StateRates

Valdosta salaries

The median worker in the Valdosta, GA metro area earned $38,000 a year in 2024, about $18.27 an hour. That ranks #373 of the 391 metro areas published here, 23.2% below the national median.

Georgia

Median pay $38,000 $18.27 per hour
Vs national -23.2% U.S. $49,500
Workers 54,320 wage and salary
Metro rank #373 of 391 by median pay

What this labour market looks like

Valdosta pays 19.2% less than Georgia as a whole. Metros usually run ahead of their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and the gap is a rough measure of how much of a state's economy sits in its cities.

Unusually concentrated here

Occupations against their national share, 2024
Occupation Concentration Employed Median
Childcare Workers 2.74× 500 $22,610
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 2.3× 650 $41,980
Fast Food and Counter Workers 2.03× 2,700 $22,920
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1.74× 1,270 $50,420
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 1.71× 710 $34,200
Retail Salespersons 1.52× 2,040 $26,640
Business Operations Specialists, All Other 1.51× 600 $60,090
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 1.51× 590 $36,860
Receptionists and Information Clerks 1.49× 510 $30,760
Cooks, Restaurant 1.34× 680 $28,960
Stockers and Order Fillers 1.34× 1,310 $36,650
Waiters and Waitresses 1.29× 1,050 $17,620

Best paid occupations

Highest median pay in Valdosta
Occupation Median Hourly Employed
Managers, All Other $88,560 $42.58 280
General and Operations Managers $74,940 $36.03 1,150
Registered Nurses $74,450 $35.79 1,060
Accountants and Auditors $73,240 $35.21 420
First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $66,600 $32.02 310
First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors $64,150 $30.84 300
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education $63,400 n/a 550
First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers $63,360 $30.46 410
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $61,780 n/a 390
First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers $60,860 $29.26 290
Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $60,390 n/a 380
Business Operations Specialists, All Other $60,090 $28.89 600
Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products $53,140 $25.55 410
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $52,300 $25.14 480
Electricians $50,820 $24.44 380
Human Resources Specialists $50,630 $24.34 290
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $50,420 $24.24 1,270
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel $48,750 $23.44 240
Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics $46,280 $22.25 320
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses $46,170 $22.20 390
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General $43,510 $20.92 670
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers $43,300 $20.82 260
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators $41,980 $20.18 650
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks $41,600 $20.00 390
Production Workers, All Other $38,990 $18.75 320
Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators $38,310 $18.42 200
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks $37,460 $18.01 290
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers $37,200 $17.89 280
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers $36,860 $17.72 590
Stockers and Order Fillers $36,650 $17.62 1,310
Construction Laborers $36,020 $17.32 300
Office Clerks, General $35,830 $17.23 970
Light Truck Drivers $35,740 $17.19 370
Pharmacy Technicians $34,490 $16.58 300
Medical Assistants $34,230 $16.46 350
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers $34,200 $16.44 710
Customer Service Representatives $34,060 $16.38 1,050
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive $33,750 $16.23 610
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand $33,440 $16.08 1,190
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators $33,270 $15.99 310
Nursing Assistants $33,140 $15.94 530
Social and Human Service Assistants $31,960 $15.37 230
Receptionists and Information Clerks $30,760 $14.79 510
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers $30,310 $14.57 280
Food Preparation Workers $29,090 $13.99 300
Cooks, Restaurant $28,960 $13.93 680
Packers and Packagers, Hand $28,610 $13.76 200
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $28,410 $13.66 620
Retail Salespersons $26,640 $12.81 2,040
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary $26,440 n/a 490
Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $25,430 $12.23 360
Home Health and Personal Care Aides $24,400 $11.73 620
Cashiers $24,260 $11.66 1,400
Fast Food and Counter Workers $22,920 $11.02 2,700
Childcare Workers $22,610 $10.87 500
Waiters and Waitresses $17,620 $8.47 1,050

Where most people work

Largest occupations in Valdosta by employment
Occupation Employed Median Hourly
Fast Food and Counter Workers 2,700 $22,920 $11.02
Retail Salespersons 2,040 $26,640 $12.81
Cashiers 1,400 $24,260 $11.66
Stockers and Order Fillers 1,310 $36,650 $17.62
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers 1,270 $50,420 $24.24
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand 1,190 $33,440 $16.08
General and Operations Managers 1,150 $74,940 $36.03
Registered Nurses 1,060 $74,450 $35.79
Waiters and Waitresses 1,050 $17,620 $8.47
Customer Service Representatives 1,050 $34,060 $16.38
Office Clerks, General 970 $35,830 $17.23
First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers 710 $34,200 $16.44
Cooks, Restaurant 680 $28,960 $13.93
Maintenance and Repair Workers, General 670 $43,510 $20.92
Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators 650 $41,980 $20.18
Home Health and Personal Care Aides 620 $24,400 $11.73
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners 620 $28,410 $13.66
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive 610 $33,750 $16.23
Business Operations Specialists, All Other 600 $60,090 $28.89
First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers 590 $36,860 $17.72

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 state estimates. Wage and salary workers only, excluding the self-employed.

Other Georgia metro areas

Valdosta pay: common questions

What is the average salary in Valdosta?

The median across all occupations is $38,000, or $18.27 an hour, covering 54,320 wage and salary workers. The mean is $48,680, higher because a small number of very large salaries pull an average upward.

Does Valdosta pay more than the rest of Georgia?

No. The metro median of $38,000 is 19.2% below the Georgia median of $47,020. Metropolitan areas usually pay more than their states because they concentrate higher-paying industries, and usually cost more to live in for the same reason.

Which jobs pay best in Valdosta?

Managers, All Other ($88,560), General and Operations Managers ($74,940), Registered Nurses ($74,450). Medical specialities top nearly every metro list, which reflects how the occupations are classified more than local conditions.

What is Valdosta unusually full of?

Childcare Workers, at 2.74× the national concentration. Location quotient is a better description of a local economy than its biggest employers, which are retail and food service almost everywhere.