From adding over 12,000 jobs in a single year to generating billions in economic output, Georgia's construction industry is building a powerhouse future.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, Georgia's construction industry employed 245,300 workers, marking a 5.1% year-over-year growth driven by residential and infrastructure projects.
- As of Q4 2023, construction occupations in Georgia had 278,400 jobs, with average hourly wages at $26.45 for laborers.
- Georgia construction sector added 12,400 jobs in 2023, primarily in heavy and civil engineering subsector with 3,200 gains.
- Construction contributed $42.3 billion to Georgia's GDP in 2022, 5.8% of state total.
- Total construction spending in Georgia reached $78.5 billion in 2023, up 7.2% from 2022.
- Residential construction permits in Georgia valued at $25.4 billion in 2023, single-family at $18.2 billion.
- Georgia awarded 1,247 new highway construction contracts worth $4.2 billion in 2023.
- Residential building permits issued in Georgia totaled 112,400 units in 2023, valued at $25.4B.
- Atlanta metro saw 45,300 new housing starts in 2023, leading state projects.
- Georgia construction fatalities totaled 142 in 2022, rate of 9.8 per 10,000 workers.
- Fall-related construction deaths in Georgia: 54 incidents in 2022, 38% of total.
- OSHA citations issued to Georgia construction firms: 2,450 in FY2023, fines $14.2M.
- Georgia residential construction residential construction saw 7.8% cost increase in 2023.
- Modular construction market in Georgia projected to grow 12% annually to 2028.
- Sustainable building certifications (LEED) in Georgia: 450 new projects in 2023.
Georgia's construction industry is thriving with strong employment growth across residential and infrastructure projects.
Employment Statistics
- In 2023, Georgia's construction industry employed 245,300 workers, marking a 5.1% year-over-year growth driven by residential and infrastructure projects.
- As of Q4 2023, construction occupations in Georgia had 278,400 jobs, with average hourly wages at $26.45 for laborers.
- Georgia construction sector added 12,400 jobs in 2023, primarily in heavy and civil engineering subsector with 3,200 gains.
- Women represented 10.2% of Georgia's construction workforce in 2022, up from 9.1% in 2020, totaling about 24,900 female workers.
- Hispanic or Latino workers comprised 28.7% of Georgia construction employees in 2023, numbering approximately 70,400 individuals.
- In metro Atlanta, construction employment reached 152,700 in 2023, accounting for 62% of statewide total.
- Georgia's construction unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2023, lower than the national average of 5.2%.
- Apprenticeships in Georgia construction grew 15% to 8,200 participants in 2023, supported by state workforce programs.
- Average annual wage for construction managers in Georgia was $128,400 in 2023, highest among building trades.
- Self-employed construction workers in Georgia numbered 45,600 in 2022, 18.6% of total sector employment.
- Construction firms in Georgia totaled 12,450 in 2022, with 89% having fewer than 20 employees.
- Union membership in Georgia construction was 12.4% in 2023, covering 30,500 workers.
- Veteran employment in Georgia construction stood at 9.8% or 24,000 workers in 2022.
- Entry-level construction laborers in Georgia earned median $18.75/hour in 2023, with 45,200 employed.
- Georgia construction projected to add 18,500 jobs by 2030, CAGR of 2.1%.
- In 2023, Georgia construction wages rose 6.3% to average $55,200 annually.
- Metro Savannah construction jobs hit 28,400 in 2023, up 8.2% YoY.
- Carpenters in Georgia: 22,100 employed, median wage $23.10/hr in 2023.
- Electricians employment: 18,900 in Georgia 2023, growth 4.5%.
- Plumbers and pipefitters: 14,200 jobs, $28.50/hr median 2023.
- Operating engineers: 9,800 employed in Georgia construction 2023.
- Construction supervisors: 32,400 positions, $38.20/hr avg 2023.
- Drywall installers: 7,500 workers, 12% growth since 2020.
- Roofers employment: 6,200 in Georgia, highest injury rate trade.
- Painters: 10,100 jobs, $21.40/hr median wage 2023.
- Sheet metal workers: 4,900 employed, union density 25%.
- Ironworkers: 3,200 in Georgia, avg wage $29.80/hr 2023.
- Construction backlog supported 210,000 direct jobs in Georgia 2023.
- Training programs graduated 4,500 new entrants into GA construction 2023.
Employment Statistics Interpretation
Georgia’s construction industry is building a surprisingly robust and diverse future, with a surge in jobs, wages, and apprenticeships, yet it still leans heavily on a tight-knit network of small firms, a growing but still underrepresented female workforce, and the crucial contributions of Hispanic and Latino workers, all while trying to roof the state without falling off the economic ladder.
Financial Metrics
- Construction contributed $42.3 billion to Georgia's GDP in 2022, 5.8% of state total.
- Total construction spending in Georgia reached $78.5 billion in 2023, up 7.2% from 2022.
