VOLUME 67, NUMBER 1
•
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
•
FIRST QUARTER 2007
Still growing...and growing
Beata D. Kochut
According to the most recent Metropolitan Statistical Area
definitions, 70 counties in Georgia have qualified as parts of
the 15 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, and 31 counties qualified
as parts of the 24 Micropolitan Statistical Areas.
The number of metropolitan statistical areas in
Georgia almost doubled between 1990 and 2000,
from 8 metro areas in 1990 to 15 in 2000. The
number of metropolitan counties climbed from
42 in the 1990s to 70 in 2000. In 2005, over 90
percent of Georgia’s population lived in Core
Based Statistical Areas (over 80 percent, or
7,328,309 people in metro areas, and 925,832—or over 10
percent—in micro areas), and only 9.2 percent (818,435)
lived in non-Core Based Statistical Areas.
Core Based Statistical Areas are most concentrated across
the northern half of the state, especially in the northwestern
quarter, where most of the counties are classified as parts of
either metropolitan or micropolitan areas. The Chattanooga
and Atlanta Combined Statistical Areas span across state
lines, and, together with the Dalton and Rome metro areas
sandwiched between them, form an uninterrupted band of
metropolitan area counties that stretch westward from Athens
and Gainesville into Tennessee and Alabama.
In eastern Georgia, the Augusta Metropolitan Area is
separated from the contiguous metro areas of Savannah, Fort
Stewart, and Brunswick by just one rural county. The Savannah and Hinesville-Fort Stewart MSAs now form a block of
five metro counties classified as a Combined Statistical Area,
in place of just three counties (Bryan, Chatham, and Effingham) that were classified as metro counties in 1990. Directly
south, and adjacent to the Savannah-Hinesville-Fort Stewart
Combined Statistical Area, three more counties
have qualified as metro counties, and now form
the Brunswick Metropolitan Area.
West from Brunswick, the string of Micropolitan Statistical Areas of Jesup, Waycross, Douglas,
Fitzgerald, Tifton, Moultrie, and Thomasville
roughly follows the South Georgia Parkway and
connects to the new Valdosta Metropolitan Area
in the center of the state’s southern edge, and to the Albany
MSA. Most of these micropolitan areas experienced a population increase of at least 13 percent in the last decade. The
Americus Micropolitan Statistical Area connects the Albany
and Columbus MSAs, which in turn touch the southern edge
of the Atlanta MSA; and only one rural county separates
it from the Macon-Warner Robins-Fort Valley Combined
Statistical Area to the east.
Although the metropolitan area designation is related to
the urban-rural classification, the two are not equivalent. In
fact, metro counties that surround urban areas may themselves
be rural, or suburban with large rural areas. Moreover, many
metropolitan areas contain relatively small urban clusters and
much larger rural areas that are bound to the urban core by
commuting patterns. Metropolitan county designation may
point both to the economic vitality of the urban core, and to
the lack of job opportunities in the county itself.
2
As metropolitan area designations tie together demographic and economic patterns, they reveal the outlines of
fast growing areas, which derive their economic vitality from
a significant degree of integration with urban cores. With
at least 25 percent of employment interchange with a core
county, and a generally accepted multiplier effect of two to
three jobs created by any one job in the metropolitan county,
over 50 percent of income in metropolitan counties stems
from the integration with surrounding areas.
Population
Metropolitan Statistical Areas range in size
G eorgia’s
from the Atlanta MSA, home to almost 5 million
people, or over half of the state’s population, through
Augusta (the Georgia portion only) and Savannah, which each
have populations of over 300,000, Columbus and Macon with
populations in the 200,000 range, and smaller MSAs ranging
from Athens (175,085) to Valdosta (124,838). Brunswick,
Rome, and Hinesville-Fort Stewart are the smallest of the
state’s metropolitan areas, with populations under 100,000.
Atlanta is, by far, the most populous and the most densely
populated of Georgia’s metro areas. The 28-county metro area
GEORGIA BUSINESS AND
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
First Quarter 2007
Volume 67, number 1
SELIG CENTER FOR
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Robert E. Hoyt
Interim Dean
Jeffrey M. Humphreys
Director
Lorena M. Akioka
Editor
Beata D. Kochut
Research Analyst
Ian Armit
Data Manager
GEORGIA BUSINESS AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
(ISSN 0297-3857) is published quarterly by the Selig Center
for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, The University of Georgia, as a service to the business and academic
communities. Signed articles reflect the author’s opinion but
not necessarily those of the Selig Center for Economic Growth,
Terry College of Business , or The University of Georgia. This
publication is sent free of charge upon request.
Postmaster send address changes to: Selig Center for
Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, The University
of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-6269.
Periodicals postage paid at Athens, Georgia
DEFINING METROPOLITAN AREAS
In 2000 the Office of Management and Budget announced new guidelines for defining metropolitan areas.
At the center of the new definitions is the concept of the
Core Based Statistical Area (CBSA), defined as a county
or group of counties associated with an urban core of at
least 10,000 population by a “high degree of social and
economic integration, as measured through commuting
ties.” An employment interchange between the urban area
and a surrounding county has to reach at least 25 percent
for the county to be classified as a part of the Core Based
Statistical Area.
