Metro Job Market Pulse · General Market Conditions · October 2026
General Market Conditions Labor Market Report: Warner Robins, GA MSA — October 2026
Warner Robins' low jobless rate hides a shrinking payroll.
Warner Robins metro unemployment sits at 3.2% even as nonfarm employment contracted 2.5% year-over-year, with government jobs — a third of the local workforce — down 6.6%.
Free archive edition. Published by WageScape as sent to subscribers; data as of October 2026.
Key indicators
- Metro unemployment rate: 3.2% — Aug. 2026, vs 4.1% national
- Nonfarm employment change: -2.5% — Year-over-year, metro
- Government employment change: -6.6% — Metro govt. is 33.2% of jobs vs 10.3% US
- Retail trade employment change: +3.2% — Year-over-year, metro, contrasts govt. decline
Key takeaways
Tight unemployment is masking a shrinking job base.
Nonfarm employment fell 2.5% year-over-year even as unemployment held at 3.2%, a pattern consistent with labor force contraction. Economic development messaging built solely on the unemployment rate risks overstating current momentum.
Government's retreat is the metro's defining labor story.
Government employment dropped 6.6% year-over-year in a metro where it represents a third of all jobs, more than triple the national government share. Given Robins AFB's roughly 22,000-worker anchor role, any further federal employment shifts carry outsized local weight.
Retail and logistics-adjacent pay show the clearest upward signal.
Retail trade employment grew 3.2% while warehouse/fulfillment advertised pay rose to $35,078, a significant increase, alongside gains in construction labor and administrative pay. These pockets of strength suggest consumer-facing and distribution activity are offsetting softness elsewhere.
Administrative and professional pay gains outpace the metro's job count.
Administrative assistant pay rose to $39,393 and accountant pay to $70,463, both significant local increases, even as overall nonfarm employment contracted. Wage movement concentrated in office and professional functions points to selective demand.
Median advertised pay by role — Warner Robins, GA MSA
| Role | 25th percentile | Median advertised pay | 75th percentile | Metro trend | National median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Sales Associate | $21,966 | $27,184 | $30,791 | Stable | $33,340 |
| Retail Cashier | $21,717 | $24,960 | $27,391 | Moderate decline | $31,268 |
| Warehouse/Fulfillment Associate | $29,706 | $35,078 | $38,206 | Significant increase | $38,480 |
| CDL Truck Driver | $61,920 | $84,500 | $93,600 | Stable | $78,872 |
| Delivery Driver | $26,291 | $30,410 | $31,888 | Significant decline | $34,826 |
| Construction Laborer | $30,160 | $35,360 | $35,360 | Significant increase | $40,727 |
| Electrician | $61,164 | $68,039 | $70,614 | Stable | $71,835 |
| Manufacturing Production Worker/Assembler | $34,696 | $39,062 | $75,613 | Moderate increase | $39,520 |
| Customer Service Representative | $28,577 | $33,717 | $40,270 | Stable | $39,520 |
| Food Service Worker | $27,172 | $41,080 | $41,080 | Stable | $33,764 |
| Certified Nursing Assistant / Home Health Aide | $29,120 | $33,215 | $34,100 | Stable | $41,600 |
| Administrative Assistant/Office Clerk | $31,438 | $39,393 | $42,837 | Significant increase | $44,552 |
| HVAC Technician | $51,241 | $62,366 | $62,400 | Significant increase | $71,406 |
| Registered Nurse | $85,244 | $101,852 | $108,160 | Significant increase | $102,252 |
| Software Engineer | $94,373 | $122,275 | $135,520 | Significant increase | $154,403 |
| Data Engineer | $101,182 | $135,000 | $147,137 | Significant increase | $138,000 |
| Accountant | $63,144 | $70,463 | $75,625 | Significant increase | $72,000 |
| Financial Analyst * | $66,935 | $90,889 | $97,590 | Stable | $94,646 |
| HR Generalist/Manager * | $54,363 | $66,731 | $79,110 | Moderate increase | $74,477 |
| Marketing Specialist * | $45,966 | $58,500 | $70,334 | Stable | $62,916 |
| Operations Manager * | $67,500 | $84,405 | $92,220 | Significant increase | $86,294 |
| Elementary/Secondary School Teacher | $25,991 | $39,940 | $44,312 | Significant increase | $55,908 |
| Account Manager | $69,499 | $87,500 | $90,000 | Significant increase | $94,009 |
| Warehouse Manager * | $57,500 | $82,500 | $95,500 | Stable | $75,000 |
