14 min read
Here is the fact that shapes everything about jobs in Paulding County: most people who live here do not work here. Of roughly 84,934 employed Paulding residents, only about 10,283 actually work inside the county. The other 74,651 get in a car every morning and drive somewhere else, most often Cobb or Fulton. That single number explains the traffic on Highway 278, the county's reputation as a bedroom community, and the opportunity now opening up. Because the other half of the story is that jobs in Paulding County are growing fast. The county added roughly 42 percent more jobs over the past decade, healthcare more than doubled, and the local base is projected to keep climbing through 2035. This guide covers who is hiring, what the work pays, and how to find something closer to home.
Why most Paulding workers leave the county every morning
Paulding is metro Atlanta's commuter county, and the data is blunt about it.
Federal commuting data compiled for the county's economic development office shows 84,934 employed Paulding residents, and only 12.1 percent of them work inside the county line [1]. Where does everyone go? Cobb County takes 31.8 percent, or about 27,025 workers. Fulton takes 19.1 percent, roughly 16,242. Douglas draws 5.3 percent, DeKalb 4.1 percent, and Gwinnett 3.7 percent [1]. Nearly one in three working residents of Paulding drives to Cobb.
The flow runs both ways, just unevenly. Of the jobs inside Paulding, county residents hold only 36.8 percent. Cobb residents commute in to fill 16.6 percent, with Douglas, Fulton, Carroll, and Bartow residents filling smaller shares [1]. Paulding both exports and imports workers, but it exports far more.
The county's own economic development office says the quiet part plainly: Paulding has a large labor force, but most of it travels outside the county for employment, which it frames as an opportunity to bring quality jobs closer to home [4]. That is an unusually honest thing for an economic development page to admit, and it is the right read.
For a job seeker, this cuts two ways. If you live in Paulding and want to stop commuting, your local options are narrower than in Cobb or Fulton, but they are growing quickly and they are less picked over. If you are willing to drive, you are 30 to 45 minutes from two of the largest job markets in the Southeast. Both are legitimate strategies, and this guide covers both.
The Paulding County economy at a glance
Paulding sits on the northwest edge of metro Atlanta, one of the 29 counties in the Atlanta metropolitan area. It was founded on December 3, 1832 as Georgia's 89th county, and Dallas has been the county seat since 1851. Hiram and Braswell are the other two incorporated cities [6].
The county is now the 13th largest in Georgia by population, at 189,159 residents, with a median household income of $98,941 and an average age of 36 [2]. Millennials and Gen Z make up 41 percent of the population, and roughly 10,916 veterans live in the county [2].
The local labor market is tight. Georgia's Department of Labor put Paulding's unemployment rate at 3.1 percent in its preliminary May 2026 estimates, with a civilian labor force of 94,669 and 91,761 employed [3]. That is slightly below the statewide rate of 3.2 percent for the same month [3]. A tight market means employers here compete for people, which is leverage worth understanding before you accept an offer.
Cost of living is the other half of the equation. Paulding's economic development office puts the county's cost of living at about 6.2 percent below the national average, driven largely by housing [4]. A paycheck stretches further here than the raw number suggests, which is a real part of why the county keeps growing.
Quick snapshot: Paulding County is Georgia's 13th largest county with 189,159 residents, unemployment at 3.1 percent, and roughly 38,062 jobs located inside the county. Only about 12 percent of working residents are employed locally. The county seat is Dallas, the largest employer is WellStar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram, and the biggest industries are government, retail, and a healthcare sector that has more than doubled in ten years.
The Paulding job base is growing fast
The commuting numbers describe where Paulding has been. The job growth numbers describe where it is going.
Labor market analysis prepared for the county counts 38,062 jobs located in Paulding as of 2025, up from 26,755 in 2015 [1]. That is roughly 42 percent growth in ten years, and the same analysis projects 43,678 jobs by 2035, another 15 percent [1]. Average earnings across all those jobs run about $56,615 [1].
The growth is not evenly spread, and the pattern tells you where to look.
Healthcare and social assistance grew 115 percent, from 2,416 jobs in 2015 to 5,184 in 2025, and is projected to add another 24 percent by 2035 [1]. Nothing else in the county comes close to that trajectory.
Finance and insurance grew 92 percent, from 376 to 720 jobs [1]. Small base, steep climb.
Other services grew 67 percent, manufacturing 58 percent, transportation and warehousing 57 percent, and professional, scientific, and technical services 48 percent [1].
Meanwhile the largest sectors grew more modestly: government 30 percent, retail trade 36 percent, construction 27 percent, and accommodation and food services 25 percent [1].
