So just how have these 52 largest Georgia Companies done on the earnings front before, during and after the 2008 financial meltdown? Just absolutely off-the-charts earnings improvement.
The 2014 Total Audited Net Income from Continuing Operations of these 52 largest Georgia Companies was $30.833 bil, an increase of an exceptionally off-the-charts 2017% over the $1.459 bil comparable Total Earnings generated by these same companies in their 2008 fiscal year ends.
Further, for the most recent two fiscal years 2014 and 2013, Combined Audited Earnings of $73.217 bil were a massive $60.190 bil above the financial meltdown 2009 and 2008 comparable earnings of $13.027 bil.
So if the question to answer is how much better off are these largest Georgia Companies now than they were during their 2008 financial meltdown fiscal years, the answer is 20 times better, and for the two most recent years combined, more than $60 bil better, as audited earnings under US generally accepted accounting principles (US GAAP) are measured by the very prestigious US accounting profession.
There has been something upwardly explosive happening with the Audited Earnings of Georgia Companies and among others, President Obama, Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, Georgia Democratic US House Members Sanford Bishop, Hank Johnson, John Lewis and David Scott, and the US Fed have all undoubtedly helped here.
Below here are the reported US GAAP Audited Net Income (Losses) of each of these 52 largest Georgia Companies for all of their fiscal years reported from 2008 through 2014:
| 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | |||
| 2014 | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | Audited | ||
| Most | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | Net | ||
| Recent | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | Income | ||
| FYE | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | (Loss) | ||
| HQs | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | mil $s | ||
| Georgia Company | |||||||||
| Coca-Cola | Atlanta | Dec | 7,124 | 8,626 | 9,086 | 8,634 | 11,859 | 6,906 | 5,874 |
| Home Depot | Atlanta | Jan 15 | 6,345 | 5,385 | 4,535 | 3,883 | 3,338 | 2,620 | 2,312 |
| United Parcel Service | Atlanta | Dec | 3,032 | 4,372 | 807 | 3,804 | 3,338 | 1,968 | 655 |
| AFLAC | Columbus | Dec | 2,951 | 3,158 | 2,866 | 1,964 | 2,344 | 1,497 | 1,254 |
| SunTrust Banks | Atlanta | Dec | 1,785 | 1,361 | 1,984 | 660 | 206 | (1,552) | 807 |
| IntercontinentalExchange Group | Atlanta | Dec | 1,016 | 270 | 562 | 522 | 407 | 314 | 301 |
| Invesco Ltd | Atlanta | Dec | 1,005 | 918 | 569 | 622 | 637 | 209 | 421 |
| Genuine Parts | Atlanta | Dec | 711 | 685 | 648 | 565 | 476 | 400 | 475 |
| Coca-Cola Enterprises | Atlanta | Dec | 663 | 667 | 677 | 749 | 624 | 576 | 514 |
| Delta Airlines | Atlanta | Dec | 659 | 10,540 | 1,009 | 854 | (1,237) | (1,237) | (8,922) |
| Mohawk Industries | Calhoun | Dec | 532 | 367 | 251 | 178 | 190 | (1) | (1,453) |
| Rock-Tenn | Norcross | Sep | 484 | 733 | 252 | 146 | 231 | 226 | 87 |
| AGCO Corp | Duluth | Dec | 404 | 592 | 516 | 585 | 220 | 135 | 386 |
| Equifax | Atlanta | Dec | 374 | 342 | 275 | 242 | 275 | 241 | 279 |
| Newell Rubbermaid | Atlanta | Dec | 373 | 416 | 391 | 135 | 288 | 286 | (48) |
| FleetCor Technologies | Norcross | Dec | 369 | 285 | 216 | 147 | 108 | 89 | 97 |
| Arris Group | Suwanee | Dec | 327 | (49) | 53 | (18) | 64 | 91 | (130) |
