Nonprofit, 501(c)(3), establishments accounted for 8.1 percent of private employment in the Augusta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 2022, according to a new report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This compares to 7.3 percent for the state of Georgia and 9.9 percent for the U.S.
These nonprofits paid a slightly higher annual wage, $56,661, than for-profit establishments, $54,351. In Georgia, the average annual wage is also higher in nonprofits than for-profit ($68,729 compared to $66,616), but in the U.S., for-profit annual wages are higher than nonprofit.
There were 286 nonprofit establishments in the Augusta MSA in 2022, most (155) are in health care and social assistance, making up 36.3% of employment in that sector. The 35 establishments in educational services represent over 50% of jobs in educational services. 41 nonprofits are in religious, civic, or similar organizations and seventeen are in arts, entertainment, and recreation.
There were 15,193 workers employed in nonprofits in 2022 in the Augusta MSA, up from 11,852 in 2013, the first-year data is available. This represents a 28 percent increase over the decade at a time when private employment increased 15 percent.
Nonprofit organizations play an important role in the economy. Concentrated in sectors that private firms largely ignore, such as healthcare, social assistance, and educational services, they provide important services. They also tend to be large, the average nonprofit in Augusta employs 53 workers compared to 15 in private establishments. Importantly, for the economy, they tend to have more steady employment over the business cycle.