Read that list as a job seeker and the signal is clear. The biggest employers are still government and retail, but the fastest-moving door is healthcare, with skilled trades and manufacturing close behind.
The biggest industries hiring in Paulding County
Government and education
Government is the county's largest employment sector, with 6,973 jobs and average earnings of about $73,518, the highest of any major sector here [1]. That figure includes public schools, and the Paulding County School District is the anchor. The district runs 21 elementary schools, 10 middle schools, and 5 high schools, and Forbes ranked it number 59 among the top 100 employers in Georgia [2].
Teaching is only part of it. Districts this size hire bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, nutrition staff, counselors, nurses, maintenance technicians, and administrators. County government adds courts, the sheriff's office, water, roads, parks, libraries, and emergency services. If you want stable, benefits-eligible work without leaving the county, this is the deepest pool. Our education jobs in Atlanta guide covers certification paths and what school roles pay across the metro.
Healthcare
Healthcare is the county's growth story, up 115 percent in a decade to 5,184 jobs, with average earnings around $70,011 [1].
WellStar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram is the largest single employer in the county at roughly 1,124 employees [1]. Around the hospital sits the usual ecosystem: physician practices, urgent care, imaging, labs, home health, senior care, and behavioral health. The county's economic development office names healthcare among its five target industries and points to expansion by WellStar Health System and Tanner Medical System [5].
Registered nurses are the highest-paid common occupation in the county, at a median of about $41.61 an hour [1]. For what these roles pay across the wider metro, and how Atlanta compares to national pay, see our healthcare salaries in Atlanta guide.
Retail, restaurants, and consumer services
Retail trade is the second largest sector at 6,063 jobs, and accommodation and food services adds 4,232 [1]. Together that is more than a quarter of all jobs in the county.
This is where the county's population growth shows up most visibly. The Hiram commercial corridor along Highway 278 holds a dense cluster of big-box and grocery employers, and Dallas has its own. Average earnings are the lowest of any major sector, about $42,220 in retail and $24,561 in accommodation and food services [1]. These roles hire year round, they hire quickly, and they are the most common entry point in the county. Just go in with clear eyes about the pay.
Construction and the skilled trades
Construction employs 3,802 people with average earnings near $64,706 [1]. In a county that has grown this fast for this long, that makes sense: houses, schools, roads, water lines, and retail centers all need building and maintaining.
Construction laborers earn a median of about $16.53 an hour, but that number covers entry-level labor [1]. Licensed and credentialed trades run well above it, and demand for electricians, plumbers, and HVAC technicians tracks the county's construction pace. If you are weighing a move into the trades, our career change guide walks through how to pivot.
Manufacturing, aerospace, and logistics
Manufacturing is smaller at 1,599 jobs, but it pays well, averaging about $74,186, and it grew 58 percent in ten years [1]. Transportation and warehousing adds 1,062 jobs at about $67,343 [1].
The county has bet on aerospace. Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport is one of Georgia's regional airports, with a 23,000 square foot terminal, five aviation-related businesses on site, and a 5,505 foot concrete runway slated to expand to 6,000 feet [5]. Aerospace and aviation is one of five target industries the county has designated, alongside automotive supply, machinery and equipment, medical and life sciences, and advanced manufacturing and corporate headquarters [5]. Interroll, a global material flow company, runs two plants in Hiram and ranks among the county's top employers [1][5].
Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers earn a median of about $25.00 an hour locally [1]. For the wider metro picture on freight and warehouse work, see our logistics jobs in Atlanta guide.
Professional, technical, and office roles
Professional, scientific, and technical services employ 1,402 people at average earnings of about $81,189, the highest average of any sector in the county apart from a tiny mining category [1]. Finance and insurance adds 720 jobs at about $77,217 [1].
This is the thinnest part of the local market and the biggest reason people commute. General and operations managers earn a median of about $45.34 an hour here, and business operations specialists about $33.27 [1]. If your work is in tech, our tech jobs in Atlanta guide covers where those roles concentrate across the metro, which for now is mostly not in Paulding.
The biggest employers in Paulding County
The county's top employer list is led by healthcare and then dominated by retail, which mirrors the industry mix [1].
WellStar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram is the largest at about 1,124 employees, several times the size of anything else on the list [1].
After that the list runs through consumer names: Walmart operates supercenters in both Dallas (about 400 employees) and Hiram (about 360), Sam's Club in Hiram (about 320), SuperTarget in Hiram (about 200), Kroger in Dallas (about 200), Home Depot in Hiram (about 150), Academy Sports and Outdoors in Hiram (about 135), and Publix in Dallas (about 130) [1].
