Employment in six of Georgia’s twelve largest counties increased between March 2024 and March 2025, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Victoria G. Lee, Regional Commissioner, stated that Henry County saw the highest year-over-year employment growth at 1.4 percent, while Clayton County experienced the largest decline at 2.3 percent.
Fulton County had the highest employment among these counties in March 2025 with 944,900 jobs. The twelve largest counties made up nearly 59 percent of all covered employment in Georgia during this period. On a national scale, the largest counties represent about 73 percent of total covered employment across the United States.
Average weekly wages rose in eleven of Georgia’s largest counties over the year. DeKalb County led with a wage increase of 6.4 percent; other large counties saw gains ranging from 0.1 to 5.6 percent. Muscogee County was the only one to report a decrease in average weekly wages, down by one percent.
Three out of Georgia’s twelve largest counties recorded average weekly wages above the national average of $1,589 for this quarter. Fulton County posted an average weekly wage of $2,284, while Henry County reported $1,018.
Data on employment and wage levels are also available for Georgia’s smaller counties—those with fewer than 75,000 employees as of 2024—but do not include year-over-year changes for these areas. Of these smaller counties, Burke had the highest average weekly wage at $2,054 and Clay had the lowest at $655.
Across all 159 Georgia counties during this period:
– Forty-four reported average weekly wages below $875,
– Forty-two ranged from $875 to $949,
– Twenty-four fell between $950 and $1,024,
– Seventeen were between $1,025 and $1,099,
– Thirty-two had wages at or above $1,100.
The release includes additional tables with state-level QCEW data and refers readers to further resources on quarterly employment and wage statistics via the BLS website.
“The County Employment and Wages news release for second quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).”
Information can be provided in accessible formats upon request by contacting (202) 691-5200 or using Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.
