whether local succession pipelines can compete with that hiring pattern.
Sources
- Trading Economics / Federal Reserve Economic Data — Valdosta MSA unemployment rate near 3.6%-3.8% in 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia labor force and jobs hit record highs with 50-year-low jobless claims
- Crist|Kolder Associates — CFO turnover projected at 18.3% in 2026, highest since pandemic
- MAVI — 85% of CFOs report finance talent shortages affecting operations
- Robert Half / AFP FP&A Forum — 70% of finance leaders increasing use of contract talent in H2 2026
- Georgia Department of Labor WARN tracker — Georgia recorded 74 WARN notices affecting 10,750 workers YTD 2026
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.