VOLUME 68, NUMBER 1
•
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
•
FIRST QUARTER 2008
Georgia’s 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 2006,
over 90 percent of Georgia’s population lived
in Core Based Statistical Areas (over 81 percent,
or 7,596,253 people in metro areas, and over 10 percent or
963,460 people in micro areas), and only 9 percent (804,228)
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
borders, and, together with the Dalton and Rome metro areas
sandwiched between them, form an uninterrupted string of
metropolitan area counties stretching 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, but also to
the lack of employment 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 2 to 3
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
G
eorgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas range in
size from the Atlanta MSA, home to over 5 million people, or over a half of the state’s population,
through Augusta (the Georgia portion only) and Savannah,
each reporting populations of over 300,000, Columbus and
Macon with populations in the 200,000 range, and smaller
MSAs ranging from Athens (185,479) to Brunswick (100,613).
Rome and Hinesville-Fort Stewart are the smallest of the
state’s metropolitan areas, with populations under 100,000.
Between 2000 and 2006 Atlanta—and the metropolitan
areas to the northwest and northeast of it—together with the
coastal metro areas were among the fastest growing metro-
GEORGIA BUSINESS AND
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
First Quarter 2008
Volume 68, number 1
SELIG CENTER FOR
ECONOMIC GROWTH
Robert T. Sumichrast
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.
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 are centered around the core of at least 50,000 inhabitants, whereas
Micropolitan Areas are centered around clusters of at least
10,000 population. 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).
politan areas in the state. Warner Robins became the center
for population growth in the state’s midsection.
Among Georgia’s metropolitan areas, Atlanta is, by far,
the most populous and the most densely populated. The 28county metro area had 5,138,223 inhabitants in 2006, and
registered a 20 percent increase from 2000, the second largest
percentage increase among the state’s MSAs. The adjacent,
one-county Gainesville MSA’s population increased by 22.9
percent between 2000 and 2006, 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 11.1 percent (Dalton) and 9.9 percent
(Chattanooga), and rank 4 and 6, respectively, but the third
fastest 2000-2006 population increase (14.6 percent) was
registered by Warner Robins in middle Georgia. Bordering
the Atlanta MSA on the northeast, Athens is the fifth fastest
growing MSA in the state with an increase of 11.3 percent
between 2000 and 2006. The coastal areas of Savannah and
Brunswick increased their populations by 9 percent and 7.9
percent, respectively (and rank 7 and 8). Valdosta, Rome,
Augusta, Albany, Macon, Hinesville, and Columbus increased
their populations by between 5.6 percent (Valdosta) and 2.7
percent (Columbus).
Among the metropolitan counties, Forsyth County in the
north, Henry and Newton counties in the south, and Paulding
County in the western part of the Atlanta MSA experienced
the steepest growth between 2000 and 2006, with their population increases ranging from 50.1 percent to 45.3 percent.
Also in the Atlanta MSA, Barrow and Cherokee counties
grew by close to 36 percent. In the southern half of the state,
Lee County (Albany MSA) registered 30.5 percent growth,
and Effingham County in the Savannah MSA increased its
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
CATOOSA
DADE
Chattanooga
C
WALKER
Dalton
TOWNS
FANNIN
75
Ì
Î
Í
FLOYD
PICKENS
CHEROKEE
Atlanta
Ì
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
285
675
ROCKDALE
OGLETHORPE
MORGAN
GREENE
HANCOCK
Î
Í
Ì
75
Î
Í
Ì
UPSON
475
BIBB
WILKINSON
JENKINS
16
Ì
Î
Í
MUSCOGEE
EMANUEL
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 2008
Brunswick
BRANTLEY
COOK
LANIER
DECATUR
95
Ì
Î
Í
SCREVEN
JOHNSON
PEACH
TAYLOR
STEWART
WASHINGTON
TWIGGS
Columbus
BURKE
JEFFERSON
Macon
CRAWFORD
TALBOT
Augusta
GLASCOCK
BALDWIN
JONES
MONROE
85
Ì
Î
Í
185
Î
Í
Ì
520
Ì
Î
Í
RICHMOND
PUTNAM
JASPER
BUTTS
LAMAR
MERIWETHER
COLUMBIA
WARREN
SPALDING
PIKE
20
Ì
Î
Í
MCDUFFIE
COWETA
HARRIS
TALIAFERRO
HENRY
FAYETTE