The definitions divide the CBSA into two groups, based
on the size of the urban core: Metropolitan Areas have a core
of at least 50,000 inhabitants, whereas Micropolitan Areas
are comprised of at least 10,000 people. Core Based Statistical Areas can be grouped together, based on economic ties,
into Combined Statistical Areas (two or more Core Based
Statistical Areas with employment interchange of at least
15 percent).
had 4,917,717 inhabitants in 2005, and registered a 14.9 percent increase from 2000, the second largest percentage increase
among the state’s MSAs. The adjacent, one-county Gainesville
MSA’s population increased by 17.6 percent between 2000
and 2005, the steepest increase among the state’s metropolitan
areas. On the northwest side of Atlanta, Dalton and Georgia’s
part of the Chattanooga MSA increased their populations by
over 8 percent (and rank fourth and fifth, respectively), but
the third fastest 2000-2005 population increase (13.4 percent)
was registered by Warner Robins in middle Georgia. Athens
in the northeast and Rome in the northwest part of the state
grew by 3.7 percent and 5 percent (rank eighth and tenth,
respectively) between 2000 and 2005.
Most of the metropolitan portion of the Georgia’s coast
grew at a brisk to moderate pace of 6.9 percent (Savannah), and
5.5 percent (Brunswick), except for Hinesville-Fort Stewart,
where the population dropped by 4.2 percent. The population decreases in Hinesville-Fort Stewart and in Columbus
may have been caused by troop relocations at the military
bases in these areas. Population increases in South Georgia’s
metropolitan areas ranged from 4.3 percent in Valdosta to 3.2
percent in Albany, while in the east central and central parts
of the state, Augusta (Georgia part only) and Macon grew
by 3.5 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.
Among the metropolitan counties, Forsyth County in the
north and Henry and Newton counties in the southeastern
part of the Atlanta MSA experienced the steepest growth
between 2000 and 2005, with their population increases
ranging from 39.7 percent to 37.8 percent. Paulding County
in the northwestern part of the Atlanta MSA saw the fourth
largest increase (35.4 percent). Also in the Atlanta MSA,
continued on page 7
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
3
Georgia's Metropolitan Statistical Areas (2000 definition)
New MSA counties (2000 Census) (29)
Existing MSA counties (40)
0
20
40
277
Ì
Î
Í
Miles
124
24N
24
Ì
Î
Í
Ì
Î
Í
CATOOSA
DADE
C
Chattanooga
WALKER
Dalton
TOWNS
FANNIN
75
Ì
Î
Í
PICKENS
Î
Í
Ì
Atlanta
HARALSON
Ì
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
285
675
CARROLL
ROCKDALE
FAYETTE
MORGAN
GREENE
75
475
BIBB
WASHINGTON
WILKINSON
JENKINS
16
Ì
Î
Í
EMANUEL
PEACH
TAYLOR
MUSCOGEE
Warner-Robins
HOUSTON
MACON
CHATTAHOOCHEE MARION
SCHLEY
BLECKLEY
LAURENS
TREUTLEN
MONTGOMERY
TOOMBS
WHEELER
DODGE
TELFAIR
LEE
Albany
DOUGHERTY
CALHOUN
Savannah
LIBERTY
JEFF DAVIS
BEN HILL
TURNER
BRYAN
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
QUITMAN
CLAY
EFFINGHAM
TATTNALL
CRISP
TERRELL
BULLOCH
EVANS
SUMTER
WILCOX
RANDOLPH
CANDLER
PULASKI
DOOLY
WEBSTER
LONG
APPLING
IRWIN
WORTH
COFFEE
BACON
WAYNE
MCINTOSH
TIFT
PIERCE
BAKER
EARLY
ATKINSON
GEORGIA
BERRIEN
MITCHELL
MILLER
COLQUITT
WARE
SEMINOLE
10
Ì
Î
Í
GRADY
BROOKS
GLYNN
95
Ì
Î
Í
CAMDEN
CLINCH
THOMAS
LOWNDES
Valdosta
CHARLTON
Î
Í
Ì
75
ECHOLS
Î
Í
Ì
First Quarter 2007
Brunswick
BRANTLEY
COOK
LANIER
DECATUR
95
Ì
Î
Í
SCREVEN
JOHNSON
TWIGGS
Columbus
BURKE
JEFFERSON
Macon
CRAWFORD
Augusta
GLASCOCK
BALDWIN
JONES
Î
Í
Ì
UPSON
STEWART
RICHMOND
HANCOCK
Î
Í
Ì
TALBOT
520
Ì
Î
Í
WARREN
MONROE
85
Ì
Î
Í
185
Î
Í
Ì
COLUMBIA
PUTNAM
JASPER
BUTTS
LAMAR
MERIWETHER
HARRIS
TALIAFERRO
20
Ì
Î
Í
MCDUFFIE
SPALDING
PIKE
LINCOLN
WILKES
HENRY
COWETA
TROUP
OGLETHORPE
20
Ì
Î
Í
NEWTON
26N
126
Ì
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
CLARKE
WALTON
CLAYTON
HEARD
ELBERT
Athens
BARROW
DEKALB
DOUGLAS
20
Ì
Î
Í
MADISON
OCONEE
FULTON
HART
26
Ì
Î
Í
JACKSON
GWINNETT
COBB
FRANKLIN
BANKS
985
Ì
Î
Í
85
Ì
Î
Í
FORSYTH
POLK
PAULDING
STEPHENS
HALL
77
Ì
Î
Í
385
Ì
Î
Í
Gainesville
DAWSON
CHEROKEE
BARTOW
Rome
85
185
Ì
Î
Í
WHITE HABERSHAM
LUMPKIN
575
FLOYD
RABUN
UNION
GILMER
GORDON
CHATTOOGA
Î
Í
ÌÌ
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
85F
585
WHITFIELD MURRAY
59
Ì
Î
Í
60
Î
Í
Ì
16
516
Ì
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
CHATHAM
4
Table 1
Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2005, July Estimates
Percent change
2000
2005
2000-2005