- Residential construction permits in Georgia valued at $25.4 billion in 2023, single-family at $18.2 billion.
- Georgia contractors reported average revenue of $14.7 million per firm in 2022.
- Nonresidential construction put-in-place value was $32.1 billion in Georgia 2023.
- Heavy and civil engineering construction revenue in Georgia hit $12.8 billion in 2022.
- Construction tax revenues for Georgia state coffers were $2.9 billion in FY2023.
- Average profit margin for Georgia construction firms was 4.2% in 2023, impacted by material costs.
- Bonded construction projects in Georgia totaled $15.6 billion in value for 2023.
- Inflation-adjusted construction output in Georgia grew 3.8% to $68.2 billion in 2023.
- Specialty trade contractors in Georgia generated $28.4 billion in 2022 receipts.
- Public sector construction spending in Georgia was $21.7 billion in FY2023.
- Private nonresidential construction value reached $14.9 billion in Georgia 2023.
- Construction loan volume in Georgia banks was $9.2 billion in 2023.
- Georgia construction industry backlog averaged 12.5 months worth of work, valued at $45.3 billion in 2023.
- Construction GDP contribution per employee: $172,500 in Georgia 2022.
- Building finishing contractors receipts: $6.8B in Georgia 2022.
- Foundation and structure contractors: $9.1B revenue 2022.
- Poured concrete contractors: $4.2B in Georgia 2022.
- Structural steel/iron: $2.9B receipts for GA firms 2022.
- Electrical contractors revenue: $7.5B statewide 2022.
- Plumbing/heat/AC contractors: $8.3B in 2022 Georgia.
- Painting contractors: $1.8B revenue 2022.
- Construction material costs rose 11.4% in Georgia 2023.
- Insurance premiums for GA construction workers comp: $1.2B in 2023.
- Venture capital in GA construction tech: $450M invested 2023.
- Federal funding for GA infrastructure: $7.8B from IIJA in 2023.
- Private equity deals in GA construction: 24 transactions worth $3.2B 2023.
- Cost per sq ft for office builds: $245 in Atlanta 2023.
Financial Metrics Interpretation
Georgia’s construction industry isn't just building homes and roads, it's hammering together the state's entire economy—from a hefty $42 billion GDP contribution and $2.9 billion in tax revenues, down to the sweaty, 4.2% profit margins earned battling 11.4% material cost hikes.
Market Trends
- Georgia residential construction residential construction saw 7.8% cost increase in 2023.
- Modular construction market in Georgia projected to grow 12% annually to 2028.
- Sustainable building certifications (LEED) in Georgia: 450 new projects in 2023.
- Prefabrication adoption in Georgia construction rose to 35% of projects in 2023.
- Digital twin technology used in 22% of large Georgia projects in 2023.
- Labor shortage impacted 68% of Georgia contractors, delaying 15% of projects.
- BIM implementation in Georgia: 78% of firms over $50M revenue in 2023.
- Material price volatility: steel up 9%, lumber down 12% in Georgia 2023.
- Green infrastructure spending forecast: $10B by 2027 in Georgia.
- Drone usage for site surveys: 55% of Georgia contractors in 2023.
- Supply chain disruptions affected 41% of Georgia projects in 2023.
- AI in project management adopted by 29% of large Georgia firms 2023.
- Infrastructure bill impact: $12.5B allocated to Georgia through 2026.
- Off-site construction growth: 18% CAGR projected for Georgia to 2030.
- Workforce diversity initiatives: 25% increase in minority-owned contracts 2023.
- Construction tech investments by Georgia firms: avg $1.2M per large contractor 2023.
- Pandemic recovery: Georgia construction output 112% of pre-COVID levels in 2023.
- Electrification trend: 15% of new Georgia projects EV-ready in 2023.
- Georgia construction employment growth forecast: 2.5% annually through 2032.
- Construction output forecast for Georgia: 4.2% growth in 2024.
- Robotics in GA construction: 15% adoption for bricklaying 2023.
- Net-zero buildings: 120 certified in GA since 2020.
- 3D printing projects: 5 homes completed in Atlanta pilot 2023.
- VR training modules used by 40% of GA contractors 2023.
- Material shortages eased, delays down 22% in late 2023.
- Cloud-based software: 65% penetration in GA construction mgmt 2023.
- Asphalt prices up 15%, concrete 8% in GA 2023.
- Resilience projects post-hurricanes: $2.1B funded 2023-2025.
- AR glasses for fieldwork: 12% of foremen using in 2023.
Market Trends Interpretation
Faced with sobering realities like soaring costs and labor shortages, Georgia's builders are begrudgingly but rapidly embracing every efficiency from drones to digital twins in a race to outpace the very problems slowing them down.
Project Data
- Georgia awarded 1,247 new highway construction contracts worth $4.2 billion in 2023.
- Residential building permits issued in Georgia totaled 112,400 units in 2023, valued at $25.4B.