LINCOLN
WILKES
20
Ì
Î
Í
NEWTON
26N
126
Ì
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
CLARKE
WALTON
CLAYTON
TROUP
ELBERT
Athens
BARROW
DEKALB
DOUGLAS
HEARD
MADISON
OCONEE
FULTON
CARROLL
26
Ì
Î
Í
JACKSON
GWINNETT
COBB
HARALSON
Î
Í
Ì
Î Í
Í
Ì
85
Ì
Î
HART
985
FORSYTH
POLK
FRANKLIN
BANKS
HALL
77
Ì
Î
Í
385
Ì
Î
Í
STEPHENS
Gainesville
DAWSON
575
Ì
Î
Í
PAULDING
85
185
Ì
Î
Í
WHITE HABERSHAM
LUMPKIN
BARTOW
Rome
RABUN
UNION
GILMER
GORDON
CHATTOOGA
Î
Í
ÌÌ
Î
Í
Î
Í
Ì
85F
585
WHITFIELD MURRAY
20
277
Ì
Î
Í
Miles
124
24N
24
Ì
Î
Í
Ì
Î
Í
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, 2006, July Estimates
Albany
White
Black
American Indian
Asian
Native Hawaiian
Multiracial
Non Hispanic
Hispanic
Total
Percent change
2000
2006
2000-2006
78,477
79,616
1.5
77,068
81,109
5.2
399
421
5.5
924
1,622
75.5
53
83
56.6
877
1,110
26.6
155,661
161,671
3.9
2,137
2,290
7.2
157,798
163,961
3.9
Athens-Clarke County
White
126,458
141,572
12.0
Black
34,396
36,196
5.2
American Indian
368
455
23.6
Asian
3,858
4,832
25.2
Native Hawaiian
90
120
33.3
Multiracial
1,537
2,304
49.9
Non Hispanic
158,688
173,555
9.4
Hispanic
8,019
11,924
48.7
Total
166,707
185,479
11.3
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
White
2,842,731
3,235,347
13.8
Black
1,242,015
1,608,875
29.5
American Indian
12,106
17,405
43.8
Asian
141,705
209,814
48.1
Native Hawaiian
2,346
3,837
63.6
Multiracial
41,054
62,945
53.3
Non Hispanic
4,007,252
4,667,984
16.5
Hispanic
274,705
470,239
71.2
Total
4,281,957
5,138,223
20.0
Augusta-Richmond County
White
191,022
193,887
1.5
Black
130,000
138,583
6.6
American Indian
976
1,034
5.9
Asian
6,357
7,102
11.7
Native Hawaiian
358
350
-2.2
Multiracial
4,240
5,232
23.4
Non Hispanic
324,422
337,457
4.0
Hispanic
8,531
8,731
2.3
Total
332,953
346,188
4.0
Brunswick
White
68,973
75,221
9.1
Black
22,670
23,405
3.2
American Indian
272
290
6.6
Asian
507
669
32.0
Native Hawaiian
40
52
30.0
Multiracial
803
976
21.5
Non Hispanic
90,975
97,133
6.8
Hispanic
2,290
3,480
52.0
Total
93,265
100,613
7.9
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
5
Table 1 (Continued)
Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2006, July Estimates
Percent change
2000
2006
2000-2006
Chattanooga
White
124,691
135,769
8.9
Black
3,221
4,242
31.7
American Indian
437
488
11.7
Asian
670
998
49.0
Native Hawaiian
28
28
0.0
Multiracial
958
1,330
38.8
Non Hispanic
128,674
140,833
9.4
Hispanic
1,331
2,022
51.9
Total
130,005
142,855
9.9
Columbus
White
129,930
129,406
-0.4
Black
94,609
99,263
4.9
American Indian
1,021
1,057
3.5
Asian
3,383
4,463
31.9
Native Hawaiian
429
527
22.8
Multiracial
3,045
4,046
32.9
Non Hispanic
221,763
229,058
3.3
Hispanic
10,654
9,704
-8.9
Total
232,417
238,762
2.7
Dalton
White
114,851
127,030
10.6
Black
3,677
4,162
13.2
American Indian
475
557
17.3
Asian
934
1,368
46.5
Native Hawaiian
73
86
17.8
Multiracial
941
1,194
26.9
Non Hispanic
100,256
101,954
1.7
Hispanic
20,695
32,443
56.8
Total
120,951
134,397
11.1
Gainesville
White
126,779
156,498
23.4
Black
10,500
11,778
12.2
American Indian
523
579
10.7
Asian
1,981
2,742
38.4
Native Hawaiian
291
346
18.9
Multiracial
879
1,313
49.4
Non Hispanic
113,220
129,109
14.0
Hispanic
27,733
44,147
59.2
Total
140,953
173,256
22.9
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
White
38,545
39,705
3.0
Black
29,667
29,986
1.1
American Indian
425
509
19.8
Asian
1,206
1,367
13.3
Native Hawaiian
290
364
25.5
Multiracial
1,495
2,092
39.9
Non Hispanic
65,724
68,884
4.8
Hispanic
5,904
5,139
-13.0
Total
71,628
74,023
3.3
First Quarter 2008
(continued)
6
Table 1 (Continued)
Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas,
Population by Race and Hispanic Origin, 2006, July Estimates
Percent change
2000
2006
2000-2006
Macon
White
125,953
127,172
1.0
Black
92,486
97,225
5.1
American Indian
512
530
3.5
Asian
2,011
2,665
32.5
Native Hawaiian
53
58
9.4
Multiracial
1,406
1,676
19.2
Non Hispanic
219,487
225,643
2.8
Hispanic
2,934
3,683
25.5
Total
222,421
229,326
3.1
Rome
White
76,609
79,809
4.2
Black
12,223
12,795
4.7
American Indian
288
309
7.3
Asian
894
1,386
55.0
Native Hawaiian
102
108
5.9
Multiracial
699
915
30.9
Non Hispanic
85,791
88,381
3.0
Hispanic
5,024
6,941
38.2
Total
90,815
95,322
5.0
Savannah
White
182,057
199,153
9.4
Black
103,216
109,388
6.0
American Indian
798
926
16.0
Asian
4,545
6,228
37.0
Native Hawaiian
206
229
11.2
Multiracial
2,795
4,089
46.3
Non Hispanic
287,132
311,548
8.5
Hispanic