Albany
White
78,683
79,024
0.4
Black
77,121
80,943
5.0
American Indian
381
406
6.6
Asian
894
1,514
69.4
Native Hawaiian
16
47
193.8
Multiracial
717
908
26.6
Non Hispanic
155,694
160,472
3.1
Hispanic
2,118
2,370
11.9
Total
157,812
162,842
3.2
Athens-Clarke County
White
126,699
134,561
6.2
Black
34,430
33,897
-1.5
American Indian
289
422
46.0
Asian
3,813
4,413
15.7
Native Hawaiian
75
73
-2.7
Multiracial
1,384
1,719
24.2
Non Hispanic
158,674
164,386
3.6
Hispanic
8,016
10,699
33.5
Total
166,690
175,085
5.0
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
White
2,841,391
3,129,107
10.1
Black
1,239,820
1,515,508
22.2
American Indian
12,078
14,853
23.0
Asian
141,953
195,924
38.0
Native Hawaiian
1,966
2,905
47.8
Multiracial
44,408
59,420
33.8
Non Hispanic
4,007,381
4,494,141
12.1
Hispanic
274,235
423,576
54.5
Total
4,281,616
4,917,717
14.9
Augusta-Richmond County
White
191,385
193,811
1.3
Black
129,706
137,887
6.3
American Indian
894
966
8.1
Asian
6,317
6,770
7.2
Native Hawaiian
363
397
9.4
Multiracial
4,291
4,792
11.7
Non Hispanic
324,474
335,633
3.4
Hispanic
8,482
8,990
6.0
Total
332,956
344,623
3.5
Brunswick
White
69,064
73,534
6.5
Black
22,793
23,183
1.7
American Indian
245
280
14.3
Asian
460
574
24.8
Native Hawaiian
18
22
22.2
Multiracial
688
840
22.1
Non Hispanic
90,981
95,215
4.7
Hispanic
2,287
3,218
40.7
Total
93,268
98,433
5.5
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
5
Table 1 (Continued)
Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2005, July Estimates
Percent change
2000
2005
2000-2005
Chattanooga
White
124,845
134,249
7.5
Black
3,229
4,078
26.3
American Indian
392
391
-0.3
Asian
646
940
45.5
Native Hawaiian
3
12
300.0
Multiracial
879
1,073
22.1
Non Hispanic
128,656
138,757
7.9
Hispanic
1,338
1,986
48.4
Total
129,994
140,743
8.3
Columbus
White
130,171
127,748
-1.9
Black
94,385
97,691
3.5
American Indian
942
944
0.2
Asian
3,276
4,293
31.0
Native Hawaiian
483
593
22.8
Multiracial
3,179
3,704
16.5
Non Hispanic
221,695
224,793
1.4
Hispanic
10,741
10,180
-5.2
Total
232,436
234,973
1.1
Dalton
White
114,881
124,434
8.3
Black
3,665
4,042
10.3
American Indian
490
588
20.0
Asian
884
1,312
48.4
Native Hawaiian
102
139
36.3
Multiracial
904
1,186
31.2
Non Hispanic
100,156
101,019
0.9
Hispanic
20,770
30,682
47.7
Total
120,926
131,701
8.9
Gainesville
White
126,709
149,398
17.9
Black
10,468
11,615
11.0
American Indian
531
618
16.4
Asian
1,847
2,438
32.0
Native Hawaiian
503
602
19.7
Multiracial
865
1,100
27.2
Non Hispanic
113,007
124,411
10.1
Hispanic
27,916
41,360
48.2
Total
140,923
165,771
17.6
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
White
38,492
36,499
-5.2
Black
29,506
28,281
-4.2
American Indian
412
395
-4.1
Asian
1,130
1,218
7.8
Native Hawaiian
310
322
3.9
Multiracial
1,781
1,912
7.4
Non Hispanic
65,676
63,491
-3.3
Hispanic
5,955
5,136
-13.8
Total
71,631
68,627
-4.2
First Quarter 2007
(continued)
6
Table 1 (Continued)
Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2005, July Estimates
Percent change
2000
2005
2000-2005
Macon
White
126,191
126,951
0.6
Black
92,579
97,244
5.0
American Indian
426
480
12.7
Asian
2,008
2,582
28.6
Native Hawaiian
14
21
50.0
Multiracial
1,214
1,434
18.1
Non Hispanic
219,520
225,111
2.5
Hispanic
2,912
3,601
23.7
Total
222,432
228,712
2.8
Rome
White
76,681
78,799
2.8
Black
12,240
12,878
5.2
American Indian
284
324
14.1
Asian
857
1,257
46.7
Native Hawaiian
153
208
35.9
Multiracial
597
732
22.6
Non Hispanic
85,749
87,647
2.2
Hispanic
5,063
6,551
29.4
Total
90,812
94,198
3.7
Savannah
White
182,049
194,663
6.9
Black
103,325
108,879
5.4
American Indian
751
944
25.7
Asian
4,486
5,654
26.0
Native Hawaiian
167
212
26.9
Multiracial
2,845
3,531
24.1
Non Hispanic
287,247
305,942
6.5
Hispanic
6,376
7,941
24.5
Total
293,623
313,883
6.9
Valdosta
White
76,554
80,214
4.8
Black
40,306
41,476
2.9
American Indian
449
487
8.5
Asian
1,226
1,364
11.3
Native Hawaiian
49
57
16.3
Multiracial
1,067
1,240
16.2
Non Hispanic
115,825
119,966
3.6
Hispanic
3,826
4,872
27.3
Total
119,651
124,838
4.3
Warner Robins
White
79,584
87,291
9.7
Black
27,857
33,894
21.7
American Indian
379
443
16.9
Asian
1,773
2,409
35.9
Native Hawaiian
88
126
43.2
Multiracial
1,575
2,000
27.0
Non Hispanic
107,886
121,475
12.6
Hispanic
3,370
4,688
39.1
Total
111,256
126,163
13.4
Note: MSA totals complied from county data by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business,
The University of Georgia, and include Georgia parts of MSAs only.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates.
