According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median salary for medical and health services managers in Georgia was $92,780 in 2020. At the top end of the profession, however, in the 90th percentile, Georgia healthcare administrators come in with $172,200 a year.
Those numbers are being fueled by a $5.2 billion budget for the three agencies that are mainly responsible for the state’s healthcare services in 2021. In 2020 the BLS reported that medical and health services administrators throughout the state earned an average annual salary of $103,130.
Despite that competitive wage, shortages of staff and rising costs of drugs and equipment have been pinching Georgia facilities—in just rural areas alone eight hospitals have closed between 2010 and 2020. Juggling those various market forces is why healthcare administrators here get paid the big bucks.
Healthcare Administrator Salaries in Georgia Vary Greatly Depending on Location
According to the BLS in 2020, healthcare practitioners and technical occupations accounted for nearly 243,000 jobs throughout the state. Those are located at places like hospitals –Georgia is home to hundreds– clinics, and long-term care facilities.
Georgia’s Department of Labor expects healthcare administration jobs to expand at a rate of 26.7 percent between 2018 and 2028, over 9 percent above than the national average. That will result in about 1,070 job openings per year, a combination of newly created positions and attrition in the industry.
How Location and Experience Impact Salary Potential for Georgia’s Healthcare Administrators
There are wide variations throughout Georgia not just between rural and urban areas, but also between the lower ranges of medical administrators and the elite of the top ten percent. The Augusta area is home to the highest median salaries in the state, at $106,230, while other urban centers generally breach the six-figure mark. Rural areas, like South Georgia, can fall $10,000 or more below that mark. But even in high-paying Atlanta, the top ten percent can make well over double the salary of those in the 25th percentile.
Atlanta-Sand Springs-Roswell
- 25th percentile: $67,260
- Median: $101,490
- 90th percentile: $182,290
Augusta-Richmond County
- 25th percentile: $84,100
- Median: $106,230
- 90th percentile: $170,810
Columbus
- 25th percentile: $63,670
- Median: $89,510
- 90th percentile: $133,830
Macon
- 25th percentile: $67,490
- Median: $87,230
- 90th percentile: $163,320
The full picture on Georgia employment and salary levels for healthcare administrators continues to show the divergence in available salaries:
2020 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Medical and Health Services Managers.
Job growth projections sourced from the Georgia Department of Labor and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2018-2028) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
Salary figures and job market projections represent state data, not school-specific information.
Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed August 2021.