6,485
8,465
30.5
Total
293,617
320,013
9.0
Valdosta
White
76,497
81,299
6.3
Black
40,178
41,524
3.4
American Indian
503
532
5.8
Asian
1,236
1,414
14.4
Native Hawaiian
59
62
5.1
Multiracial
1,176
1,474
25.3
Non Hispanic
115,794
121,324
4.8
Hispanic
3,855
4,981
29.2
Total
119,649
126,305
5.6
Warner Robins
White
79,624
87,977
10.5
Black
27,848
34,430
23.6
American Indian
415
473
14.0
Asian
1,817
2,525
39.0
Native Hawaiian
92
111
20.7
Multiracial
1,461
2,014
37.9
Non Hispanic
107,858
122,876
13.9
Hispanic
3,399
4,654
36.9
Total
111,257
127,530
14.6
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 Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2000 and 2006,
in Order of Population Size, 2006
MSA
2000
2006
Percent change
2000-2006
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta
4,281,957
5,138,223
Augusta-Richmond County
500,342
523,249
Georgia part
332,953
346,188
Chattanooga
477,230
496,704
Georgia part
130,005
142,855
Savannah
293,617
320,013
Columbus
282,113
288,847
Georgia part
232,417
238,762
Macon
222,421
229,326
Athens-Clarke County
166,707
185,479
Albany
157,798
163,961
Gainesville
140,953
173,256
Dalton
120,951
134,397
Warner Robins
111,257
127,530
Valdosta
119,649
126,305
Brunswick
93,265
100,613
Rome
90,815
95,322
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
71,628
74,023
Georgia
8,230,550
9,363,941
20.0
4.6
4.0
4.1
9.9
9.0
2.4
2.7
3.1
11.3
3.9
22.9
11.1
14.6
5.6
7.9
5.0
3.3
13.8
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
population by 29.5 percent. In contrast, the populations of
Twiggs County (Macon MSA), Daugherty, Terrell, and Worth
counties (Albany MSA), and Richmond County in the Augusta
MSA decreased between 2000 and 2006.
Race and Ethnicity Highlights
Although the population in Georgia was historically
characterized as mostly white, with a large black minority,
the 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, while still relatively
small, the Asian population has become the third largest racial
group in Georgia.
From 2000 to 2006, the percentage of Asians among the
total population increased in all of Georgia’s metropolitan
First Quarter 2008
areas, with the steepest increase (0.8 percent) registered
in Atlanta. A similar observation is true for the multiracial
group, with the largest increase (0.7 percent) occurring in
Hinesville-Fort Stewart. The percentage of whites decreased
in 10 out of 15 metro areas, and increased only in Brunswick
(by 0.8 percent), Athens, Gainesville, Savannah, and Valdosta.
Albany, Atlanta, Augusta, Chattanooga, Columbus, Dalton,
Macon, and Warner Robins saw a relative increase in their
black populations, with the largest gain reported in Atlanta
(2.3 percent). The proportion of American Indians and Native Hawaiians in Georgia’s metropolitan areas remained
unchanged.
Albany, Macon, Columbus, Hinesville, and Augusta
have, proportionately, the largest black population among
Georgia’s metropolitan areas, ranging from 49.5 percent of
the total population in Albany to 40 percent in Augusta. In the
northwest metropolitan counties of Chattanooga and Dalton
the black population makes up only about 3 percent of the
total. Gainesville and Dalton, however, have the state’s largest
8
proportions of Hispanic population (25.5 percent of the total
in Gainesville and 24.1 percent in Dalton). Atlanta, Athens,
and Augusta, on the other hand, have the largest concentrations of Asians—4.1 percent in Atlanta, 2.6 percent in Athens,
and 2.1 percent in Augusta. Warner Robins and Savannah
follow closely with 2 and 1.9 percent, respectively.
Georgia—and its metropolitan areas—has one of the largest and fastest growing Hispanic populations in the country.
Between 2000 and 2006, the number of Hispanics in the
Atlanta area increased by 71.2 percent, from 274,705 in 2000
to 470,239 in 2006. Today, Hispanics and Latinos make up
over 9.2 percent of the population in the Atlanta metro area.
The Hispanic population jumped by between 25.5 percent
(Macon) and 59.2 percent (Gainesville) in most of the other
metro areas in the state, except for Augusta and Albany,
where these increased by a relatively modest 2.3 percent and
7.2 percent, respectively. Gainesville, Dalton, Atlanta, and
Rome have the largest concentration of Hispanic population
in the state, ranging from 25.5 percent and 24.1 percent in
Gainesville and Dalton, to 9.2 percent and 7.3 percent in
Atlanta and Rome.
