Average Salaries in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
Explore salaries across 697 occupations in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $72.1K, +9.6% 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: 697 occupations and 2,846,140 total jobs in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.
How the metro compares
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA pays modestly above the national average. Most occupations here earn more than their national equivalents, but the gap is smaller than in top-tier markets.
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA has a large metro labor market with broad occupational coverage.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers. 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | $618.1K | 8,700 |
| Surgeons, All Other | $529.1K | 90 |
| Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | $412.9K | 60 |
| Obstetricians And Gynecologists | $354K | 270 |
| Dermatologists | $284.6K | N/A |
| Psychiatrists | $277K | 280 |
| Chief Executives | $275.8K | 2,350 |
| Physicians, All Other | $275.1K | 5,170 |
| Physicians, Pathologists | $270K | N/A |
| Emergency Medicine Physicians | $263.8K | N/A |
Largest occupations in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 84,970 | $32.9K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 80,730 | $27.8K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 78,460 | $39K |
| General And Operations Managers | 69,320 | $111.4K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 59,990 | $42.7K |
| Registered Nurses | 56,460 | $100.5K |
| Cashiers | 51,180 | $30K |
| Stockers And Order Fillers | 50,970 | $36.2K |
| Waiters And Waitresses | 45,880 | $18.5K |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 43,720 | $80K |
What Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Diagnosing Or Treating Practitioners, All Other | 4.76 | $133.1K |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers | 4.52 | $618.1K |
| Teachers And Instructors, All Other | 3.51 | $58.9K |
| Shampooers | 3.48 | $27.9K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3.37 | $44.8K |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3.34 | $45.2K |
| Metal Workers And Plastic Workers, All Other | 3.33 | $44.4K |
| Miscellaneous Construction And Related Workers | 3.32 | $45.5K |
| Designers, All Other | 3.29 | $58.6K |
| Makeup Artists, Theatrical And Performance | 3.19 | $160.2K |
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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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.