Employment rose in 8 of the 11 largest counties in Georgia from December 2023 to December 2024, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Regional Commissioner Victoria G. Lee noted that Fulton County had the largest over-the-year increase in employment at 1.3 percent. (See chart 1 and table 1.)

  

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Chart 1. Over-the-year percent change in covered employment among the largest counties in Georgia, December 2024

County	Percent change, December 2024
Fulton	1.3
Cobb	1.1
Forsyth	1.1
Gwinnett	0.8
DeKalb	0.7
Chatham	0.4
Richmond	0.3
Hall	0.2
Muscogee	-0.9
Bibb	-1.4
Clayton	-1.6

Among the 11 largest counties in Georgia, employment was highest in Fulton (960,600) in December 2024. Together, the 11 largest counties accounted for 57.3 percent of total covered employment within the state. Nationwide, the 369 largest counties comprise 73.3 percent of total covered employment in the United States. (Large counties and county equivalents are those with annual average employment levels of 75,000 or more in 2023.)

All 11 large Georgia counties reported average weekly wage gains over the year. (See chart 2.) Clayton, Hall, and Muscogee had the largest gains (+5.3 percent each). Over-the-year wage gains among Georgia’s other eight large counties ranged from 4.8 percent to 3.0 percent.

  

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Chart 2. Over-the-year percent change in covered average weekly wages among the largest counties in Georgia, fourth quarter 2024

County	Percent change, fourth quarter 2024
Clayton	5.3
Hall	5.3
Muscogee	5.3
Fulton	4.8
DeKalb	4.7
Cobb	4.1
Chatham	4.0
Gwinnett	3.6
Bibb	3.5
Forsyth	3.2
Richmond	3.0

Weekly wages in 3 of the 11 largest counties in Georgia were above the national average of $1,507. Average weekly wages ranged from $1,927 in Fulton to $1,076 in Muscogee.

Employment and wage levels (but not over-the-year changes) are also available for the 148 small counties in Georgia, defined as having employment below 75,000 in 2023. (See table 2.) Wage levels in all 148 smaller counties were below the national average. Burke reported the highest average weekly wage ($1,478). Taliaferro reported the lowest average weekly wage ($711) in the state.

Among all 159 Georgia counties, 23 reported average weekly wages of less than $875, 42 registered wages from $875 to $949, 33 had wages from $950 to $1,024, 28 had wages from $1,025 to $1,099, and 33 had average weekly wages of $1,100 or higher. (See map 1 and table 2.)

QCEW data for states have been included in this release in table 3.

Nationwide coverage of the largest counties is published in the County Employment and Wages news release. Additional information about quarterly employment and wages data is available in the news release Technical Note and from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages website.

Information in this release will be made available to individuals with sensory impairments upon request. Voice phone: (202) 691-5200; Telecommunications Relay Service: 7-1-1.

The County Employment and Wages release for first quarter 2025 is scheduled to be released on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. (ET).