Educational Attainment
Nationwide, 84.1 percent of residents over 24 years of age
have completed high school. In 2006, only four of Georgia’s
metropolitan areas exceed this average: Warner Robins (87.9
percent), Hinesville-Fort Stewart (87.3 percent), Atlanta (85.8
percent), and Savannah (85.1 percent).
Warner Robins and Atlanta, where close to 60 percent
of residents over the age of 24 either attended or graduated
from college, have the best educated labor force among the
state’s metropolitan areas. Five other metro areas report that
over 50 percent of their residents have at least some college
education: Athens (53.8 percent), Hinesville (51.9 percent),
Savannah (51.6 percent), Columbus (50.5 percent), and
Augusta (50 percent). Albany followed closely with 49.3
percent. In Brunswick, Valdosta, and Macon, the percentage
of residents with college experience or diplomas ranged from
46.7 percent (Brunswick) to 45.1 percent (Macon). Rome
and Gainesville report close to 44 percent of their residents
having at least some college education, with Dalton clocking
in at 31.4 percent. While Atlanta and Warner Robins exceed
the U.S. average (53.9 percent), Athens trails by a smidgen
(0.1 percent).
Atlanta, Athens, Savannah, and Warner Robins have the
largest portions of population (age 25 and over) with college
degrees. In these areas, the proportion of college graduates
ranges from 33.3 percent (Atlanta) to 24.2 percent (Warner
Robins). Athens has the highest proportion of residents with
graduate-level education. In Warner Robins, Atlanta, and
Savannah the proportion of residents with less than a high
/FX1PXFS4PVSDF
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USA TODAY.
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Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
9
Table 3
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2006
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Albany
Baker
1,838
1,746
92
5.0
26
Dougherty
42,275
39,720
2,555
6.0
7
Lee
16,823
16,197
626
3.7
71
Terrell
4,654
4,393
261
5.6
10
Worth
10,608
10,061
547
5.2
21
MSA Total
76,198
72,117
4,081
5.4
3
Athens
Clarke
61,628
59,199
2,429
3.9
62
Madison
16,090
15,511
579
3.6
77
Oconee
17,878
17,328
550
3.1
84
Oglethorpe
7,852
7,567
285
3.6
77
MSA Total
103,448
99,605
3,843
3.7
15
Atlanta-Sandy Springs
Barrow
31,655
30,333
1,322
4.2
49
Bartow
46,092
43,890
2,202
4.8
31
Butts
9,438
8,928
510
5.4
17
Carroll
52,523
49,982
2,541
4.8
31
Cherokee
103,527
99,786
3,741
3.6
77
Clayton
140,144
132,362
7,782
5.6
10
Cobb
382,689
366,911
15,778
4.1
51
Coweta
57,810
55,444
2,366
4.1
51
Dawson
10,679
10,281
398
3.7
71
DeKalb
380,339
361,012
19,327
5.1
23
Douglas
61,650
58,612
3,038
4.9
27
Fayette
55,088
52,096
2,132
3.9
62
Forsyth
77,892
75,394
2,498
3.2
82
Fulton
472,795
449,640
23,155
4.9
27
Gwinnett
412,993
396,127
16,866
4.1
51
Haralson
13,286
12,674
612
4.6
34
Heard
5,105
4,857
248
4.9
27
Henry
91,691
87,561
4,130
4.5
38
Jasper
6,484
6,175
309
4.8
31
Lamar
8,060
7,609
451
5.6
10
Meriwether
10,160
9,505
655
6.4
3
Newton
43,897
41,589
2,308
5.3
19
Paulding
60,745
58,254
2,491
4.1
51
Pickens
14,787
14,241
546
3.7
71
Pike
7,952
7,590
362
4.6
34
Rockdale
40,426
38,430
1,996
4.9
27
Spalding
29,057
27,239
1,818
6.3
4
Walton
39,106
37,343
1,763
4.5
38
MSA Total
2,666,070
2,544,725
121,345
4.6
6
Augusta
Burke
10,141
9,465
676
6.7
2
Columbia
57,433
55,975
2,358
4.1
51
McDuffie
10,722
10,054
668
6.2
5
Richmond
90,641
85,004
5,837
6.2
5
MSA Total
168,937
159,598
9,339
5.5
1
First Quarter 2008
(continued)
10
Table 3 (Continued)
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2006
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Brunswick
Brantley
7,842
7,482
