Jobs, pay and daily life in Buford, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Buford is a city in Georgia with 17,997 residents. The median household earns $69,471 a year and the median rent is $1,357 a month, which is 23.4% of the median household income. It is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 2,889,670 jobs.
How Buford compares. Among the 100 largest places in Georgia, Buford is #71 by population, #19 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #74 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #40 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Gwinnett County, is #6 of 159 counties for average pay ($66,588).
Buford has 17,997 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Georgia. It covers 19 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 946 people per square mile. The median age is 34.4, 9% younger than the state median (34.4 against 37.6).
The median gross rent is $1,357 a month (rent plus utilities), about the same as the state median ($1,357 against $1,393). Over a year that is 23.4% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $368,700, which is 5.3 times the median household income ($69,471); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 68.2% of households own their home, 4% above the state average (68.2% against 65.7%).
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area has 2,889,670 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $51,170 a year, about the same as the national median ($51,170 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (328,500 jobs, median $47,040); transportation and material moving (313,910 jobs, median $44,120); sales and related (277,630 jobs, median $37,550). The area is most specialised in business and financial operations (1.3 times) and legal (1.3 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($130,550) and computer and mathematical ($110,010). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Gwinnett County was 3.3%. 62.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Gwinnett County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 71.8% drive alone, 1.1% use public transit, 0.1% walk, 13.9% work from home. 23.8% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 20% above the state average (23.8% against 19.8%).
29.4% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 16% below the state share (29.4% against 35.0%). 23.3% of residents were born outside the United States, 108% above the state share (23.3% against 11.2%). The poverty rate is 12.6%, 6% below the state rate (12.6% against 13.4%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 80°F (26.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 41°F (5.0°C). About 1,291 mm (51 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (133 mm) and Oct the driest (90 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Sugar Hill (3 miles, rent 37% higher); Suwanee (6 miles, rent 39% higher); Braselton (10 miles, rent 53% higher); Lawrenceville (11 miles, rent 19% higher). Rent differences are against Buford; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Georgia (1,099) →State guide: GeorgiaCountry guideGwinnett CountyGeorgia rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
There are 1,099 federal postings open in Georgia (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
Open federal jobs in Georgia →
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 84,970 | 1.17 | $32,850 | $23,240 | $47,360 | -7% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 80,730 | 1.13 | $27,780 | $21,830 | $37,030 | -11% |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 78,460 | 1.43 | $39,020 | $31,460 | $52,510 | -3% |
| General and Operations Managers | 69,320 | 1.06 | $111,410 | $51,410 | $268,690 | +5% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 59,990 | 1.24 | $42,710 | $30,220 | $62,030 | -5% |
| Registered Nurses | 56,460 | 0.90 | $100,490 | $77,510 | $132,230 | +3% |
| Cashiers | 51,180 | 0.89 | $30,010 | $23,750 | $36,260 | -9% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 50,970 | 0.97 | $36,160 | $30,840 | $49,920 | -3% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 45,880 | 1.09 | $18,460 | $15,080 | $46,800 | -48% |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 43,720 | 2.16 | $80,020 | $46,780 | $167,370 | -4% |
| Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 41,830 | 1.09 | $59,100 | $40,900 | $77,750 | +1% |
| Office Clerks, General | 40,710 | 0.89 | $43,330 | $29,400 | $60,210 | -4% |
| Software Developers | 36,300 | 1.16 | $132,960 | $83,400 | $178,330 | -2% |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 33,900 | 1.45 | $78,950 | $37,610 | $159,200 | +13% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 30,900 | 0.75 | $35,940 | $27,920 | $45,450 | -2% |
| Accountants and Auditors | 30,150 | 1.12 | $85,820 | $56,490 | $153,010 | +3% |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 29,400 | 0.37 | $29,920 | $26,090 | $38,700 | -16% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 29,040 | 1.11 | $37,230 | $27,370 | $43,690 | -0% |
| Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators | 28,750 | 2.00 | $44,710 | $36,740 | $63,620 | -4% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 28,580 | 1.26 | $39,240 | $28,490 | $63,160 | -11% |
| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 8,700 | 4.52 | $618,090 | $204,020 | $642,610 | +166% |
| Chief Executives | 2,350 | 0.62 | $275,820 | $97,090 | $581,990 | +29% |
| Physicians, All Other | 5,170 | 0.81 | $275,080 | $124,470 | $462,410 | +3% |
| Family Medicine Physicians | 2,060 | 1.03 | $259,320 | $170,770 | $437,630 | +6% |
| Anesthesiologists | 770 | 1.06 | $226,830 | $169,710 | $350,000 | -42% |
