Average Salaries in Dalton, GA
Explore salaries across 228 occupations in Dalton, GA. The average median wage across all tracked occupations is $61.7K, -6.2% 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: 228 occupations and 59,520 total jobs in Dalton, GA.
How the metro compares
Dalton, GA pays modestly below the national average. That can be partly offset by a lower cost of living compared with higher-paying markets.
Dalton, GA is a smaller metro labor market. Some occupations may have limited local demand.
The highest-paid occupation tracked here is Family 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 Dalton, 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 Dalton, GA
| Occupation | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Family Medicine Physicians | $326.2K | 90 |
| Physicians, All Other | $287.8K | 50 |
| Chief Executives | $242.8K | 40 |
| Dentists, General | $202.7K | 40 |
| Architectural And Engineering Managers | $163.6K | 40 |
| Marketing Managers | $162K | 80 |
| Computer And Information Systems Managers | $161.1K | 90 |
| Sales Managers | $140K | 180 |
| Financial Managers | $133K | 200 |
| Human Resources Managers | $130.7K | 70 |
Largest occupations in Dalton, GA
| Occupation | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 3,370 | $38.7K |
| Laborers And Freight, Stock, And Material Movers, Hand | 2,470 | $37K |
| Industrial Truck And Tractor Operators | 2,000 | $37.9K |
| Heavy And Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1,540 | $53.8K |
| Fast Food And Counter Workers | 1,530 | $23.4K |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,360 | $29.1K |
| Cashiers | 1,350 | $27.3K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 1,220 | $39.8K |
| General And Operations Managers | 1,170 | $94.1K |
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 1,120 | $63.3K |
What Dalton, 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 Dalton, GA than in the country as a whole, which signals what this metro is known for.
Most concentrated occupations in Dalton, GA
| Occupation | Location quotient | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, And Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 364.53 | $38.7K |
| Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 222.31 | $39.8K |
| Extruding And Forming Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders, Synthetic And Glass Fibers | 158.87 | $45.6K |
| Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other | 156.47 | $32.2K |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders | 152.10 | $37.8K |
| Textile Bleaching And Dyeing Machine Operators And Tenders | 68.89 | $44.9K |
| Cutters And Trimmers, Hand | 31.83 | $22.9K |
| Sewing Machine Operators | 10.05 | $34.2K |
| Production Workers, All Other | 6.44 | $38.2K |
| Industrial Truck And Tractor Operators | 6.15 | $37.9K |
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 Dalton, 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.