Augusta Economy Snapshot Reflects Steady Job Gains and Sector Strengths

Augusta-Richmond County has a civilian labor force nearing 288,000 and has recorded job growth of 4.5 percent over the last year, exceeding Georgia’s statewide average of 2.5 percent. This performance provides a baseline for understanding the region’s economic path.

Population and Labor Force Context

The area’s population exceeds 618,000. That scale supports a labor market where steady hiring has outpaced the state, placing the local economy in a position shaped by consistent additions to payrolls rather than rapid swings.

Industry Employment Breakdown

Government accounts for 56,772 jobs, health care for 34,751 jobs, retail trade for 27,931 jobs, and manufacturing for 24,903 jobs. These four sectors represent the largest shares of employment and illustrate how public institutions, medical services, stores, and factories have collectively anchored the workforce over recent periods.

Income, Housing and Output Measures

Median household income stands just over $68,000, about $12,200 below the national median, while median home values sit around $207,000. The region’s nominal GDP is approximately $37 billion, with real GDP expanding at roughly 1.5 percent annually, below the national pace of 2.2 percent. These measures together show how income and output have developed alongside population and job totals.

Unemployment and Sector Additions

As of February 2025 the metro unemployment rate reached 4.5 percent, slightly above the national average. In the same timeframe the leisure and hospitality sector added approximately 6,000 new jobs, contributing to the overall employment increase observed in the prior year.

These indicators describe the combination of factors that have positioned Augusta-Richmond County at its present point, with government, health care, retail and manufacturing continuing to supply the bulk of positions while leisure and hospitality supplied recent gains. Residents and businesses can track further updates through local economic reports issued by the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce and Augusta Economic Development Authority.