Georgia’s Economy Benefits from Engineering

The value and importance of engineering to the civilized world cannot be overstated. Engineers use math and science, creativity and innovation and testing and experimentation to manipulate the natural elements found on the planet to create, maintain and enhance the things people use every day. While scientists and artists are dreamers with fantastic ideas, engineers are doers who translate those seemingly farfetched ideas into structures, tools, products and systems billions of people use every day to improve their quality of their lives.

Value of Engineering to Georgia’s Economy

Engineers and engineering services add billions of dollars to Georgia’s GDP each year. That money is generated through job creation and business and personal taxes engineering firms and engineers pay into the state’s coffers each year. Tens of thousands of engineers design, create and maintain countless residential, commercial and industrial structures, roads, bridges and other types of infrastructure, as well as an ever-growing array of important products and devices for business, industry and personal use. Engineering is a very valuable contributor to Georgia’s economy.

Annual State Revenue/GDP

The Bureau of Economic Analysis numbers show Georgia had a total gross domestic product of $602 billion in 2018. That’s a significant increase from the $461 billion in goods and services the state produced in 2016 and is enough to give it the 9th largest state GDP in the United States. Another measure of Georgia’s strong an rising GDP is its real median household income. In 2015, Georgia’s median household income was $51,244. And it has continued to grow as many new and established companies move into the state and increase its already high electricity, natural gas and nuclear power generation and consumption totals which are among the nation’s highest.

A Steadily Growing GDP

Experts estimate that Georgia’s GDP grew by 3% in 2019 and personal income increased by 4.9%. That higher than the national average. With busy engineers and an endless brigade of construction cranes signaling a state in the midst of a building boom to accommodate new companies, industries and residents, Georgia’s annual GDP is sure to continue to grow.

Number of Engineering Jobs in Georgia

There are hundreds of thousands of engineering jobs in Georgia. Engineering is considered a top career and experts anticipate it will continue to be a major growth sector over the next decade. Figures compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show agricultural, environmental and mechanical engineering are the engineering businesses that have grown the most in Georgia over the past decade. Georgia’s biofuel potential, ranked third nationally, has helped environmental engineering companies in the state to enjoy great success. Georgia’s clean energy companies and innovative energy solution providers are continuing to hire engineering professionals at a dizzying rate.

Lucrative Engineering Opportunities

The state’s seemingly unending construction industry growth means engineering jobs in Georgia will continue to increase for the foreseeable future. The high-paying, career-defining, engineering positions available in Georgia will help the state continue to be an attractive destination for recent engineering graduates, experienced engineers and visionary engineering companies for decades.

Type of Engineering Work in Georgia

The types of engineering jobs available in Georgia are many and diverse. With all the growth and experimentation going on in the energy, manufacturing, agriculture, construction and transportation industries, the companies in the state of Georgia constantly need and regularly hire engineers of all types. Some of the types of engineers that regularly find work in Georgia include aerospace engineers, civil engineering technicians, civil engineers, computer network architects, electrical engineers and electronics engineers. There’s also a steady demand for environmental, industrial and mechanical engineers, architectural and civil drafters, architectural and engineering managers and landscape architects.

Engineering provides the technical know-how that manufacturing depends on. Watch this video describing how Kia Motors integrates engineering into their manufacturing and logistics processes to create a cost-effective plant.

Engineer Salaries in Georgia

Engineering positions in Georgia pay excellent salaries. The average engineer in Georgia earns a salary of $89,046 a year. Some engineering salaries can start as low as $41,100 for surveying and mapping technicians and reach as high as $138,100 for architectural and engineering managers and computer and information systems managers. In between there are landscape and naval architects and civil and architectural drafters with average salaries ranging from $53,800 to $98,300. There are civil engineers with salaries between $47,800 and $90,200 a year and aerospace engineers earning $112,400 annually.

A Broad Range of Salaries

In Georgia, computer network architects earn about $117,200 a year while electrical and electronics engineering technicians earn $60,200, electrical engineers make $90,400 and electronics engineers have annual salaries of $93,700. Environmental engineers often earn $68,200 a year while industrial engineers get $82,800. Georgia based mechanical engineers commonly make $83,700 and software applications and systems developers are paid between $98,600 and $103,000. The average architect can command a salary of $98,300 in Georgia.

Georgia Engineering Colleges and Universities

There are a number of excellent engineering programs in several well-known and highly respected colleges and universities in Georgia. There budding engineers can learn how to combine mathematical, scientific and technological principles to produce creative solutions to many real world problems. These educational institutions not only have specialized programs in chemical, civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, they also train students for careers in geotechnical engineering and hundreds of other engineering subcategories. And the number of branches of each discipline for which they prepare engineers has increased dramatically in recent years.

Schools with Top Engineering Programs In Georgia

There are several technical schools, colleges and universities in Georgia that prepare candidates for careers in engineering. Some of the best engineering programs are found at the following schools:

Georgia Institute of Technology
Emory University
University of Georgia
Mercer University
Georgia Southern University
Savannah College of Art and Design
Kennesaw State University
Spelman College
Berry College
Columbus State University

Engineering in Georgia

There are over 47 Georgia engineering colleges that offer certificates and degrees in aeronautical engineering, biological engineering, engineering technology and more than 16 other engineering specialties. Georgia has over 90,000 engineers and they contribute billions of dollars to the state’s economy each year.

Are You a Georgia Professional Engineer

Are you a professional engineer with a license in the state of Georgia? We have a summary of professional engineer license renewal requirements for every state that describes the forms, renewal date, license fees, and much more.