360
4.6
34
Glynn
40,447
38,904
1,543
3.8
68
McIntosh
5,407
5,182
225
4.2
49
MSA Total
53,696
51,568
2,128
4.0
11
Chattanooga
Catoosa
35,902
34,573
1,329
3.7
71
Dade
8,686
8,335
351
4.0
58
Walker
33,884
32,399
1,485
4.4
43
MSA Total
78,472
75,307
3,165
4.0
10
Columbus
Chattahoochee
2,687
2,433
254
9.5
1
Harris
15,574
14,990
584
3.7
71
Marion
3,460
3,307
153
4.4
43
Muscogee
86,121
81,409
4,712
5.5
14
MSA Total
107,842
102,139
5,703
5.3
4
Dalton
Murray
21,771
20,841
930
4.3
45
Whitfield
47,226
45,117
2,109
4.5
38
MSA Total
68,997
65,958
3,039
4.4
7
Gainesville
Hall
86,559
83,263
3,296
3.8
68
MSA Total
86,559
83,263
3,296
3.8
14
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
Liberty
24,042
22,711
1,331
5.5
14
Long
6,035
5,811
224
3.7
71
MSA Total
30,077
28,522
1,555
5.2
5
Macon
Bibb
74,190
69,960
4,230
5.7
9
Crawford
6,337
6,012
325
5.1
23
Jones
13,962
13,249
713
5.1
23
Monroe
12,861
12,276
585
4.5
38
Twiggs
4,683
4,410
273
5.8
8
MSA Total
112,033
105,907
6,126
5.5
2
Rome
Floyd
51,711
49,494
2,217
4.3
45
MSA Total
51,711
49,494
2,217
4.3
9
Savannah
Bryan
16,044
15,480
564
3.5
80
Chatham
130,632
125,385
5,247
4.0
58
Effingham
26,843
25,946
897
3.3
81
MSA Total
173,519
166,811
6,708
3.9
13
(continued)
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
11
Table 3 (Continued)
Labor Force, Employment, and Unemployment in
Georgia’s Metropolitan Areas, 2006
MSA County
Labor Force
Employment
Number
Unemployment
Rate
Rank*
Valdosta
Brooks
8,603
8,250
353
4.1
51
Echols
2,403
2,326
77
3.2
82
Lanier
3,957
3,804
153
3.9
62
Lowndes
52,383
50,330
2,053
3.9
62
MSA Total
67,346
64,710
2,636
3.9
12
Warner Robins
Houston
66,202
63,378
2,824
4.3
45
MSA Total
66,202
63,378
2,824
4.3
8
Note: MSA totals compiled from county data by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business,
University of Georgia.
*Rank among 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, 2007.
school education is the lowest among the state’s metropolitan
areas. In Athens, however, the proportion of residents over 24
who did not complete high school is the fifth largest among
Georgia’s MSAs.
Dalton, Gainesville, Rome, and Macon have the highest
proportions of those with a high school education or less,
the proportion ranging from 68.6 percent in Dalton to 56.1
percent in Rome. While Macon, Rome, and Gainesville have
over 18 percent of their workforce with college education
(21.7 percent in Macon), that number is only 12 percent
in Dalton. In the remaining metro areas, the proportion of
college-educated workforce ranges from 22.4 percent (Augusta) to 18.9 (Albany), and the percentage of those with a
high school education or less ranges between 48.4 and 48.1
percent in Savannah-Hinesville, to 54 percent in Valdosta.
Labor Force, Employment,
And Unemployment
A
tlanta’s labor force of 2,666,062 accounts for more
than half of the labor force in Georgia in 2006. Savannah and Georgia’s portion of the Augusta MSA
follow with labor forces of 173,518 and 168,937, respectively.
(The Augusta-Richmond County MSA also includes South
First Quarter 2008
Carolina’s Richmond County.) As a whole, the Augusta MSA
has a labor force of 256,030. The Savannah-Hinesville-Fort
Stewart Combined Statistical Area reports a labor force of
203,596; with the adjacent Brunswick MSA adding another
53,696 members to the coastal Georgia labor force. Macon’s is
112,032 and Columbus’s labor force totals 107,842, and both
are centers of combined statistical areas. Athens, Gainesville,
Chattanooga (Georgia portion only), and Albany range from
103,449 (Athens) to 76,199 (Albany), while Dalton, Valdosta,
Warner Robins, Rome, and Hinesville-Fort Stewart fall within
the 68,996 to 30,078 range.
