Publisher’s Notes: Last week, yours truly jumped the gun, and my headline undersold how good Augusta’s labor market is. “Augusta is growing jobs at a faster rate than most Georgia cities.” As Simon writes this week, the news is much better:
SIMON: This week, I DO compare job growth to other cities (metropolitan statistical areas, MSAs) and job growth last year in Augusta was faster than ALL other Georgia cities.
Only four MSAs had positive job growth in 2025: Augusta, Brunswick, Columbus, and Savannah. Four MSAs saw large job losses: Albany, Hinesville, Valdosta, and Warner Robins.
Only two MSAs saw job growth and earnings growth – Augusta and Savannah. Average weekly earnings in Augusta grew at 7.7% in 2025 and 8.2% in Savannah. Double-digit earnings growth was seen in Albany, Hinesville, Valdosta, and Warner Robins – the same four MSAs that lost jobs. Maybe firms in those cities increased wages to try and recruit workers from out of the area to replace those who left the workforce. Only Brunswick and Columbus saw negative earnings growth last year.
There is still some economic data to come in for 2025, but Augusta is looking odds-on favorite to be the best-performing city in Georgia in 2025.