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
7
Table 2
Population of Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2000 and 2005,
in Order of Population Size, 2005
MSA
2000
2005
Percent change
2000-2005
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
4,281,616
4,917,717
Augusta-Richmond County
516,338
520,332
Georgia part
332,956
344,623
Chattanooga
488,661
492,126
Georgia part
129,994
140,743
Savannah
293,623
313,883
Columbus
284,453
284,299
Georgia part
232,436
234,973
Macon
222,432
228,712
Athens-Clarke County
166,690
175,085
Gainesville
140,923
165,771
Albany
157,812
162,842
Dalton
120,926
131,701
Warner Robins
111,256
126,163
Valdosta
119,651
124,838
Brunswick
93,268
98,433
Rome
90,812
94,198
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
71,631
68,627
Georgia
8,230,155
9,072,576
14.9
0.8
3.5
0.7
8.3
6.9
-0.1
1.1
2.8
5.0
17.6
3.2
8.9
13.4
4.3
5.5
3.7
-4.2
10.2
Note: MSA totals compiled from county data by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business,
The University of Georgia.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Population Estimates.
continued from page 2
Cherokee and Barrow counties grew by over 28 percent. In
the southern half of the state, Lee County (Albany MSA)
registered 24.9 percent growth, and Effingham County in the
Savannah MSA increased its population by 24.1 percent. In
contrast, the population of Liberty County (Hinesville-Fort
Stewart MSA), Twiggs County (Macon MSA), Daugherty and
Terrell counties (Albany MSA), Richmond County (Augusta
MSA), Brooks County (Valdosta MSA) and Columbus’s
Chattahoochee and Muscogee counties decreased between
2000 and 2005.
Although Georgia’s population was historically characterized as mostly white, with a large black minority, the ethnic
composition of the state’s population is undergoing significant changes. Most notably, Georgia—and its metropolitan
areas—has one of the largest and fastest growing Hispanic
populations in the country. In addition, the still relatively
small Asian population has become the third largest group
in Georgia.
First Quarter 2007
Albany, Macon, Columbus, Hinesville, and Augusta have
the largest black population among Georgia’s metropolitan
areas, ranging from 49.7 percent of the total population in
Albany to 40 percent in Augusta. In the northwest metropolitan
counties, the black population comprises less than 3 percent
of the total in Chattanooga, 3.1 percent in Dalton, and 7.1
percent in Gainesville. Gainesville and Dalton, however,
have the state’s largest proportions of Hispanic population
(25 percent of the total in Gainesville and 23.3 percent in
Dalton). Atlanta, Athens, and Augusta, on the other hand, have
the largest concentration of Asians—4 percent in Atlanta, 2.5
percent in Athens, and 2 percent in Augusta.
Labor Force and Unemployment
tlanta’s labor force of 2,572,978 accounts for more
A
than half of the labor force in Georgia in 2005.
Georgia’s portion of the Augusta MSA and Savan-
nah follow with the labor forces of 167,605 and 165,732,
respectively. Although the Georgia portion of the Augusta
MSA has a labor force marginally larger than Savannah’s,
8
the Savannah-Hinesville-Fort Stewart Combined Statistical Area reports a labor force of 194,645, second only to
Atlanta. Macon’s labor force is 110,272 and Columbus’s
totals 105,998. Both are centers of combined statistical
areas. Athens, Gainesville, Chattanooga (Georgia portion),
and Albany range from 98,879 (Athens) to 74,814 (Albany),
while Dalton, Valdosta, Warner Robins, Brunswick, Rome,
and Hinesville-Fort Stewart fall within the 66,756 to 28,913
range.
Although the unemployment rate in Georgia jumped
from 4.8 percent in 2004 to 5.3 percent annual average in
2005, it averaged 4.8 percent again in the first nine months
of 2006. Most of the state’s metropolitan areas also saw their
unemployment levels climb between 2004 and 2005, and
drop in the first nine months of 2006. In Macon and Valdosta,
however, unemployment rates rose in 2005, and continued
to climb in the first three quarters of 2006.
The highest 2005 annual average unemployment rates
were reported in Augusta and Hinesville-Fort Stewart (6.2
percent each), Columbus (5.9 percent), Albany (5.8 percent),
and Macon (5.7 percent). Although Hinesville-Fort Stewart,
Augusta, Macon, and Albany still had the highest unemployment rates in the state (5.9, 5.8, 5.7, and 5.7 percent,
respectively), in 2006 the percentages were lower than the
2005 averages. Macon’s stayed the same, however.
