North Atlanta’s Workplace Pay Gap Reaches Nearly $34,000 Across County Lines

The latest federal wage report shows jobs based in Fulton County paying substantially more than those in Forsyth or Gwinnett—but the surprising household-income numbers tell a more complicated story.

A job based in Fulton County produced an average weekly wage of $1,995 late last year, nearly 50% more than the $1,341 average for a job in Forsyth County.

Gwinnett County landed between them at $1,375.

Annualized for comparison, those averages equal approximately $103,740 in Fulton, $71,500 in Gwinnett and $69,732 in Forsyth—a difference of roughly $34,000 between Fulton and Forsyth.

Those figures do not mean every Fulton worker earns six figures or that comparable jobs automatically pay more after crossing a county line. They reveal something broader: North Atlanta’s counties have developed very different mixes of employers and workplaces.

The latest county employment and wage report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, released June 9, covers the fourth quarter of 2025. It is the newest detailed federal comparison available; first-quarter 2026 figures are scheduled for Aug. 28.

The annual figures in the table are simple weekly-rate calculations, not reported salaries. Average weekly wages can include bonuses, overtime and highly compensated workers whose earnings raise the overall figure.

Why Fulton’s number is so much higher

The Fulton figure includes the entire county—not only Alpharetta, Milton, Johns Creek and Roswell, but also much of Atlanta.

That means the average absorbs salaries from major corporate headquarters, financial institutions, technology companies, law firms, hospitals, universities, the airport and other high-paying employment centers concentrated closer to the city.

Fulton supported approximately 954,500 covered jobs in December 2025, more than twice Gwinnett’s 392,200 and more than 10 times Forsyth’s 91,200.

The county’s $1,995 average weekly wage ranked 18th among the nation’s 372 largest counties. It was also well above the national average of $1,569.

Forsyth and Gwinnett both fell below the Georgia and national workplace averages. Their economies include significant numbers of retail, hospitality, education, logistics, construction, health-care support and smaller-business jobs, alongside growing professional and technology sectors.

A county can add thousands of jobs without substantially lifting average wages if most of the new positions are concentrated in lower-paying industries.

The Forsyth paradox

The workplace wage figures appear especially surprising when placed beside household income.

Forsyth County has a median household income of $143,784, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest QuickFacts estimates. That is far higher than Fulton’s $95,292 and Gwinnett’s $87,890.

There is no contradiction.

The federal wage report measures pay attached to jobs located within each county. Household income measures the combined income of people who live there, regardless of where they work.

A Forsyth resident employed by a company in Alpharetta, Atlanta, Sandy Springs or elsewhere contributes to the income of a Forsyth household—but that paycheck is counted as a workplace wage in the county where the job is based.

Households may also contain two or more earners, while the workplace figure represents average pay per job.

Forsyth residents reported an average commute of 30.6 minutes, while Gwinnett residents averaged 32.8 minutes, according to the Census Bureau. Those figures do not reveal where each worker travels, but they are consistent with a suburban economy in which many residents leave their home county for work.

Pay rose, but job growth was weak

Average wages increased in all three counties, led by Gwinnett’s 3.9% rise.

Employment moved differently. Fulton added 0.4% over the year, Forsyth remained essentially unchanged and Gwinnett lost 0.8%.

The broader Georgia job market has shown the same mix of strength and caution. The state reached record highs in both its labor force and total employment in June, while the unemployment rate held at 3.4%. Yet payroll jobs fell by 10,100 during the month and were up only 6,000 from a year earlier.

Health care accounted for much of the state’s recent growth, adding 23,500 jobs over the year. Professional and technical services lost 4,700 positions, construction lost 4,100 and transportation, warehousing and utilities lost 5,300, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.

For North Atlanta, the numbers point to a larger economic-development question: not simply how many employers and jobs are arriving, but what kinds of jobs they bring and whether local wages are rising with the cost of living.

Forsyth’s high household income shows that the county remains home to many successful workers. Its lower workplace wage shows that a large residential tax base does not automatically create an equally strong concentration of high-paying jobs close to home.

Gwinnett faces a related challenge. Its wage growth was the strongest of the three counties, but average pay remained below the state average while total employment declined.

The next federal county report, due Aug. 28, will show whether that pattern continued into early 2026.