The industrial and utility names are worth knowing because they pay differently: Metromont Corporation in Hiram, a concrete products manufacturer, employs about 300, GreyStone Power Corporation in Hiram about 250, and Interroll Atlanta in Hiram about 160 [1]. Hardy Chevrolet Buick GMC in Dallas employs about 200, and Chattahoochee Technical College in Dallas about 80 [1].
One caveat worth stating plainly. That ranking counts private businesses. The Paulding County School District and county government are major employers in their own right and sit inside the 6,973 government jobs counted separately [1][2]. In practice, the school district and the county are among the largest employers of any kind here.
What jobs in Paulding County pay
Local wage data for the county's most common occupations gives a realistic picture of the range [1]. These are median hourly figures for Paulding resident workers.
At the top of the common occupations: general and operations managers at about $45.34, registered nurses at about $41.61, elementary school teachers at about $35.55, managers in other categories at about $34.27, and business operations specialists at about $33.27 [1].
In the middle: heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers at about $25.00, customer service representatives at about $18.30, general office clerks at about $18.14, secretaries and administrative assistants at about $17.94, first-line supervisors of food preparation workers at about $16.67, construction laborers at about $16.53, and freight and material movers at about $16.30 [1].
At the entry level: stockers and order fillers at about $15.91, restaurant cooks at about $15.81, janitors and cleaners at about $15.35, retail salespersons at about $13.41, cashiers at about $12.51, home health and personal care aides at about $12.37, and fast food and counter workers at about $12.18 [1].
Two things to take from that spread. First, the gap between the county's entry-level roles and its skilled roles is wide, and credentials are what close it. A nursing license, a CDL, a teaching certificate, or a trade license roughly doubles or triples the entry-level hourly figure. Second, remember the cost of living runs about 6.2 percent below the national average [4], so these numbers buy more here than in a pricier metro.
Before you accept anything, benchmark against the wider market with our Atlanta Salary Guide and, if you are early in your career, our entry-level salaries guide.
Jobs by city in Paulding County
Dallas is the county seat and the government center [6]. The Watson Government Complex holds the courthouse and county administration, so public sector roles concentrate here. Dallas also has a large retail base, a Walmart supercenter, Kroger and Publix stores, a major auto dealership, and a Chattahoochee Technical College campus [1].
Hiram is the county's commercial and employment engine. WellStar Paulding Medical Center is here, along with the densest retail corridor in the county and the industrial employers: Metromont, GreyStone Power, and Interroll's two plants [1][5]. If you are searching for work in Paulding and want the highest concentration of openings in the smallest driving radius, start with Hiram.
Braswell is the county's third incorporated city, small and rural, sitting near the western end of the Silver Comet Trail [6]. Nearly a third of that 60 plus mile paved trail runs through Paulding, which supports parks, recreation, and tourism-adjacent work across the county [4].
Communities like New Hope, Yorkville, and Nebo are unincorporated, so jobs posted there usually carry a Dallas or Hiram mailing address. Search all three city names, not just the county.
Commuting and getting to work in Paulding County
If you work in Paulding, your commute is likely short. If you work outside it, plan carefully.
Highway 278 is the county's main east-west artery, connecting Dallas and Hiram toward Douglasville and I-20. Highway 92 runs toward Acworth and Cobb County. Highway 61 and Highway 120 handle much of the rest. There is no interstate inside Paulding County, and there is no MARTA rail service, so nearly all commuting here is by car.
That matters given where people work. With 31.8 percent of employed residents heading to Cobb and 19.1 percent to Fulton, a majority of the county's commuters are driving east into some of the metro's heaviest traffic [1]. It is a real cost in time, fuel, and wear, and it is worth pricing into any offer comparison. A local job paying somewhat less can come out ahead once you subtract 90 minutes a day of driving.
If you do commute, our county guides for the places Paulding residents actually work are the natural next read: Cobb, Fulton, DeKalb, Gwinnett, and Cherokee county.
How to find and land a job in Paulding County
Search Hiram first, then Dallas, then the county. Hiram holds the hospital, the industrial employers, and the retail corridor. Dallas holds government. Searching by city name surfaces listings that a county-level search can miss, since most postings name the city, not the county.
Target the growth sectors. Healthcare grew 115 percent in ten years and is still climbing [1]. Manufacturing and the trades pay well above the county's retail base. Those are the doors that are actually opening.
Use credentials as the lever. Chattahoochee Technical College has a campus in Dallas, and the county counts 17 college and university campuses in the area [2]. In a county where the wage gap between entry-level and credentialed work is this wide, a certificate is the fastest path to a raise.
