Metro Atlanta counties see jump in economic prosperity
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The Southeast has become distinctly more prosperous in just a few years — part of a shift in the geography of economic distress in the U.S., according to new data reported first by Axios.
Why it matters: The latest update of the Distressed Community Index, out last week from the Economic Innovation Group, shows large parts of the country becoming more vibrant, Axios' Neil Irwin writes.
- That is especially true in the counties surrounding fast-growing cities like Atlanta, Raleigh and Nashville.
Zoom in: In the 11-county metro region, nine are considered "prosperous." The rest are "comfortable" (DeKalb) and "mid-tier" (Clayton).
- The report found that 30% of Atlantans have prosperous or comfortable economic situations — while 21% have distressed or at-risk economic situations.
Zoom out: In Georgia, the share of residents living in prosperous ZIP codes increased by 7 percentage points, and the share living in distressed ZIP codes fell by 9 percentage points.
How it works: The index is based on seven factors, pulled from U.S. census data, and aims to capture in a single number whether a given area is rich with economic opportunity or faltering.
- Those factors include the share of adults not working, the housing vacancy rate and growth in the number of businesses. Forsyth beat the nation in all seven categories.
- The latest edition is based on data from 2017 to 2021.