Through the third quarter of 2025, economic development activities have resulted in $3.4 billion in investment and more than 12,000 jobs across Georgia. This growth presents exciting opportunities for communities to revitalize their downtowns, improve public school performance, enhance public infrastructure, and more.

It’s an incredible accomplishment for our state to be named the No. 1 state to do business for 12 consecutive years by Area Development magazine and, in fact, nearly 450,000 people chose to relocate to Georgia since 2020, seeing the opportunity Georgia offers for their families and businesses.

How growth benefits your community

No matter where you live across the state, Georgia’s growth is bringing benefits to you and your community.

Consider statewide job growth alone. This year, Georgia's job market reached an all-time high of more than 5 million jobs, with much of this growth happening outside of Metro Atlanta.

In Houston County, global meat snack giant Jack Link’s opened its new Perry plant in June. The facility brought on 150 employees at launch, and at full capacity, the company’s $450 million expansion will create 800 jobs, a major boost for workforce development and rural revitalization in central Georgia. 

Lowndes County is also gaining traction as a manufacturing and food-processing hub. Walmart’s new $350 million dairy processing facility in Valdosta is set to add 400 permanent jobs while sourcing milk from regional farms, making way for upgrades to local water, sewer, and utility infrastructure.

In Northwest Georgia, job growth has outpaced other regions in the state. To date in 2025, more than $600 million in capital investment has sparked the development of new industrial parks, mixed-use communities, and improved amenities, strengthening the region’s ability to attract new business.

Bordering Tennessee to the north, Walker County is seeing significant expansion as well. Pilgrim’s, one of the world’s leading food companies, is investing $400 million in a multi-phase prepared foods facility in LaFayette that will create more than 630 jobs once fully operational.

And the state’s boom isn’t limited to traditional industries. Growth is also driving diversification, especially in clean energy and technology. In Colquitt County, EnergyTek announced plans for a $275 million manufacturing plant in Moultrie that will produce solar panels, inverters, electric vehicle chargers, and large capacity energy storage systems, creating 1,300 jobs over several years.

In North Fulton County, the rise of data centers over the past several years has brought noticeable benefits to cities like Milton, generating high-paying permanent jobs and new tax revenue which funds schools, infrastructure projects, and public safety initiatives.

Small towns are also reaping the rewards of Georgia’s economic surge. In Waynesboro, Ritz Instrument Transformers is investing $28 million in a new facility at the Burke County Industrial Park, bringing 130 new jobs to the area.

We’re working with our neighbors

All of these exciting projects require electricity, and we’re ready to meet that demand. Not only are we involved with state leaders in bringing these jobs, businesses, and growth to the state, we’re also on the ground preparing everyone from rural towns to metro hubs for this growth.

We’re also committed to helping our customers understand what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we can connect our customers to resources, especially around affordability and reliability. There are multiple ways we engage with our communities and customers: in-person meetings, dedicated call center representatives, the Georgia Power app, emails, and social media. And during regional road shows, we meet with local leaders and stakeholders, Chambers of Commerce, elected officials, and education and workforce leaders.

To meet the state’s rising demand for energy, we’re also upgrading and enhancing our infrastructure. We know that residents often have questions or concerns around major work, so we engage communities early in the planning process for these projects, notifying neighbors when and why we’ll be working in the area. For large projects, we host community meetings to listen to feedback so we can make modifications where possible.

Powering prosperity for all Georgians

We continue to work with the Georgia Public Service Commission and many others to plan for responsible growth. With new large energy users fueling demand growth at levels not seen since the proliferation of air conditioning, Georgia’s regulations ensure that these new users pay for their own infrastructure and power needs, preventing those costs from being passed along to other customers. Large-energy users’ efficient, off-peak energy consumption also helps keep rates stable.

This work has helped deliver our three-year freeze on base rates, excluding storm recovery costs, which offers stability and predictability for Georgia families and businesses, even as energy prices climb across other parts of the country.

Georgia’s growth has driven job creation, expanded public services, spurred housing development, and increased tax revenues. We’ve seen these investments transform local economies, boost economic mobility, and diversify our future workforce, all while ensuring expansion doesn’t disrupt the character of local communities.

Through thoughtful planning and collaboration with state leaders and residents, we’re dedicated to keeping electricity reliable and affordable, while fostering responsible growth and creating new opportunities for the future.

We’re here to help Georgia grow, for those who will—and already—call our state home.

Cleve Fann is the Senior Vice President of Region External Affairs at Georgia Power.