Some call it the Big Peach or the ATL. Some call it the New York of the South or the Chicago of the South. Whatever you call it, Atlanta is the center of things in Georgia, and even beyond the state’s borders. As the state capital, Atlanta is a hub of music, food, commerce, and even the movie business. This growing city with deep cultural roots may appeal to nurses seeking to develop or kick-off their careers in a place with as much to offer off the job as on.
Originally named Marthasville for the then-governor’s daughter, Atlanta is as famous for its airport (the busiest in the world) as it is for its hip-hop scene, and for having a key role in the Civil Rights movement. Combine a rich past with a bright future, and Atlanta might just be the place you want to head to for your next career move. If you are starting your search for nursing jobs in Atlanta, you can start right here.
3 Facts About Nursing Jobs in Atlanta, Georgia
- Is Georgia a compact state? Yes.
- What’s the average RN salary in Atlanta? The average salary for nursing jobs in Atlanta is $90,270 per year, over the national average RN salary of $89,010.
- Where can I find information about becoming a licensed RN in Georgia? Visit the Georgia Board of Nursing website for up-to-date information on licensure in the state.
What to Know About Nursing Jobs in Atlanta
The most populous city in Georgia is home to 499,127 residents, making it about twice as big as the next largest city by population, Augusta. This makes Atlanta one of the best places to look in Georgia for RN, CNA, and LPN jobs. Nurses have the option to look for full-time, part-time, contract, temporary, travel, and per diem nursing jobs in Atlanta.
What will your patients in Atlanta look like? The median age of the city’s residents is 34.3 years old, which is fairly young compared to the national median of 37.7 years old. If you prefer to work with older patients, there will be opportunity for that as well — the combined percentages of residents ages 60 to 80+ is about 18%.
Atlanta is one of a growing number of major cities where white residents are not the majority. The largest ethnic group in Atlanta is Black/African American (48%), followed by Hispanic/Latino (5%), and Asian (5%). This diversity is reflected in the languages spoken in the greater metro area, with the most common being Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, and languages from West Africa including Yoruba, Twi, and Igbo.
With a diverse patient population like the one Atlanta offers, be sure to note your language skills to prospective employers during your interviews for nursing jobs in Atlanta. Letting your potential employers know about your cultural competence in nursing may also help you become an even more compelling candidate for the jobs you are most excited about.
Are you looking for childcare when working extra shifts in your Atlanta nursing job? The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning website has many ways to search for childcare options and even discover quality-rated programs. Need some care for your furrier kids? You can find lots of options for dog walking and cat sitting in Atlanta as well.
Working in Atlanta
It’s going to take a bit of patience to get to your nursing job in Atlanta, as the metro area has one of the longer average commute times — just over 32 minutes each way (compared to the national average of a little more than 27 minutes). Most commuters drive to work (84%) and only about 2% take mass transit — MARTA, which Atlantans love to complain about, but still use.
Even if the commute is longer than in other cities, the options for great nursing jobs may just make up for it. Healthcare is often ranked at or near the top of main industries for the Atlanta metro area, along with retail; professional, scientific, and tech services; education services; manufacturing; accommodation/food services; transportation; and warehousing.
Some of the top companies in Atlanta are instantly recognizable, like Coca-Cola, UPS, and Delta Air Lines. There are also major healthcare companies in town, but if you are interested in research or public health, don’t forget that the grandaddy of them all, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (better known as the CDC), is headquartered in the city.
If you’d like to focus on more traditional bedside practice in acute care, there are many busy hospitals in Atlanta to choose from. Of course a key player is Emory University, and they operate several of the top-ranked hospitals in Atlanta:
- Emory University Hospital
- Emory St. Joseph’s Hospital
- Northside Hospital
- Piedmont Atlanta Hospital
- Emory University Hospital Midtown.
If you’re looking to long-term or post-acute care, there are options in Atlanta for that kind of practice as well. The Atlanta metro area is home to 108 nursing homes, and there are more than 350 in the state as a whole. This might not be surprising since Georgia has been ranked one of the best places to live for retirees.
Living in Atlanta
Often named as one of the top cities to live in, Atlanta has so much to offer nurses. It might be a cliché, but people still talk about Southern hospitality when they talk about Atlanta. You might not know they also talk about Atlanta’s green spaces, like Piedmont Park, and exploring the local trails at Morningside Nature Preserve or floating on the Chattahoochee River. Don’t forget about the BeltLine, a network of multipurpose trails that connects the city’s diverse neighborhoods.
If it’s too warm outside to go hiking, biking, or kayaking on your day off, how about grabbing a bite? Atlanta’s food scene is as hot as the summer weather, offering iconic eats like fried chicken, sweet tea, rather famous popsicles, waffles (with chicken or without), barbeque, and peach everything. You’ll also find treats like Szechuan dumplings and octopus on “best of” lists.
If you’ve had a great brunch, lunch, or dinner and are ready to dive back into the scene, there is everything from championship baseball (the Braves won the Series in 2021) to modern art to classical music. If you want to start on the traditional side, Atlanta has a symphony, an opera company, and the ballet. If you’d like more contemporary music, Atlanta is the epicenter of a legendary hip-hop scene with homegrown stars like OutKast, Ludacris, T.I., TLC, and too many more to name. To hear live music of all kinds, there are many famous venues in town including the Fox Theater and Chastain Park Amphitheater.
If art is more your speed, Atlanta has that as well. You can visit traditional spots like the High Museum of Art, the Atlanta Contemporary, or the Callanwolde Fine Arts Center. More unusual spaces include the Hammonds House Museum, The Goat Farm Arts Center, or one of dozens of galleries and art installations. If outside art appeals, Atlanta is known for the murals, photography, and event spaces that have brought urban renewal along the BeltLine.
The sunny weather in Atlanta is one of the benefits of living in the city. Despite the nickname “Hotlanta,” the city has an average annual temp of a mild 61 degrees. July is the hottest month during the year (89 degrees on average) and January is the coldest (the average low is 34 degrees). Atlanta gets all four seasons, but the snowfall is minimal, so your best bet for sports is all the hiking, biking, and water activities you can enjoy during the many days of sun.
Despite the warm weather, food, fun, and employment opportunities with world-famous companies and academic centers, the cost of living in Atlanta is only about 2% higher than the national average. Some key costs like utilities and groceries are actually a bit more affordable than the national prices. Even though housing costs are slightly above the national average, the median rent in Atlanta is not as high as many large metro area rents and will cost about $1,475 per month.
Find Great Nursing Jobs in Atlanta With IntelyCare
Ready to find your next CNA, LPN, or RN job in Atlanta? IntelyCare can help you push your career in a brand-new direction. Begin your IntelyCare application today and find your next adventure in Atlanta, or anywhere you like.