Conversely, the already low unemployment rates in Athens
(4.1 percent), Gainesville, and Savannah (4.4 percent each)
fell even lower in the first three quarters of 2006 (Athens
fell to 3.8 percent, Gainesville to 3.9 percent, and Savannah
dropped to 4 percent). Valdosta’s 4.1 unemployment rate in
2005 inched up to 4.2 percent in 2006, but the unemployment
rates fell to 4.1 percent in Brunswick and in the Georgia portion of the Chattanooga MSA.
Employment, Income and Earnings
tatewide, trade and government provide the largest
S portions
of non-farm jobs in Georgia (16.8 percent
and 16.2 percent, respectively), and professional
and business services and manufacturing follow with 13.4
percent and 11.2 percent, respectively. While the number
of jobs in manufacturing fell between 2003 and 2005, the
trade and government sectors added jobs. Among the larger
industry sectors, information lost the largest percentage of
jobs between 2003 and 2005 (5.8 percent). Professional and
business services, education and health services, construction, and leisure and hospitality gained between 9 percent
(professional and business services) and 6.7 percent (leisure
and hospitality).
1PXFS4PVSDF
The Multicultural Economy
ˆ˜œÀˆÌÞÊÕވ˜}Ê*œÜiÀʈ˜ÊÓääÈ
THEENORMOUSECONOMICCLOUTOFTHENATIONS(ISPANICS
!FRICAN!MERICANS!SIANSAND.ATIVE!MERICANSISDETAILEDINTHE
NEWEDITIONOFTHEPOPULARANDWIDELYQUOTEDSTUDYOFMINORITY
BUYINGPOWER
$EVELOPEDBYTHE3ELIG#ENTERFOR%CONOMIC'ROWTHTHIS
DEFINITIVEDATASERIESFORANDTHEPROJECTIONSFOR
THROUGHAREESSENTIALTOBUSINESSANALYSTSMARKETINGSPECIALISTS
PRODUCTDEVELOPERSADVERTISERSANDRESEARCHERS#OMPLETELYREVISED
DATAAREAVAILABLEFORTHE53ANDALLFIFTYSTATESANDCOUNTYDATAARE
INCLUDEDFOR'EORGIAAND&LORIDA
5SEDBYCOMPANIESNATIONWIDETHE-INORITY"UYING0OWERDATASERIES
ISQUOTEDIN"USINESS7EEK4HE7ALL3TREET*OURNAL4HE&INANCIAL4IMESAND
53!4/$!9
5IFEBUBCPPLBOE$%QBDLBHFBMTP
GFBUVSFTCVZJOHQPXFSEBUBCZFYQFOEJUVSF
DBUFHPSZGPSBMMDPOTVNFST"GSJDBO
"NFSJDBOT"TJBOTBOE)JTQBOJDT
*ODMVEFT%BUB#PPL 5PPSEFSUIFQBDLBHFDBMM
BOE$% PSWJTJUXXXTFMJHVHBFEV
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
9
Table 3
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2005
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Albany
Baker
1,846
1,749
97
5.3
31
Dougherty
41,972
39,234
2,738
6.5
9
Lee
15,831
15,260
571
3.6
79
Terrell
4,723
4,398
325
6.9
8
Worth
10,442
9,860
582
5.6
26
MSA Total
74,814
70,501
4,313
5.8
4
Athens
Clarke
59,063
56,547
2,516
4.3
65
Madison
15,558
14,898
660
4.2
69
Oconee
16,697
16,177
520
3.1
84
Oglethorpe
7,561
7,234
327
4.3
65
MSA Total
98,879
94,856
4,023
4.1
15
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
Barrow
29,873
28,543
1,330
4.5
53
Bartow
45,329
42,780
2,549
5.6
26
Butts
10,057
9,486
571
5.7
23
Carroll
50,857
48,144
2,713
5.3
31
Cherokee
98,345
94,624
3,721
3.8
77
Clayton
139,948
130,872
9,076
6.5
9
Cobb
379,353
361,484
17,869
4.7
46
Coweta
55,705
53,159
2,546
4.6
51
Dawson
10,343
9,934
409
4.0
74
DeKalb
383,271
359,820
23,451
6.1
16
Douglas
58,911
55,730
3,181
5.4
29
Fayette
53,804
51,474
2,330
4.3
65
Forsyth
73,139
70,814
2,325
3.2
83
Fulton
426,288
399,949
26,339
6.2
14
Gwinnett
400,057
382,228
17,829
4.5
53
Haralson
13,259
12,555
704
5.3
31
Heard
5,137
4,834
303
5.9
18
Henry
87,387
83,209
4,178
4.8
45
Jasper
6,353
6,043
310
4.9
41
Lamar
8,133
7,624
509
6.3
12
Meriwether
10,207
9,436
771
7.6
3
Newton
41,370
39,100
2,270
5.5
28
Paulding
57,344
54,898
2,446
4.3
65
Pickens
14,459
13,905
554
3.8
77
Pike
7,833
7,413
420
5.4
29
Rockdale
39,848
37,587
2,261
5.7
23
Spalding
29,176
27,059
2,117
7.3
4
Walton
37,192
35,513
1,679
4.5
53
MSA Total
2,572,978
2,438,217
134,761
5.2
7
Augusta
Burke
10,158
9,374
784
7.7
2
Columbia
55,558
53,098
2,460
4.4
59
McDuffie
10,652
9,900
752
7.1
6
Richmond
91,237
84,793
6,444
7.1
6
MSA Total
167,605
157,165
10,440
6.2
1
First Quarter 2007
(continued)
10
Table 3 (Continued)
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2005
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Brunswick
Brantley
7,640
7,239
401
5.2
38
Glynn
38,967
37,249
1,718
4.4
59
McIntosh
5,310
5,030
280
5.3
31
MSA Total
51,917
49,518
2,399
4.6
10
Chattanooga
Catoosa
34,330
32,943
1,387
4.0
74
Dade
8,440
8,046
394
4.7
46
Walker
32,726
31,118
1,608
4.9
41
MSA Total
75,496
72,107
3,389
4.5
11
Columbus