Between 2000 and 2006, the fastest employment increase took place in Hinesville, Warner Robins, Savannah,
and Valdosta, with average annual rates of growth ranging
from 3.8 percent to 3.1 percent. The 2006 average annual
unemployment levels in all of these areas (except Hinesville)
were among the lowest in Georgia. Gainesville, Athens,
Rome and Brunswick form the second tier with average annual employment increases of 2.5 percent to 2.3 percent, and
very low unemployment rates. The number of employed in
Atlanta increased by 10.4 percent between 2000 and 2006
(1.7 percent average annual growth), and in Dalton, Augusta,
continued on page 14
12
Table 4
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2004-2005
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2004 PCPI
2005 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2005
Rank*
Albany
Baker
18,874
19,672
4.2
68
Dougherty
24,710
26,079
5.5
33
Lee
22,746
23,724
4.3
51
Terrell
20,555
21,891
6.5
63
Worth
22,799
24,210
6.2
46
MSA Total
23,657
24,941
5.4
13
Athens
Clarke
23,157
23,159
0.0
54
Madison
25,231
26,293
4.2
32
Oconee
33,198
34,597
4.2
7
Oglethorpe
23,529
24,477
4.0
44
MSA Total
25,162
25,594
1.7
12
Atlanta-Sandy Springs
Barrow
24,286
24,722
1.8
43
Bartow
26,040
26,872
3.2
26
Butts
22,102
22,660
2.5
57
Carroll
23,295
24,244
4.1
45
Cherokee
30,721
32,358
5.3
11
Clayton
21,857
22,360
2.3
58
Cobb
37,856
39,744
5.0
2
Coweta
27,615
28,319
2.5
23
Dawson
28,707
29,478
2.7
18
DeKalb
33,822
34,997
3.5
6
Douglas
26,399
27,087
2.6
24
Fayette
38,393
39,291
2.3
3
Forsyth
32,599
33,524
2.8
10
Fulton
47,163
49,291
4.5
1
Gwinnett
30,105
31,186
3.6
13
Haralson
22,951
23,957
4.4
49
Heard
20,445
20,513
0.3
66
Henry
26,355
26,826
1.8
27
Jasper
23,304
24,173
3.7
48
Lamar
23,715
24,208
2.1
47
Meriwether
21,124
22,153
4.9
61
Newton
22,295
22,857
2.5
55
Paulding
24,554
25,135
2.4
40
Pickens
29,512
30,927
4.8
15
Pike
24,783
25,669
3.6
36
Rockdale
28,749
29,681
3.2
17
Spalding
24,666
25,626
3.9
37
Walton
25,796
26,930
4.4
25
MSA Total
33,553
34,825
3.8
1
Augusta
Burke
19,215
20,030
4.2
67
Columbia
33,283
35,324
6.1
5
McDuffie
25,309
26,025
2.8
34
Richmond
25,343
26,539
4.7
29
MSA Total
27,100
28,361
4.7
9
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
13
Table 4 (Continued)
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2004-2005
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2004 PCPI
2005 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2005
Rank*
Brunswick
Brantley
20,254
20,947
3.4
65
Glynn
33,003
34,272
3.8
8
McIntosh
20,698
21,801
5.3
64
MSA Total
29,578
30,772
4.0
4
Chattanooga
Catoosa
23,817
24,759
4.0
42
Dade
22,146
23,167
4.6
53
Walker
23,007
23,942
4.1
50
MSA Total
29,629
30,952
4.5
3
Columbus
Chattahoochee
21,825
25,619
17.4
38
Harris
33,853
36,416
7.6
4
Marion
23,779
25,479
7.1
39
Muscogee
29,416
31,431
6.9
12
MSA Total
28,188
30,265
7.4
5
Dalton
Murray
21,351
22,102
3.5
62
Whitfield
28,584
29,747
4.1
16
MSA Total
26,336
27,382
4.0
10
Gainesville
Hall
25,757
26,486
2.8
30
MSA Total
25,757
26,486
2.8
11
Hinesville-Fort Stewart
Liberty
21,504
23,209
7.9
52
Long
17,704
18,776
6.1
69
MSA Total
20,922
22,522
7.6
15
Macon
Bibb
29,675
31,171
5.0
14
Crawford
23,418
24,860
6.2
41
Jones
25,570
26,613
4.1
28
Monroe
27,396
28,648
4.6
21
Twiggs
20,758
22,172
7.7
60
MSA Total
28,195
29,613
5.0
6
Rome
Floyd
27,128
28,698
5.8
20
MSA Total
27,128
28,698
5.8
7
Savannah
Bryan
27,575
29,363
6.5
9
Chatham
31,830
34,053
7.0
31
Effingham
24,715
26,426
6.9
19
MSA Total
30,431
32,486
6.8
2
First Quarter 2008
(continued)
14
Table 4 (Continued)
Per Capita Income in Georgia’s Metropolitan Statistical Areas, 2004-2005
with Percent Change and Rankings
MSA County
2004 PCPI
2005 PCPI
Percent change
from previous year
2005
Rank*
Valdosta
Brooks
21,302
22,728
6.7
56
Echols
16,981
17,234
1.5
70
Lanier
21,139
22,187
5.0
59
Lowndes
24,598
25,729
4.6
35
MSA Total
23,701
24,838
4.8
14
Warner Robins
Houston
27,064
28,507
5.3
22
MSA Total
27,064
28,507
5.3
8
Georgia
29,628
30,914
4.3
NA
Note: MSA totals for Augusta, Chattanooga, and Columbus include areas located in other states. Data compiled by
the Selig Center for Economic Growth, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia.
*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, April 2007.
continued from page 11
Macon, Albany and Columbus climbed by between 1.2 percent
(Dalton) and 0.4 percent (Columbus).
The unemployment rate in Georgia dropped from 5.2
percent in 2005 to 4.6 percent annual average in 2006, and
averaged 4.4 percent in the first nine months of 2007. Most
of the state’s metropolitan areas also saw their unemployment
levels drop between 2005 and 2006, and the trend continued
in the first nine months of 2007. The unemployment rate
inched up in Rome in the first three quarters of 2007 by 0.2
percent, while the annual rates went up only in Macon. Although the Augusta metro area saw no changes in its annual
unemployment rate between 2005 and 2006, unemployment
also dropped there in the first three quarters of 2007.
The highest 2006 annual average unemployment rates
were reported in Augusta and Macon (5.5 percent each),
Albany (5.4 percent), Columbus (5.3 percent), and Hinesville-Fort Stewart (5.2 percent). All of these areas saw their
unemployment rates drop in the first nine months of 2007,
however.
