Paychecks are getting bigger across Georgia, but a new study shows the boom isn’t hitting every county equally, with communities ringing the Atlanta metro area seeing the most dramatic gains.
📈 Why It Matters: The rankings from financial technology company SmartAsset offer a snapshot of where economic opportunity is growing fastest. The data reveals which communities are leading the state not just in salary growth, but in overall wealth creation.
🗺️ The Statewide Picture: Forsyth County, just north of Atlanta, took the top spot, boasting a staggering $44,003 jump in median income over the study’s period.
- Following close behind were Oconee County (#2), Greene County (#3), and Cherokee County (#4), showing strong growth in communities outside the immediate metro core.
🏙️ A Closer Look: Metro Atlanta: While Forsyth led the pack, several other core metro Atlanta counties landed in the top 10.
- Fulton County, the state’s most populous, ranked ninth with a median income growth of $29,625.
- Cobb County was right behind it at number 10, with an income bump of $29,587.
🔢 Key Term: Median– The Median is a way to find the middle number in a group of numbers. To find the median, you first put all the numbers in order from smallest to largest. If there is an odd number of numbers, the median is the one in the middle. If there is an even number of numbers, the median is the average of the two middle numbers. For example, in the list 3, 5, 7, the median is 5. In the list 2, 4, 6, 8, the median is (4 + 6) / 2, which equals 5.
🧐 Between the Lines: SmartAsset’s index also factored in growth in home values and investment income, painting a broader picture of where wealth is accumulating. For example, while Fulton’s median income growth was lower than the top counties, its investment income growth was a massive $26,086, dwarfing nearly every other county on the list.
The Numbers:
Rank County, State Median Home Value Raw Growth Median Income Raw Growth Investment Income Raw Growth Median Income Growth Index 1 Forsyth County, Georgia $339,341 $44,003 $1,587 79.95 2 Oconee County, Georgia $266,667 $41,164 $470 76.38 3 Greene County, Georgia $284,409 $36,137 $426 70.05 4 Cherokee County, Georgia $262,715 $33,453 $1,451 66.67 5 Pike County, Georgia $207,239 $31,881 $33 64.69 6 Morgan County, Georgia $239,718 $31,778 $76 64.57 7 Gilmer County, Georgia $254,286 $30,753 $92 63.28 8 Dawson County, Georgia $258,855 $30,059 $156 62.4 9 Fulton County, Georgia $231,783 $29,625 $26,086 61.86 10 Cobb County, Georgia $237,242 $29,587 $4,199 61.81 $121,095 $16,965 $344 34.42
The Sources: A study by financial technology company SmartAsset.
Before You Dismiss This Article…
We live in a time when information feels overwhelming, but here’s what hasn’t changed: facts exist whether they comfort us or not.
When A&W launched their third-pound burger to compete with McDonald’s Quarter Pounder in the 1980s, it failed spectacularly. Not because it tasted worse, but because customers thought 1/3 was smaller than 1/4. If basic math can trip us up, imagine how easily we can misread complex news.
The press isn’t against you when it reports something you don’t want to hear. Reporters are thermometers, not the fever itself. They’re telling you what verified sources are saying, not taking sides. Good reporting should challenge you — that’s literally the job.
Next time a story makes you angry, pause. Ask yourself: What evidence backs this up? Am I reacting with my brain or my gut? What would actually change my mind? And most importantly, am I assuming bias just because the story doesn’t match what I hoped to hear.
Smart readers choose verified information over their own comfort zone.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