Chattahoochee
2,501
2,227
274
11.0
1
Harris
14,963
14,382
581
3.9
76
Marion
3,404
3,230
174
5.1
39
Muscogee
85,130
79,937
5,193
6.1
16
MSA Total
105,998
99,776
6,222
5.9
3
Dalton
Murray
21,158
20,206
952
4.5
53
Whitfield
45,598
43,327
2,271
5.0
40
MSA Total
66,756
63,533
3,223
4.8
8
Gainesville
Hall
82,205
78,619
3,586
4.4
59
MSA Total
82,205
78,619
3,586
4.4
13
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
Liberty
23,505
21,969
1,536
6.5
9
Long
5,408
5,165
243
4.5
53
MSA Total
28,913
27,134
1,779
6.2
2
Macon
Bibb
73,316
69,004
4,312
5.9
18
Crawford
6,297
5,926
371
5.9
18
Jones
13,389
12,755
634
4.7
46
Monroe
12,525
11,908
617
4.9
41
Twiggs
4,745
4,405
340
7.2
5
MSA Total
110,272
103,998
6,274
5.7
5
Rome
Floyd
50,155
47,514
2,641
5.3
31
MSA Total
50,155
47,514
2,641
5.3
6
Savannah
Effingham
24,598
23,706
892
3.6
79
Bryan
14,873
14,332
541
3.6
79
Chatham
126,261
120,415
5,846
4.6
51
MSA Total
165,732
158,453
7,279
4.4
12
(continued)
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
11
Table 3 (Continued)
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2005
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Valdosta
Brooks
8,405
8,032
373
4.4
59
Echols
2,253
2,178
75
3.3
82
Lanier
3,807
3,650
157
4.1
71
Lowndes
50,501
48,411
2,090
4.1
71
MSA Total
64,966
62,271
2,695
4.1
14
Warner Robins
Houston
62,229
59,306
2,923
4.7
46
MSA Total
62,229
59,306
2,923
4.7
9
Note: MSA totals compiled from county data by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business,
The University of Georgia.
*Rank amoung the 78 counties, which are parts of metropolitan areas. MSA total rank refers to the 15 Metropolitan
Statistical Areas in Georgia, Georgia Parts only.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2006.
Metro Atlanta’s per capita personal income (PCPI), or
the portion of the area’s total income averaged by one person, outweighs the state’s average. Atlanta’s 2004 PCPI of
$33,838 exceeds the average PCPI of $31,534 in Georgia’s
metropolitan portion, towers over the state average of $29,782,
and looms even larger over the state’s non-metropolitan
counties average of $22,497. Among metropolitan areas,
Savannah’s and Chattanooga’s (Georgia portion) PCPIs
($30,316 and $29,912, respectively) also exceed the state’s
average. Brunswick and Macon register above 95 percent of
the state average; Columbus, Gainesville, Warner Robins,
Rome, and Augusta (Georgia portion) fall within 94 to 91
percent of the state average, and Dalton follows closely at
88.3 percent. Athens’ PCPI makes up almost 85 percent of
state average, while Albany’s, Valdosta’s and Hinesville-Fort
Stewart’s comprise about 80 percent. Hinesville-Fort Stewart
is the only MSA in Georgia with per capita personal income
below the state non-metropolitan area average of $22, 497.
Compared to other MSAs in Georgia, the largest portion
of personal income in Atlanta comes from earnings, and a
relatively small part comes from government; therefore, the
area’s income responds quickly to the employment market’s
ups and downs. Atlanta’s earnings are remarkably evenly
distributed among several large sectors: a relatively small
government sector provides 12 percent of earnings, profesFirst Quarter 2007
sional and technical services provide 10.5 percent, and manufacturing, trade, financial services, information, health care,
social assistance, and construction each provide between 8.9
percent and 6.4 percent of earnings. Many of these sectors
were especially vulnerable during the post-2001 economic
slowdown, and some of them, such as manufacturing and
information, were still losing jobs between 2004 and 2005.
The trend was reversed in 2006 with slight employment gains
in manufacturing and information, and stronger gains in
Atlanta’s other major nonagricultural employment sectors.
Albany, Athens, Macon, Rome, and Savannah are characterized by a large portion of earnings provided by the government, manufacturing, and health care sectors, with Rome
distinguished among this group by large portions of earnings
provided by the manufacturing and health service sectors (27
percent and 18.2 percent, respectively). Rome’s PCPI of $
27,412 ranks ninth among the 15 MSAs, and its unemployment level is the same as the state’s average of 5.3 percent.
