Compensation costs for private industry workers in the Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL Combined Statistical Area (CSA) increased by 2.9 percent for the year ending September 2025, according to a report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This rise is lower than the previous year’s annual gain of 4.8 percent.
Victoria G. Lee, Regional Commissioner, stated, “Compensation costs for private industry workers increased 2.9 percent in the Atlanta–Athens-Clarke County–Sandy Springs, GA-AL Combined Statistical Area (CSA) for the year ending in September 2025, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.” She also noted that one year ago, Atlanta experienced an annual gain of 4.8 percent in compensation costs.
Nationally, compensation costs rose by 3.5 percent over the same period.
Wages and salaries—the largest component of compensation—grew at a rate of 2.8 percent locally during this time frame. Nationwide, wages and salaries increased by 3.6 percent.
Atlanta is among fifteen metropolitan areas across the United States where locality compensation cost data are collected and published. In these areas, changes in compensation costs over the past year ranged from a high of 5.7 percent in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale to a low of 2.1 percent in Detroit-Warren-Ann Arbor as of September 2025; wage and salary increases ranged from Miami’s 5.9 percent to Washington-Baltimore-Arlington’s 1.9 percent.
Within the South region—which includes Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston-Pasadena, Miami, and Washington—Atlanta’s increase was near the middle compared to advances ranging from 5.7 percent to 2.2 percent for compensation costs and from 5.9 percent to 1.9 percent for wages and salaries among these localities.
The Employment Cost Index (ECI), which tracks quarterly changes in compensation costs while controlling for employment shifts among occupations and industries, provides these figures as part of its national program.
Further details on survey methods and additional breakdowns by industry or occupation can be found on the Employment Cost Index website and through regional resources such as the Southeast Information Office homepage.
The substate area data referenced reflect definitions set out by Office of Management and Budget Bulletin No. 23-01 from July 21, 2023.
The Atlanta CSA includes counties across Georgia—such as Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb—and Chambers County in Alabama.
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