Average Salaries in Athens-Clarke County, GA
Explore salaries across 306 occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.4K, -6.7% vs the national average. See the highest-paying roles, where the jobs are, and how local wages compare to the rest of the country.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates. Coverage: 306 occupations and 83,030 total jobs in Athens-Clarke County, GA.
How the metro compares
Athens-Clarke County, GA pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Athens-Clarke County, GA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Emergency Medicine Physicians. Drill into any occupation below to see its local pay distribution, employment, and how it compares to the national market.
Top-paying and largest occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA
Two different lenses on the local labor market: which occupations pay the most, and which employ the most workers. The highest-paid list tends to favor specialized professional and technical roles. The largest list reflects where the everyday jobs actually are.
Highest-paid occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $388.4K | N/A |
| General Internal Medicine Physicians | $281.1K | 110 |
| Physicians, All Other | $235.4K | 190 |
| Family Medicine Physicians | $217.1K | 90 |
| Dentists, General | $166.4K | 40 |
| Chief Executives | $164.5K | 50 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $157.3K | 40 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $137.6K | 110 |
| Financial Managers | $137.1K | 210 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | $134.4K | 60 |
Largest occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 3,490 | $24.2K |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,810 | $29.2K |
| Registered Nurses | 2,400 | $82.2K |
| Cashiers | 2,120 | $28.1K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 2,030 | $21.1K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,880 | $41.2K |
| General And Operations Managers | 1,830 | $81.8K |
| Maintenance And Repair Workers, General | 1,830 | $39.2K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 1,800 | $38.2K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 1,570 | $34.6K |
What Athens-Clarke County, GA specializes in
The location quotient measures how concentrated an occupation is here compared to the national average. A value above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in Athens-Clarke County, GA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Athens-Clarke County, GA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Miscellaneous Construction And Related Workers | 17.36 | $51.7K |
| Social Science Research Assistants | 16.21 | $52.9K |
| Extruding And Forming Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Synthetic And Glass Fibers | 9.99 | $54K |
| Microbiologists | 7.08 | $112.4K |
| Athletic Trainers | 6.71 | $64.6K |
| Teachers And Instructors, All Other | 5.86 | $59K |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | 5.77 | $64.9K |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 3.37 | $64.6K |
| Helpers--Installation, Maintenance, And Repair Workers | 3.16 | $29.6K |
| Animal Caretakers | 3.13 | $33.6K |
Comparable metros
| Metro | Average median | Highest-paid occupation |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $98.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $95.7K | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $92.6K | Cardiologists |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $87.1K | Cardiologists |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $83.8K | Radiologists |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $82.7K | Radiologists |
| Boulder, CO | $82.3K | Surgeons, All Other |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $82.3K | Radiologists |
Common salary questions for Athens-Clarke County, GA
What does "average median" mean? +
It is the average of all occupation-level medians in this area. It gives a rough sense of the overall wage level here compared to other states or metros, but it is not the same as a household income figure or a single blended salary.
What is a location quotient? +
A location quotient (LQ) compares how concentrated an occupation is in this area versus the national average. An LQ of 2.0 means the occupation is twice as concentrated here as it is nationally. High-LQ occupations are what this area specializes in.
How are comparable areas selected? +
Peer areas are other metros with a similar overall wage level and employment size. They give you a quick sense of how this area ranks among places with a comparable labor market.