What skilled trades pay in Georgia, where the jobs are and how work is changing, from 39 public government sources. The best-paying trade here is elevator installer at a $83,500 median. For every trade and metro, start from the Georgia pay page.
How Georgia compares
10 of the 40 trades we track in Georgia pay more than in a typical U.S. metro. The biggest premiums are for rigger (+11%), drywall installer (+8%) and telecom equipment installer (+4%), and the biggest gaps for ironworker (-25%) and fence installer (-24%). Prices in Georgia's metros run about 9% below the U.S. average, and a typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,132 a month (U.S. metros: $1,097).
Best-paying trades in Georgia
Statewide median pay, BLS May 2025. The lowest-paying trade we track here is fence installer at $36,990.
Every trade in Georgia
Statewide medians and jobs, BLS OEWS May 2025. “vs. U.S.” compares with the typical U.S. metro median for the trade.
Where the jobs are
- Maintenance Technician: 48,430 jobs
- Construction Laborer: 27,800 jobs
- Construction Supervisor: 26,770 jobs
- Landscaper: 25,510 jobs
- Auto Mechanic: 22,070 jobs
Georgia metros, best pay first
Ranked by how each metro's trade pay compares with all U.S. metros, averaged across trades.
Construction hiring
Change in private construction jobs from a year earlier, 2026 Q1, metros with at least 5,000 construction workers (BLS QCEW).
Unions
5.1% of Georgia workers belong to a union (6.1% are covered by a union contract), compared with about 10% nationally (all jobs, 2025).
Apprenticeships
Registered apprentices in Georgia who finished or left a program in FY2020–2024 completed most often in machinist (88%), diesel mechanic (84%) and auto mechanic (73%).
Wages and safety
Unpaid wages recovered
Since 2018, the U.S. Labor Department has concluded 365 wage cases against construction employers in Georgia, recovering $5,081,790 in back wages for 3,133 workers.
DOL Wage and Hour Division enforcement data, cases concluded 2018–2026. Counts only; employers aren't named here.
Safety inspections
In 2025, federal OSHA opened 774 inspections of construction worksites in the state. About 15% were set off by a complaint, a referral or an accident (23 after an accident or fatality); the rest were planned spot checks.
OSHA inspection data via the U.S. Department of Labor, construction (NAICS 23), inspections opened in 2025. Counts only.
Storm and disaster rebuild work
Since 2016, the Georgia metros with the most federal major disasters are Augusta (10), Atlanta (6) and Brunswick (6) (FEMA).
Veterans
Veterans: train on the job with the GI Bill
In Georgia, 1,751 employers and programs are approved for GI Bill on-the-job training and apprenticeships, across all fields. Veterans in an approved trade apprenticeship can get a monthly housing allowance on top of apprentice pay. Search approved employers with the VA's GI Bill Comparison Tool.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, GI Bill Comparison Tool data, October 2026.
Common questions
What is the highest-paying skilled trade in Georgia?
Elevator Installer pays the most of the trades we track, with a $83,500 statewide median (BLS, May 2025), followed by electrical lineworker and construction supervisor.
Which trade has the most jobs in Georgia?
maintenance technicians, with about 48,430 jobs statewide, followed by construction laborers and construction supervisors.
Which Georgia city pays the trades best?
Atlanta, compared with other U.S. metros across the trades we track, followed by Warner Robins.
Is construction hiring growing in Georgia?
In 2026 Q1, private construction jobs were up 2.0% from a year earlier in Atlanta, the fastest-changing large market in the state, and down 3.1% in Savannah.
Part of the State of Trade Pay 2026 report. Cite as “PayByTrade, State of Trade Pay in Georgia 2026, payby.trade/report/ga/.”