Economics

For the last two weeks, I reported the 2024 growth in total employment numbers for the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). This week, I will examine which sectors contributed the most to the overall growth in 2024. Education and health services saw the largest change in employment and the largest percentage change. Employment increased by over 2,300 in this sector, or 6.0%. (SEE CHARTS BELOW) The growth in this sector represents somewhat of a double-edged sword for the economy. Some of the growth no doubt comes from changing demographics, such

Loyal Augusta Business Daily reader, Zach Kelehear asked me an interesting question last week about the monthly change in employment over the last year. Here is the data again: Kelehear asked, “The three months that showed drops in employment are interesting to consider…. The “Why” is at the heart of my curiosity, and are these months typically, historically, low employment months.” So, I dug back into the data that goes back to 1990, and here are the results: All months, except April, have shown increases in employment over the last

The Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) ended the year with another record employment level. In December, there were 248,400 people employed in the area, the highest on record. Six months in 2025 had record employment, and nine months saw month-on-month employment growth. It may have been ten without Hurricane Helene. Over the year, employment grew by 2,800, or 1.1%. One of my favorite podcasts is a BBC show called More or Less. They like to ask, “Is that a big number?,” in other words, what is the context or comparison?