- Atlanta metro saw 45,300 new housing starts in 2023, leading state projects.
- Georgia DOT completed 156 bridge replacement projects in 2023, covering 12.5 miles.
- Nonresidential construction starts in Georgia reached 78.4 million sq ft in 2023.
- Savannah port expansion included 2.3 million sq ft of new warehousing in 2023.
- Georgia had 3,450 active commercial building permits valued over $1M each in 2023.
- Renewable energy projects under construction: 450 MW solar farms completed in 2023.
- Hartsfield-Jackson Airport expansion added 1.2 million sq ft terminal space in 2023 phase.
- Multifamily housing completions in Georgia: 28,700 units in 2023, mostly urban.
- Water and sewer infrastructure projects: 340 contracts worth $1.8B awarded in 2023.
- Data center construction boom: 1.5 million sq ft new builds in metro Atlanta 2023.
- School construction projects in Georgia: 89 new builds totaling 4.2M sq ft in 2023.
- Industrial warehouse completions: 15.2 million sq ft across 120 projects in 2023.
- Hospital expansions: 12 major projects adding 850,000 sq ft in Georgia 2023.
- Georgia rail projects: 45 miles of new track laid under freight expansions 2023.
- Retail construction: 2.8 million sq ft new space in shopping centers 2023.
- Total value of Georgia construction put-in-place for private residential: $22.1B in 2023.
- Highway construction bids averaged $2.1M per mile in GA 2023.
- Single-family permits: 82,500 units valued $18.2B in 2023 GA.
- Multifamily starts: 29,900 units in GA 2023.
- Office construction: 4.1M sq ft starts in metro Atlanta 2023.
- Manufacturing facilities: 12 new plants, 2.8M sq ft in GA 2023.
- Hotel projects: 15 openings adding 2,100 rooms in 2023.
- K-12 school projects: 120 renovations, $1.4B value 2023.
- University expansions: 8 projects, 1.1M sq ft in GA 2023.
- Wind energy: 200 MW new capacity installed 2023 GA.
- Battery storage projects: 350 MWh under construction 2023.
- Flood control projects: 22 dams upgraded in 2023.
- Mixed-use developments: 9 projects, 1.5M sq ft residential/commercial 2023.
- Sports venue upgrades: 5 stadiums, $850M total spend 2023.
Project Data Interpretation
Georgia built everything in 2023—from roads to rooftops, ports to power grids—at a scale so immense it felt like the state was trying to construct a whole new state on top of the old one.
Safety Records
- Georgia construction fatalities totaled 142 in 2022, rate of 9.8 per 10,000 workers.
- Fall-related construction deaths in Georgia: 54 incidents in 2022, 38% of total.
- OSHA citations issued to Georgia construction firms: 2,450 in FY2023, fines $14.2M.
- Heat-related illnesses in Georgia construction: 1,200 cases reported in summer 2023.
- Crane incidents in Georgia: 8 accidents with 3 fatalities in 2023.
- Georgia construction injury rate: 2.4 per 100 full-time workers in 2022.
- Trenching collapse fatalities: 11 in Georgia construction 2020-2023 period.
- Workers' comp claims in Georgia construction: 28,500 filed in 2023, avg cost $42K.
- Electrical fatalities in construction: 19 cases in Georgia 2022.
- Safety training programs reached 145,000 Georgia construction workers in 2023.
- Struck-by incidents: 32 deaths, leading cause after falls in 2022 Georgia data.
- Georgia OSHA lost-time injury rate: 1.2 per 100 workers in 2023.
- Silica exposure violations: 340 citations to Georgia firms in FY2023.
- Vehicle-related construction deaths: 24 in Georgia 2022.
- Georgia construction firms with EMR below 1.0: 42% in 2023 safety audits.
- Caught-in/between fatalities: 15 cases in 2022 Georgia construction.
- GA struck-by fatalities down 12% to 28 in 2022 from prior year.
- Respiratory illnesses from dust: 890 cases in GA construction 2023.
- Ladder falls: 210 injuries reported in 2023 audits.
- Scaffold incidents: 45 violations, 12 injuries GA 2023.
- PPE compliance rate: 92% in large GA firms 2023.
- Georgia Safe Grant funded 67 construction safety projects $4.5M in 2023.
- Musculoskeletal disorders: 4,200 claims, 35% of total injuries 2023.
- Hearing loss cases: 320 confirmed in noisy trades 2022.
- Georgia construction EMR average 0.92 for top 100 firms 2023.
- Roadway work zone crashes: 1,450 incidents, 45 fatalities 2023.
- Confined space violations: 180 citations FY2023 GA.
- Lockout/tagout failures caused 9 incidents 2023.
- Georgia firms with safety incentive programs: 76% in 2023 survey.
Safety Records Interpretation
Georgia's construction industry safety record reads like a grim and expensive audit, where one man's preventable fall, electrocution, or collapse is another firm's hefty fine and another family's devastating loss.
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