| Dentists, General | 1,710 | 0.74 | $222,690 | $93,590 | $373,420 | +30% |
| Air Traffic Controllers | 810 | 1.95 | $186,640 | $111,160 | $217,590 | +26% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 14,430 | 1.16 | $177,970 | $127,040 | $287,740 | +2% |
| Financial Managers | 15,660 | 1.00 | $171,240 | $100,740 | $324,540 | +3% |
| Sales Managers | 12,080 | 1.02 | $166,920 | $86,540 | $302,460 | +13% |
| Compensation and Benefits Managers | 760 | 1.79 | $166,100 | $97,930 | $294,920 | +11% |
| Purchasing Managers | 2,590 | 1.65 | $165,910 | $97,060 | $292,480 | +12% |
| Marketing Managers | 6,700 | 0.91 | $163,500 | $95,210 | $279,520 | -2% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | 2,330 | 0.57 | $162,410 | $106,930 | $221,750 | -5% |
| Human Resources Managers | 5,300 | 1.29 | $161,250 | $95,080 | $286,790 | +8% |
| Commercial Pilots | 560 | 0.63 | $146,880 | $53,350 | $225,640 | +19% |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 550 | 1.23 | $144,790 | $51,650 | $194,530 | -6% |
| Pharmacists | 6,120 | 1.02 | $139,870 | $103,170 | $175,560 | -1% |
| Database Architects | 2,110 | 1.69 | $139,500 | $102,860 | $187,410 | +0% |
| Lawyers | 18,760 | 1.34 | $138,210 | $58,750 | $328,900 | -13% |
These figures are for the whole Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $51,170 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.5% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 16.4% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 15.3% |
| Retail trade | 13.6% |
| Manufacturing | 11.6% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.6% |
| Construction | 9.6% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 6.7% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 4.9% |
| Other services | 4.9% |
| Wholesale trade | 2.6% |
| Public administration | 2.2% |
| Information | 1.3% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county (the first of several) where Buford lies and cover the whole county, not only the city. The city also extends into Hall County.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gwinnett County | 979,864 | $72,408 million | $73,896 | 386,500 | 34,096 | $66,588 | +1.5% | 3.3% | 532,043 |
| Hall County | 212,705 | $17,999 million | $84,621 | 101,986 | 5,941 | $63,932 | +1.8% | 3.0% | 112,548 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 47,787 | 13.9% | $43,831 | 1.24 |
| Health care and social assistance | 45,269 | 13.2% | $56,151 | 0.82 |
| Accommodation and food services | 33,757 | 9.9% | $25,770 | 0.96 |
| Wholesale trade | 33,085 | 9.7% | $92,304 | 2.17 |
| Administrative and waste services | 32,916 | 9.6% | $53,422 | 1.45 |
| Professional and technical services | 29,336 | 8.6% | $104,687 | 1.09 |
| Manufacturing | 27,503 | 8.0% | $79,144 | 0.87 |
| Construction | 27,114 | 7.9% | $83,366 | 1.34 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 12,474 | 3.6% | $63,758 | 0.76 |
| Finance and insurance | 11,748 | 3.4% | $93,373 | 0.75 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 10,201 | 3.0% | $55,652 | 0.88 |
| Management of companies | 7,529 | 2.2% | $122,021 | 1.16 |
| Real estate and rental | 6,741 | 2.0% | $73,901 | 1.12 |
| Information | 6,430 | 1.9% | $118,115 | 0.89 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 5,123 | 1.5% | $30,321 | 0.79 |
| Educational services | 5,093 | 1.5% | $47,327 | 0.64 |
| Utilities | 478 | 0.1% | $107,294 | 0.33 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 71.8% |
| Public transit | 1.1% |
| Walk | 0.1% |
| Work from home | 13.9% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 23.8% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $69,471 |
| Income per person | $33,216 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,357 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 23.4% |
| Median home value | $368,700 |
| Homeowners | 68.2% |
| Poverty rate | 12.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 100.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $51,170 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Flat 5.19%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 34.4 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 81.5% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 29.4% |
| Born abroad | 23.3% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 62.6% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 5.0 | 41 | 105 |
| Feb | 7.0 | 45 | 116 |
| Mar | 11.3 | 52 | 116 |
| Apr | 16.0 | 61 | 96 |
| May | 20.7 | 69 | 100 |
| Jun | 25.0 | 77 | 112 |
| Jul | 26.7 | 80 | 119 |
| Aug | 26.3 | 79 | 110 |
| Sep | 22.9 | 73 | 96 |
| Oct | 16.8 | 62 | 90 |
| Nov | 10.6 | 51 | 98 |
| Dec | 6.7 | 44 | 133 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar Hill | GA | 3 mi | 26,128 | $107,389 | $1,862 |
| Suwanee | GA | 6 mi | 22,349 | $103,260 | $1,885 |
| Braselton | GA | 10 mi | 15,178 | $120,984 | $2,082 |
| Lawrenceville | GA | 11 mi | 30,954 | $61,561 | $1,613 |
| Duluth | GA | 12 mi | 32,426 | $95,331 | $1,828 |
| Johns Creek | GA | 14 mi | 81,988 | $160,093 | $2,257 |
| Gainesville | GA | 15 mi | 45,032 | $66,974 | $1,299 |
| Alpharetta | GA | 17 mi | 66,855 | $147,612 | $1,948 |
| Peachtree Corners | GA | 17 mi | 42,373 | $82,139 | $1,701 |
| Winder | GA | 18 mi | 19,437 | $63,779 | $1,209 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
17,997 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,357 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 23.4% of the median household income.
$69,471 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.3% (BLS county, Gwinnett County (latest month 2026M09)).
Georgia. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.