HR report
4.1%
Augusta metro unemployment, Aug 2026 · page updated Oct 21, 2026
What hiring, pay and retention conditions look like for Augusta-area employers right now. It rebuilds after every data refresh.
Talent availability
The metro labor force is about 281,334 people, and unemployment is 4.1%. At that level most good candidates are already employed, so offers move fast and counteroffers are common. In the past 12 months 789 workers appeared on layoff notices, a pool that includes people with plant, print and logistics skills. Some will leave the area, so timing matters. See the layoff notices.
Pay benchmarks
The mean hourly wage for all occupations in the Augusta metro is $28.85, which is 14% below the U.S. mean of $33.54. The table converts each group to a full-time yearly figure (hourly times 2,080 hours).
| Job group | Share of jobs | Mean hourly | Full-time yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computer and math | 2.1% of jobs | $47.62 | $99,050 |
| Healthcare practitioners and technical | 7.9% of jobs | $47.31 | $98,405 |
| Installation, maintenance, repair | 4.3% of jobs | $27.89 | $58,011 |
| Production | 7.5% of jobs | $25.35 | $52,728 |
| Protective service | 3.2% of jobs | $22.65 | $47,112 |
| Office and administrative support | 10.6% of jobs | $21.98 | $45,718 |
| Sales and related | 8.8% of jobs | $20.41 | $42,453 |
| Transportation and material moving | 7.7% of jobs | $20.19 | $41,995 |
| Healthcare support | 4.5% of jobs | $17.63 | $36,670 |
| Building and grounds cleaning | 3.2% of jobs | $16.83 | $35,006 |
| Food preparation and serving | 9.8% of jobs | $14.22 | $29,578 |
Averages for broad groups, excluding benefits. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Your own pay data for a specific role matters more than any average.
Who is hiring and who is not
- Growing sectors: Other services (+9.3%), Education and health (+2.2%).
- Shrinking sectors: Construction, mining, logging (−4.5%), Financial activities (−2.5%).
- New employer demand: 1,922 announced jobs, led by Aurubis, Richmond County GA. See the projects.
Retention
When candidates have options, keeping people matters as much as hiring them. Gallup's analysis of manager data attributes roughly 70 percent of the variance in team engagement to the manager. That is why we built a free management training series for supervisors, with short sessions and one action to try each week.
Employer survey
The Hiring Intentions Survey collects what local employers plan to hire, invest in and struggle with. Results publish here once 10 employers have responded. Four minutes, neutral questions, only combined results shown.
Quick answers
What is the average hourly wage in Augusta, GA?
About $28.85 for all occupations in the Augusta metro, versus $33.54 nationally (BLS).
Is Augusta a hard place to hire?
Unemployment is 4.1%. That is a tight market, so skilled roles take longer to fill.
More local data
General information from public sources, not advice for any single business. Disclaimer. Corrections: mike@peaktcs.com.