| Business Analyst * | $80,000 | $96,515 | $107,358 | Stable | $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 | $41,600 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Manufacturing | $96,244 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Retail Trade | $33,637 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Transportation, Warehousing & Utilities | $64,938 | Stable | Significant increase |
| Information | $110,260 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Financial Activities | $43,680 | Significant decline | Significant increase |
| Professional & Business Services | $85,913 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Education & Health Services | $75,970 | Significant increase | Significant increase |
| Leisure & Hospitality | $27,024 | Moderate decline | Significant increase |
| Government | $67,687 | Moderate increase | Significant increase |
Local market conditions
Warner Robins metro unemployment held near 3.2% in August, among the tightest readings in Georgia, even as total nonfarm employment contracted 2.5% year-over-year — a divergence consistent with a labor force shrinking faster than job losses. Government employment, which accounts for 33.2% of the metro's job base against 10.3% nationally, fell 6.6% over the year while retail trade gained 3.2%, pointing to a local economy still anchored by Robins Air Force Base but recalibrating its public-private balance.
What it means
Government contraction alongside retail expansion signals a local business climate where public-sector stability can no longer be assumed as the sole growth engine, a relevant data point for economic development planning and capital investment timing. Advertised pay gains in warehouse/fulfillment (+significant), construction labor (+significant), and administrative roles (+significant) suggest selective wage pressure in logistics-adjacent and office functions even as overall payrolls shrink. Commerce leaders evaluating expansion or relocation incentives should weigh the metro's sub-4% unemployment against the nonfarm contraction to avoid reading tight unemployment alone as evidence of broad-based growth.
Looking ahead
Potential inflection point: Federal budget and defense appropriations decisions over the next 60 days bear direct watching given Robins AFB's roughly 22,000-worker footprint and the metro's 6.6% year-over-year government job decline. Any signal on base funding or mission realignment will move the local economy more than any other single factor.
Worth watching: Retail trade's 3.2% employment gain and rising warehouse/fulfillment pay suggest continued consumer and logistics activity; watch whether job ads in these categories, a signal of hiring demand where one ad often covers several openings, continue trending upward into the holiday season.
Early indicator: Georgia's record statewide labor force growth and 50-year-low initial claims have not yet shown up as parallel momentum in Warner Robins' nonfarm payroll figures. Commerce leaders should watch whether the metro begins tracking the state's trajectory or continues to diverge.
Emerging pressure point: National wage growth trailing CPI by roughly two percentage points raises the question of local consumer spending capacity, particularly relevant given Warner Robins' retail and food-service concentration. Watch Q4 retail sales and foot-traffic data alongside the next wage release for signs of softening household demand.
Sources
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) — Warner Robins MSA unemployment rate at 3.2% in August 2026
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — Nonfarm employment contracting 2.5% year-over-year in Warner Robins MSA
- Bureau of Labor Statistics / Georgia Department of Labor — Government comprises 33.2% of Warner Robins metro employment vs 10.3% nationally
- Georgia Department of Labor / Regional workforce data — Robins AFB and Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex employ roughly 22,000
- Georgia Department of Labor — Georgia labor force and employment hit record highs for ninth consecutive month
- Bureau of Labor Statistics — National wage growth trailing CPI inflation by roughly two points
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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