Decide honestly about the commute. Roughly 88 percent of working residents leave the county [1]. If you are one of them and want to stop, accept that the local market is smaller and be patient. If you are open to driving, your options multiply enormously.
Set up alerts and let employers find you. Browse current openings across metro Atlanta, create a free job seeker profile, and turn on daily alerts so new Paulding listings reach you first. Tighten your resume with our Atlanta resume tips for 2026, and when an offer comes, our salary negotiation guide helps you make the case. For the wider backdrop, see our Atlanta job market and hiring trends breakdown.
Hiring in Paulding? If you are an employer trying to reach the county's large local workforce rather than applicants three states away, our guide to how to write a job posting covers what actually gets applications here, and you can post a job to a metro-only audience.
Get started on your Paulding County job search
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Browse All Metro Atlanta Jobs: search current openings across all 29 counties on the jobs page.
Get Daily Atlanta Job Alerts: turn on daily job alerts so new Paulding roles reach you first.
Atlanta Salary Guide: benchmark your pay with the Atlanta Salary Guide.
Atlanta Resume Tips for 2026: tighten your application with our Atlanta resume tips.
How to Negotiate Salary in Atlanta: prepare for your offer with our salary negotiation guide.
Frequently asked questions about Paulding County jobs
What are the biggest employers in Paulding County?
WellStar Paulding Medical Center in Hiram is the largest single employer at roughly 1,124 people [1]. Retail follows: Walmart supercenters in Dallas and Hiram, Sam's Club, SuperTarget, Kroger, Home Depot, and Publix [1]. Industrial employers include Metromont, GreyStone Power, and Interroll in Hiram [1]. The Paulding County School District and county government are also among the largest employers and sit within the county's 6,973 government jobs [1][2].
Do most people who live in Paulding County work there?
No, and it is not close. Of about 84,934 employed Paulding residents, only 12.1 percent work inside the county [1]. Cobb County draws 31.8 percent and Fulton 19.1 percent [1]. Paulding is one of metro Atlanta's most pronounced commuter counties.
What industries are hiring most in Paulding County?
Government is the largest sector at 6,973 jobs, followed by retail trade at 6,063 and healthcare at 5,184 [1]. Healthcare is the fastest growing by a wide margin, up 115 percent from 2015 to 2025 [1]. Construction, manufacturing, and transportation are all growing as well.
How much do jobs in Paulding County pay?
It depends heavily on credentials. Average earnings across all jobs in the county run about $56,615 [1]. Among common occupations, registered nurses earn a median of about $41.61 an hour and general and operations managers about $45.34, while retail salespersons earn about $13.41 and fast food workers about $12.18 [1].
What is the county seat of Paulding County?
Dallas has been the county seat since 1851 [6]. It holds the courthouse and the Watson Government Complex. Hiram and Braswell are the county's other two incorporated cities [6].
What is the unemployment rate in Paulding County?
Georgia's Department of Labor put it at 3.1 percent in preliminary May 2026 estimates, with a labor force of 94,669 [3]. That is slightly below Georgia's statewide rate of 3.2 percent for the same month [3].
Is Paulding County growing?
Yes, on both counts. The population stands at 189,159, making it Georgia's 13th largest county [2]. Jobs located in the county grew roughly 42 percent between 2015 and 2025, from 26,755 to 38,062, and are projected to reach 43,678 by 2035 [1].
Where should I look for healthcare jobs in Paulding County?
Start in Hiram. WellStar Paulding Medical Center is there and is the county's largest employer [1]. The surrounding cluster of practices, urgent care, imaging, home health, and senior care hires steadily, and the sector has more than doubled in a decade [1].
Is Paulding County a good place to live if I work in Atlanta?
Many people do exactly that. About 19.1 percent of employed residents work in Fulton and 31.8 percent in Cobb [1]. The tradeoff is a car commute with no rail service and no interstate in the county, weighed against a cost of living about 6.2 percent below the national average [4].
What is the largest city in Paulding County?
Dallas is the county seat and the government center, while Hiram is the commercial and employment hub with the hospital, the main retail corridor, and the industrial employers [1][6]. Braswell is the third incorporated city and is small and rural [6].
How do I search for Paulding County jobs on MetroAtlanta.Jobs?
Browse the jobs page and filter by location, searching Dallas and Hiram by name as well as Paulding County, since most listings name the city. Create a free job seeker profile and turn on daily alerts so new local roles reach you first.
Sources
2. Paulding County Economic Development, Market and Workforce Data
3. Georgia Department of Labor, Area Unemployment Rate and Labor Force Estimates, preliminary May 2026
4. Paulding County Economic Development, Why Paulding County