Georgia by the numbers
In Georgia, the median worker earns $47,020 a year, the typical home is worth $272,900 and carries $2,214 of property tax, and the average household pays $161 a month for electricity at 15.84¢ per kilowatt-hour.
South Southeast (non-RTO) Regulated monopoly
Energy
Vogtle units 3 and 4 are the first new commercial nuclear reactors completed in the United States in decades. They came in years late and far over budget, and Georgia Power's share of that cost entered rates in stages as each unit came online. The plants will run for sixty years or more with very low fuel cost, but the capital is being recovered now.
Georgia also had several fuel-cost recovery increases as gas prices moved, plus separate rate cases to fund distribution investment for a rapidly growing state. The cumulative effect is a rate that has risen consistently over several years from a starting point well below the national average.
Data-centre load growth around Atlanta is the emerging pressure. Georgia Power's recent resource plans revised load forecasts sharply upward, and meeting that demand means more generation in rate base.
Averaged across the twelve months to May 2026, Georgia households used 1,074 kilowatt-hours a month and paid $161. At the state median wage that is about 7.1 hours of work a month to keep the lights on. For heating, a heat pump costs less to run than gas here, by about $4.02 per million BTU.
Work and pay
The median Georgia worker earned $47,020 in 2024, 5% below the national median. What distinguishes a state's labour market is rarely its biggest occupations, which are retail and food service everywhere, but what it has disproportionately.
| Occupation | Concentration | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 11.42× | $37,990 |
| Textile Knitting and Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 8.32× | $38,630 |
| Extruding and Forming Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Synthetic and Glass Fibers | 5.91× | $44,930 |
| Athletes and Sports Competitors | 5.28× | $72,130 |
| Textile Cutting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | 4.89× | $40,830 |
Property tax
The median Georgia homeowner pays $2,214 a year on a home worth $272,900, an effective rate of 0.81% against a national 0.98%. Nobody sets that rate. It is what falls out of county, city, school district and special district levies applied to an assessed value, so the state figure is a weighted average of 150 counties rather than a posted number.
Cost of living
Prices in Georgia run at 96.3 where the national average is 100, ranking it #27 of 51. Goods sit at 98.9, which is close to national almost everywhere because most goods are shipped and priced nationally. Rents sit at 88.7, and that is where states actually separate from one another. A median wage of $47,020 therefore buys what $48,827 buys nationally.
Metro areas priced separately: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (100.1) , Gainesville (96.8) , Savannah (95.2) , Hinesville (93.9) , Warner Robins (93.8) .
Housing
House prices in Georgia rose 1.8% over the year to 2026 Q2, against a median across all states of +2.7%. Over ten years the index is +111.0%. Prices are at or near their record level.
Who supplies the power
56 utilities report residential service in Georgia, together serving 4.7 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Georgia: common questions
What does it cost to live in Georgia?
Prices overall run at 96.3 against a national average of 100, with rents at 88.7. The typical home is worth $272,900 and carries $2,214 a year in property tax, an effective rate of 0.81% against a national 0.98%. Electricity averages $161 a month at 15.84¢ per kilowatt-hour. Against that, the median wage is $47,020.
What is the property tax rate in Georgia?
The effective rate is 0.81% of home value, from a median bill of $2,214. It is set locally rather than by the state, so the figure is a weighted outcome across 150 counties. County by county rates.
Does a salary go further in Georgia?
The median wage of $47,020 buys what $48,827 buys nationally, once local prices are taken out. A state paying above the national median while charging above it for housing can leave a household no better off, and this is the arithmetic that shows which side of that line Georgia falls on.
Is Georgia expensive for electricity?
It ranks #30 of 51 jurisdictions on price at 15.84¢ per kilowatt-hour, -14.1% against the U.S. average. On the actual bill it ranks 18 of 51, because households there use 1,074 kWh a month against a national 871.
What is the median salary in Georgia?
$47,020 across all occupations, about $22.60 an hour, covering 4,856,190 wage and salary workers as of 2024.
Who supplies electricity in Georgia?
56 utilities report residential service, the largest being Georgia Power Co with 2.5 million customers. Regulated monopoly.
Electricity May 2026, gas 2024, utilities 2024, wages 2024. All figures from federal statistical agencies. Methodology · Sources