Automotive
Why Macon for Automotive?
With its central location in the rapidly expanding Southern automotive corridor, Georgia offers automotive manufacturers accessibility and convenience in production and transportation. Georgia is home to more than 385 auto and vehicle related companies. It is this well-situated location that makes Macon, Georgia, an ideal location for automotive suppliers.
Macon provides access to highly-skilled talent, renowned workforce training programs, excellent proximity to consumer markets and manufacturers, and a business-friendly environment.
Over the last several years, automotive companies continue to choose Georgia for their new locations, while current companies expand to meet demand. Georgia auto companies get a competitive edge from a prime location in the epicenter of the region’s auto manufacturing boom, with close proximity to a canvas of manufacturers.
Macon's Advantages
- Growing automotive industry with 21 automotive, truck, and bus assembly plants within 500 miles
- Working training programs in welding, exotic metal, and metal fabrication
- Competitive cost of doing business
- Strategic location at the heart of Georgia at intersections of I-75, I-475, I-16
- Norfolk Southern Railroad’s largest switching yard in the Southeast Georgia Central railroad
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport within 1 ½ hours
- Middle GA Regional Airport
- Innovative new technologies through nearby research universities
- 26 country draw area of more than 433k people
4
Deep water ports within five hours
82
Commercial markets within 2-day shipping
22
Interstate exits
5000
Miles of rail throughout Georgia
FEATURED EMPLOYER
Kumho Tire USA
Kumho Tire is a high-performance tire company that brings quality and innovative technology to consumers worldwide. The company built its first North American manufacturing facility in Macon-Bibb County -- approximately 1 million sqft. The facility was a $600 million investment and generated over 450 new jobs.
Georgia is at the center of the thriving Southeastern automotive industry
Georgia is known for its high-quality workforce. With a potential of 411,000 workers in occupations related to Automotive Manufacturing, Georgia offers an ample supply of skilled employees with a variety of technical backgrounds.
- Southeastern automotive assemblers currently have the capacity to produce approximately 3.3 million units.
- Georgia’s transportation equipment exports grew 8.0% annually since 2000, reaching $11.6 billion in 2019, accounting for 16.3% of the Southeast’s total.
Georgia offers an ample supply of skilled employees with a variety of technical backgrounds important to the success of the automotive manufacturing industry. There are currently more than 151,000 production workers in Georgia in auto-applicable fields.
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Relevant Workforce
Bibb County
In Bibb County, there are 5,155 workers in the relevant occupations. By 2026, that number is expected to be 5,226 workers, a 1.4% change. Using the map, you can see which zip codes those jobs are concentrated in.
| 2021 JOBS | 2026 JOBS | PROJECTED CHANGE | PROJECTED % CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | 11,197,877 | 11,511,526 | 313,649 | 2.8% |
| GEORGIA | 410,787 | 432,709 | 21,922 | 5.3% |
| MACON-BIBB COUNTY | -0.1% | -0.1% | 1.0% | 0.7% |
The table below shows the number of jobs for each occupation for the Automotive Manufacturing industry. The occupations shown are those with skillsets most relevant to and sought after by employers in the industry.
| MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY | 2021 JOBS | 2026 JOBS | PROJECTED CHANGE | PROJECTED % CHANGE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders | $35,500 | 55 | 56 | 1 | 1.90% |
| Cutting, Punching, and Press Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $35,106 | 40 | 40 | 0 | 1.20% |
| Electricians | $54,421 | 302 | 314 | 12 | 4.00% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Production and Operating Workers | $58,555 | 395 | 405 | 11 | 2.70% |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanics | $52,203 | 335 | 369 | 34 | 10.20% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | $37,332 | 195 | 217 | 22 | 11.40% |
| Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers, and Weighers | $35,825 | 241 | 228 | -12 | -5.10% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | $29,974 | 1,805 | 1,822 | 18 | 1.00% |
| Machinists | $43,689 | 188 | 185 | -3 | -1.70% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | $36,003 | 958 | 980 | 22 | 2.30% |
| Millwrights | $41,988 | 81 | 79 | -3 | -3.20% |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | $31,423 | 371 | 342 | -30 | -8.00% |
| Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic | $32,750 | 29 | 30 | 2 | 5.40% |
| Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers | $39,804 | 160 | 157 | -3 | -1.80% |
55k
Jobs at Automotive-Related Facilities
(GPC C&ED)
178
Automotive-Related Facilities in Georgia
(GPC C&ED)
32k
Automotive-Related Engineers
(EMSI)