The already low unemployment rates in Athens (3.7 percent), Gainesville (3.8 percent), Savannah, and Valdosta (3.9
percent each) fell even lower in the first three quarters of 2007
(Athens and Gainesville fell to 3.6 percent each, Savannah
and Valdosta to 3.8 percent each). The unemployment rates
in Chattanooga (Georgia part) and Brunswick fell even more
dramatically, however, and their 2007 nine-month average
unemployment rates (3.7 percent each) were second only to
Athens and Gainesville.
Income and Earnings By Industry
M
etro Atlanta’s per capita personal income (PCPI),
or the area’s total income averaged by one person,
outweighs the state’s average. Atlanta’s 2005 PCPI
of $ 34,825 exceeds the average PCPI of $32,682 in Georgia’s
metropolitan areas, towers over the state’s average of $30,914,
and looms even larger over the state’s non-metropolitan counties’ average of $23,426.
Among metropolitan areas, the PCPI in Savannah
($32,486) and the Georgia portion of Chattanooga ($30,952)
also exceed state’s average. Brunswick, Columbus, and
Macon register above 95 percent of the state PCPI; Rome,
Warner Robins, and Augusta (Georgia portion) fall within
93 percent to 91 percent; and Dalton and Gainesville follow
at 88.6 percent and 85.7 percent, respectively. The PCPI in
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
15
Athens, Albany, and Valdosta falls within 82.8 percent to 80.3
percent of the state average, while Hinesville-Fort Stewart’s
PCPI amounts to 72.9 percent of the state’s PCPI.
Even though Hinesville’s per capita income falls behind
both state and other MSAs averages, the area’s 28.5 percent
(or 6.5 percent annual average) PCPI increase between 2001
and 2005 exceeds increases in all other metro areas. The
relatively high PCPIs in Savannah and Brunswick have also
exhibited some of the fastest increases: per capita income in
these areas, together with Columbus and Rome, increased by a
4.5 percent (Columbus) to 3.9 percent (Rome) annual average
between 2001 and 2005. During the same period, Augusta,
Chattanooga, Valdosta, Dalton, Warner Robins, Macon, and
Albany saw their PCPIs climb by 3.4 to 2.9 percent annually.
Per capita personal income increased at the slowest pace in
Athens, Gainesville, and Atlanta (2.1 percent to 1.1 percent
average 2001-2005 annual growth). In comparison, the 20012005 annual average increase in the Consumer Price Index
in the South amounted to 2.3 percent. Therefore, incomes in
most of the areas, except for the coast and Columbus (where
incomes increased more rapidly) managed to keep ahead
of inflation only by very small margins, while incomes in
Athens, Gainesville, and Atlanta actually fell behind.
Total personal income is derived from three main categories: earnings; dividends, interest, and rent; and transfer
payments. An increase in an area’s personal income can be
explained, for example, by rising proprietors’ incomes, rising employment, or higher earnings. A large proportion of
income derived from investments and property (dividends,
interest, and rent) points to a relatively large group of affluent
residents, or retirees. A significant proportion of income supplied by transfer payments indicates recipients of government
payments, such as military retirement, disability, Medicare,
Medicaid, unemployment insurance, income maintenance,
and student loans.
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 payments;
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, with a
relatively small government sector providing 11.9 percent of
earnings, professional and technical services providing 11.1
percent, and manufacturing, information, financial services,
trade, health care, social assistance, and construction each
providing between 8.6 percent and 6.5 percent of earnings.
Earnings climbed in all of Atlanta’s industry sectors, with the
exception of transportation, where earnings shrank in 2005
compared to 2004.
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
(28.7 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively). Compared
to the other MSAs, in 2005 Rome derived the second highest
portion of its personal income from transfer payments.
First Quarter 2008
The Athens MSA derives 33.1 percent of its earnings
from government employment. Although its relatively low
PCPI ranks 12 among the metropolitan areas, the area enjoys
consistently low unemployment—3.7 percent average in
2006. Personal income in Athens includes the state’s third
largest 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, which ranks 13 in per capita
personal income, has the third highest unemployment rate
among Georgia’s metropolitan areas, and derives a major
part of its income (21 percent) from transfer payments.
In contrast, Savannah’s and Macon’s PCPIs rank second and sixth, respectively, among Georgia’s MSAs. While
Savannah’s unemployment rates are consistently well below
the state average, the 5.5 percent average annual unemployment rate in Macon in 2006 is noticeably above the state
average of 4.6 percent. While the dividends, interest, and
rent portion of personal income in Savannah is the second
highest in the state, trailing after Brunswick, the portion of
income provided by earnings is also relatively high, and the
percentage of income derived from transfer payments is one
of the lowest among Georgia’s MSAs. In Macon, earnings
provide smaller part of income than in Savannah, and the
percentage derived from transfer payments is the fourth largest
in the state. A relatively large portion of income (sixth among
the metropolitan areas) is derived from property (dividends,
interest, and rent).