| Total System Services | Columbus | Dec | 281 | 255 | 249 | 223 | 209 | 226 | 253 |
| Global Payments | Atlanta | May | 270 | 239 | 218 | 229 | 223 | 207 | 161 |
| RPC Inc | Atlanta | Dec | 245 | 167 | 274 | 296 | 147 | (23) | 83 |
| Post Properties | Atlanta | Dec | 238 | 81 | 83 | 26 | (7) | (96) | (96) |
| Carter's | Atlanta | Dec | 195 | 160 | 161 | 114 | 146 | 116 | 78 |
| Synovus Financial | Columbus | Dec | 195 | 159 | 830 | (61) | (834) | (1,434) | (580) |
| NCR | Duluth | Dec | 185 | 456 | 475 | 49 | 119 | 65 | 248 |
| Primerica | Duluth | Dec | 180 | 159 | 173 | 178 | 258 | 495 | 168 |
| Acuity Brands | Atlanta | Aug | 176 | 127 | 116 | 106 | 79 | 85 | 149 |
| Flower Foods | Thomasville | Dec | 176 | 231 | 136 | 123 | 137 | 134 | 122 |
| Rollins | Atlanta | Dec | 138 | 123 | 111 | 101 | 90 | 84 | 69 |
| Asbury Automotive Group | Duluth | Dec | 112 | 101 | 83 | 48 | 37 | 26 | (325) |
| Travelport Worldwide Ltd | Atlanta | Dec | 91 | (207) | (299) | (211) | (122) | 111 | |
| Schweitzer-Mauduit Intl | Alpharetta | Dec | 90 | 78 | 104 | 88 | 71 | 60 | 17 |
| Graphic Packaging Holding | Atlanta | Dec | 89 | 147 | 120 | 275 | 11 | 56 | (99) |
| Manhattan Associates | Atlanta | Dec | 82 | 67 | 52 | 45 | 28 | 17 | 23 |
| Aaron's | Atlanta | Dec | 78 | 121 | 173 | 114 | 118 | 113 | 86 |
| Neenah Paper | Alpharetta | Dec | 69 | 49 | 40 | 29 | 25 | (2) | (46) |
| United Community Banks | Blairsville | Dec | 68 | 273 | 34 | (227) | (504) | (229) | (64) |
| Ebix Inc | Atlanta | Dec | 64 | 59 | 71 | 71 | 59 | 39 | 27 |
| Mueller Water Products | Atlanta | Sep | 56 | 35 | (5) | (38) | (45) | (997) | 42 |
| Saia Inc | Johns Creek | Dec | 52 | 44 | 32 | 11 | 2 | (9) | (20) |
| Axiall | Atlanta | Dec | 50 | 168 | 121 | 58 | 43 | 131 | (255) |
| Gray Television | Atlanta | Dec | 48 | 18 | 28 | 9 | 23 | (23) | (202) |
| Oxford Industries | Atlanta | Jan 15 | 46 | 45 | 31 | 29 | 16 | 1 | (278) |
| Piedmont Office Trust Realty | Johns Creek | Dec | 40 | 72 | 60 | 90 | 112 | 63 | 118 |
| Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen | Atlanta | Dec | 38 | 34 | 30 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 19 |
| Cousins Properties Inc | Atlanta | Dec | 32 | 112 | 28 | (135) | (24) | 14 | 24 |
| Interface | Atlanta | Dec | 25 | 48 | 23 | 38 | 10 | 13 | (35) |
| ExamWorks Group | Carrollton | Dec | 10 | (10) | (15) | (8) | (6) | (4) | (2) |
| MiMedx Group | Marietta | Dec | 6 | (4) | (8) | (10) | (11) | (12) | (17) |
| HD Supply Holdings | Atlanta | Jan 15 | (4) | (221) | (1,111) | (562) | (614) | (481) | (1,148) |
| MedAssets | Alpharetta | Dec | (20) | 27 | (7) | (15) | (32) | 20 | 11 |
| Invesco Mortgage Capital | Atlanta | Dec | (202) | 143 | 344 | 287 | 104 | 18 | (0) |
| Ocwen Financial | Atlanta | Dec | (470) | 310 | 181 | 78 | 34 | (3) | 19 |
| Total all 52 Georgia Companies | 30,883 | 42,334 | 27,633 | 25,144 | 23,293 | 11,568 | 1,459 | ||
| 2014 Earnings % Increase Over 2008 | 2017% | ||||||||
| 2013-14 Earnings Above 2008-9 | 60,190 | ||||||||
On the job front, the US Bureau of Labor reported that the unemployment rate for the State of Georgia has dropped sharply from 10.5% in December 2010 to 6.3% in the most recently reported April 2015.
Also, the US Bureau of Labor reported that the unemployment rate for the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Metro Area has dropped even more sharply from 10.6% in January 2011 to 5.6% in the most recently reported April 2015.