Compared to the other MSAs, Rome derives the second highest portion of its personal income from transfer payments,
which consist largely of medical benefits (Medicare), income
maintenance payments (such as family assistance and food
stamps), general assistance benefits to low income families,
continued on page 14
12
Table 4
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2003-2004
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2003 PCPI
2004 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2004
Rank*
Albany
Baker
19,949
19,216
-3.7
67
Dougherty
24,080
25,353
5.3
28
Lee
22,093
22,382
1.3
55
Terrell
20,660
20,635
-0.1
63
Worth
22,337
22,479
0.6
53
MSA Total
23,147
23,938
3.4
13
Athens
Clarke
23,241
23,800
2.4
42
Madison
23,398
25,224
7.8
30
Oconee
30,148
31,462
4.4
10
Oglethorpe
22,081
23,544
6.6
46
MSA Total
24,307
25,264
3.9
12
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
Barrow
23,185
23,800
2.7
42
Bartow
25,979
27,017
4.0
23
Butts
21,789
24,683
13.3
33
Carroll
22,701
23,649
4.2
45
Cherokee
29,737
30,590
2.9
11
Clayton
21,507
22,405
4.2
54
Cobb
36,546
37,827
3.5
3
Coweta
27,127
27,894
2.8
19
Dawson
27,271
28,918
6.0
16
DeKalb
34,410
35,837
4.1
4
Douglas
26,048
26,687
2.5
25
Fayette
37,384
38,492
3.0
2
Forsyth
30,936
31,585
2.1
9
Fulton
44,880
46,699
4.1
1
Gwinnett
29,827
30,570
2.5
12
Haralson
21,684
22,761
5.0
50
Heard
19,497
20,433
4.8
64
Henry
26,343
26,907
2.1
24
Jasper
21,910
23,056
5.2
48
Lamar
22,981
24,128
5.0
40
Meriwether
20,298
20,880
2.9
60
Newton
22,279
22,634
1.6
52
Paulding
23,030
23,536
2.2
47
Pickens
27,104
28,504
5.2
17
Pike
23,449
24,234
3.3
39
Rockdale
28,346
29,077
2.6
15
Spalding
23,500
24,679
5.0
34
Walton
24,093
24,906
3.4
32
MSA Total
32,739
33,838
3.4
1
Augusta
Burke
19,005
19,584
3.0
66
Columbia
31,732
33,253
4.8
6
McDuffie
24,033
25,184
4.8
31
Richmond
24,239
25,250
4.2
29
MSA Total
25,994
27,128
4.4
10
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
13
Table 4 (Continued)
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2003-2004
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2003 PCPI
2004 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2004
Rank*
Brunswick
Brantley
19,320
20,637
6.8
62
Glynn
30,210
32,049
6.1
7
McIntosh
19,597
20,725
5.8
61
MSA Total
27,272
28,957
6.2
4
Chattanooga
Catoosa
23,424
24,444
4.4
36
Dade
21,470
22,657
5.5
51
Walker
21,983
22,979
4.5
49
MSA Total
28,519
29,912
4.9
3
Columbus
Chattahoochee
17,735
18,492
4.3
68
Harris
32,577
33,498
2.8
5
Marion
22,234
23,696
6.6
44
Muscogee
28,656
29,460
2.8
14
MSA Total
27,047
27,909
3.2
6
Dalton
Murray
20,436
21,435
4.9
58
Whitfield
27,433
28,501
3.9
18
MSA Total
25,257
26,301
4.1
11
Gainesville
Hall
25,029
26,043
4.1
27
MSA Total
25,757
27,528
6.9
7
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
Liberty
20,045
21,471
7.1
57
Long
17,079
17,763
4.0
69
MSA Total
19,592
20,904
6.7
15
Macon
Bibb
28,914
30,341
4.9
13
Crawford
22,726
24,119
6.1
41
Jones
23,748
24,439
2.9
37
Monroe
25,008
26,350
5.4
26
Twiggs
20,017
20,415
2.0
65
MSA Total
27,170
28,442
4.7
5
Rome
Floyd
25,753
27,412
6.4
22
MSA Total
25,753
27,412
6.4
9
Savannah
Effingham
23,383
24,648
5.4
35
Bryan
26,323
27,566
4.7
20
Chatham
30,146
31,691
5.1
8
MSA Total
28,870
30,316
5.0
2
First Quarter 2007
(continued)
14
Table 4 (Continued)
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2003-2004
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2003 PCPI
2004 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2004
Rank*
Valdosta
Brooks
21,378
21,648
1.3
56
Echols
16,456
16,487
0.2
70
Lanier
20,428
20,901
2.3
59
Lowndes
23,390
24,315
4.0
38
MSA Total
22,716
23,498
3.4
14
Warner Robins
Houston
26,688
27,417
2.7
21
MSA Total
26,688
27,417
2.7
8
Georgia
250,735,472
265,599,116
5.9
Note: MSA totals for Augusta, Chattanooga, and Columbus include areas located in other states.
*Rank among the 78 counties, which are parts of metropolitan areas. MSA Total rank refers to the 15 Metropolitan
Statistical Areas in Georgia.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Economic Information System, May 2006.
continued from page 11
unemployment insurance benefits, veteran’s benefits, and
other government and business payments to individuals and
nonprofit organizations.
The Athens MSA derives 33 percent of its earnings from
government employment (its relatively low PCPI ranks twelfth
among the metropolitan areas), but the area enjoys consistently
low unemployment--4.1 percent average in 2005. As in most
metropolitan areas in the state, Athens’ unemployment rate
dropped to 3.8 percent in the first nine months of 2006. Personal
income in Athens includes a relatively large portion provided
by dividends, interest, and rent, which include payments by
retirement plans, and other investment and property income.
The portion provided by transfer payments is relatively low.
Albany, on the other hand, ranks thirteenth in per capita
personal income, has the fourth highest unemployment rate
among Georgia’s metropolitan areas, and derives a major
part of its income (20.7 percent) from transfer payments.