Hinesville and Warner Robins are notable because a
large part of their metropolitan areas’ earnings come from the
government—80.1 percent and 59.8 percent, respectively. In
addition to government, Warner Robins derives a relatively
large portion (8 percent) of its earnings from professional and
technical services. While Warner Robins’ PCPI of $28,507
ranks eighth among the MSAs, Hinesville is dead last at
$22,522, well below the state, metro, and even non-metro
area average. Earnings constitute the second and third highest
portions of income in Hinesville and Warner Robins, compared
to other metropolitan areas in Georgia. While unemployment
in Warner Robins fell below the state average in the first
nine months of 2007, the unemployment rate in HinesvilleFort Stewart inched above the state average by 0.4 percent
in 2007. Relatively small portions of income in both areas
are derived from property and transfer payments, although
Warner Robins reports a much lower percentage derived from
transfer payments than Hinesville. In fact, Warner Robins has
the second lowest portion of income derived from current
transfer payments among Georgia’s metropolitan areas.
Manufacturing provides the largest portion of earnings in
Dalton, Rome, and Gainesville (43.9 percent, 28.7 percent,
and 26 percent, respectively). Average weekly wages in
manufacturing are relatively low in Dalton and Gainesville,
however. On the other hand, Dalton follows Atlanta with the
second highest portion of earnings derived from the well-paid
professional and technical services sector, while Gainesville’s
government and healthcare sectors each provide 13 percent
of the area’s earnings. Dalton and Gainesville rank 10 and
16
11, respectively, in PCPI among the state’s 15 metropolitan
areas. The 2006 unemployment rate in Gainesville (3.8 percent) belonged to the lowest in the state, and Dalton’s stayed
slightly below the state average. Both Dalton and Gainesville
derive relatively large portions of income from earnings (rank
4 and 6, respectively, among Georgia’s MSAs), and significant
portions of their income come from dividends, interest, and
rent (rank 8 and 5, respectively). Relatively small portions
come from current transfer payments. In contrast, Rome’s
current transfer payments supply the second highest portion
of income among Georgia’s MSAs, and the portion of income
derived from earnings ranks next to last.
Columbus’s large government sector provides 36.1
percent of earnings, and the manufacturing sector provides
11.1 percent. Finance and insurance provides 6.2 percent
of earnings—the third highest portion among the state’s
MSAs—and the percentage of earnings from the growing
information sector is second in relative size only to Atlanta’s.
Columbus’s professional and technical services sector provides almost 5.2 percent of earnings, also a relatively large
portion among metropolitan statistical areas. The relative
increase of government sector earnings and of the earnings
derived from health care, social assistance, and accommodation, food services and entertainment are the most striking
changes since 2001. The area’s PCPI ranks fifth in the state,
but the 2006 average unemployment level of 5.3 percent
(Georgia part only) is fourth highest among Georgia’s MSAs.
A relatively large portion of income in Columbus comes from
property income (ranks fourth in the state). Columbus ranks
tenth among Georgia’s metropolitan areas in the relative size
of income derived from earnings, and eighth in income from
transfer payments.
Like Columbus, Augusta’s government sector provides a
relatively large—28.5 percent—portion of earnings. Manufacturing provides nearly 13 percent of earnings, and administrative and waste services, by far the largest among MSAs,
total nearly 11.4 percent of earnings. Augusta’s distribution of
earnings has remained relatively stable since 2001, with the
drop in manufacturing earnings, and a relatively large increase
in earnings derived from government jobs and healthcare
notable exceptions. The MSA’s PCPI ranks ninth among the
state’s 15 metropolitan areas. Augusta’s Columbia County,
however, has one of the state’s highest per capita personal
incomes. Conversely, the Georgia part of the MSA had the
highest unemployment rate among the state’s metropolitan
areas in 2006. The Augusta MSA has the fifth largest portion
of income supplied by transfer payments, and ranks ninth
among the 15 MSAs in the percentage of income derived
from earnings and dividends, interest, and rent.
In Brunswick and Valdosta, a relatively large portion
of earnings is derived from government employment (27.6
percent in Brunswick and 34.7 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 ranks fourteenth
among the metropolitan areas in Georgia, up one spot from
the previous year. Relatively small percentages of income in
Valdosta come from earnings and dividends and rent. Transfer
payments, on the other hand, provide the third largest portion of income, compared to other metropolitan areas in the
state. As is typical for an area in which government is the
major employer, Valdosta’s unemployment rate stays well
below the state average. The unemployment rate stayed at
3.9 percent in 2005 and in 2006, but dropped to 3.8 percent
between January and September of 2007. The low unemployment rate and high percentage of income derived from
current transfer payments may be due to the large group of
government retirees residing in the area.
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 2005, the area’s construction sector provided over 7 percent of the area’s non-farm
earnings, the second highest portion among Georgia’s metropolitan areas. Brunswick has the fourth highest PCPI among
Georgia’s MSAs, but, compared to other areas, derives the
smallest portion of income from earnings. Property-based
income (dividends, interest, and rent) provides the highest
proportion of personal income in Brunswick, compared to
other metropolitan areas in the state. The portion of income
derived from transfer payments is also relatively high,
however. The unemployment rate in the Brunswick MSA is
relatively low (4 percent average in 2006). 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.
Georgia Business and Economic Conditions
17
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First Quarter 2008