In contrast, Savannah’s and Macon’s PCPIs rank second
and fifth, respectively, among Georgia’s MSAs. While Savannah retained its high PCPI rank, Macon has slipped one place
since 2003. Savannah’s unemployment rates consistently
are well below the state average, but the 5.7 percent average
annual unemployment rate in Macon in 2005 is noticeably
above the Georgia average of 5.3 percent. The dividends,
interest, and rent portion of personal income in Savannah
is the third highest in the state, trailing after Brunswick and
Athens.
Hinesville and Warner Robins are notable because government employment provides over half of their metropolitan
areas’ earnings—79.2 percent and 60.1 percent, respectively.
In addition, Warner Robins derives a relatively large portion
(7.7 percent) of its earnings from professional and technical
services. While Warner Robins’ PCPI of $ 27,417 ranks eighth
among the MSAs, Hinesville is dead last at $ 20,904, well
below the state, metro, and even non-metro area average.
Compared to other metropolitan areas in the state, however,
Hinesville experienced a steep 2003-2004 PCPI increase (6.7
percent), second only to Gainesville’s 6.9 percent. Earnings
constitute the second and third highest portions of income in
Hinesville and Warner Robins, compared to other metropolitan areas in the state. But, while unemployment in Warner
Robins fell below the state average in the first nine months
of 2006, that is not true in Hinesville-Fort Stewart, which
has the highest unemployment rates among the metropolitan
areas.
Among Georgia’s metropolitan areas, manufacturing
provides the largest portion of earnings in Dalton, Rome, and
Gainesville (43 percent, 27 percent, and 26.2 percent, respectively). Average weekly wages in manufacturing are relatively
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
15
low in Dalton and Gainesville, however. Conversely, Dalton
follows Atlanta with the second highest portion of earnings
derived from the well-paid professional and technical services sector, while Gainesville’s relatively large government
and healthcare sectors each provide 13 percent of the area’s
earnings. Gainesville and Dalton rank seventh and eleventh,
respectively, in PCPI among the state’s 15 metropolitan areas.
The unemployment rates in Gainesville and Dalton fell well
below the state average in 2005, and remained lower than
average in the first nine months of 2006.
Columbus’s large government sector provides 34.7 percent of earnings, and the manufacturing sector provides 12.1
percent. Finance and insurance provides nearly 7 percent
of earnings—the fourth highest portion among the state’s
MSAs—and the percentage of earnings from the information
sector is second in relative size only to Atlanta’s. Columbus’s
professional and technical services sector provides almost
5.1 percent of earnings, also a relatively large portion among
metropolitan statistical areas. The area’s PCPI ranks sixth in
the state, but the 2005 average unemployment level of 5.9
percent is fifth highest among Georgia’s MSAs. The 2006
January-to-September average unemployment rate of 5.4
percent ranks in the middle of the group of MSAs.
Like Columbus, Augusta’s government sector provides
a relatively large—27.7 percent—portion of earnings.
Manufacturing provides nearly 14 percent of earnings, and
administrative and waste services, by far the largest among
MSAs, totals nearly 12 percent of earnings. Augusta’s PCPI
ranks tenth among the state’s metropolitan areas, and is the
lowest among the larger MSAs. Augusta’s Columbia County,
however, has one of the state’s highest per capita personal
incomes. Conversely, the MSA had the highest unemployment rate among the state’s metropolitan areas in 2005, and
one of the four highest in the first nine months of 2006.
In Brunswick and Valdosta, a relatively large portion
of earnings is derived from government employment (28
percent in Brunswick and 35.7 percent in Valdosta), and the
rest of earnings comes from a diverse set of industries, with
manufacturing, retail, and health care providing from 12
percent to 8 percent of earnings each, and the smaller sectors supplying the rest. Valdosta’s PCPI is next to last in rank
among the state’s metro areas. A relatively small percentage
of income in Valdosta come from earnings and dividends and
rent, and a relatively large portion is derived from transfer
payments. As is typical for an area in which government is
the major employer, Valdosta’s unemployment rate stay well
below the state average. The unemployment rate did climb
from 3.6 percent in 2004 to 4.1 percent in 2005, however,
and increased to 4.2 percent between January and September
of 2006.
Brunswick, the capital of the Golden Isles, derives over
9 percent of earnings from the accommodations and food
services sector, by far the highest proportion among metropolitan areas in Georgia. In 2004, the area’s construction sector
provided over 7 percent of the area’s non-farm earnings, the
second highest portion among the metropolitan areas in the
state. Brunswick has the fourth highest PCPI among Georgia’s
MSAs, and, compared to other areas, derives the smallest
portion of income from earnings. The size of the dividends,
interest and rent portion of income, however, is the highest
among the metro areas in the state. On the opposite side of
the picture, Brunswick’s transfer payments provide the fourth
largest portion of income compared to other Georgia MSAs.
The unemployment rate in the Brunswick MSA is relatively
low (4.6 percent average in 2005), and it dropped to 4.1 percent in the first three quarters of 2006). Accordingly, while
the PCPI in Brantley and McIntosh counties is below the
state—and even non-metropolitan area—average, per capita
income in Glynn County is among the highest in Georgia.
To Our Readers
This is the final year in which we will publish the printed version of Georgia Business
and Economic Conditions. Beginning in 2008, GBEC will be available on our website
(www.selig.uga.edu) as an online publication only.
First Quarter 2007