Metro Atlanta tops 5.2 million residents
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Atlanta's skyline seen from the I-75/85 Downtown Connector in May. Photo: Alex Slitz - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Metro Atlanta's total population surpassed 5.2 million this year, but the crunch of the housing market is slowing down growth.
The big picture: The Atlanta Regional Commission said its estimates, released Wednesday, show that the economy and "moderating yet solid" job market are still attracting new residents, but high housing prices and demand amid low supply put "a brake on population growth."
Zoom in: ARC said Metro Atlanta's job employment base has increased 6.4% since the onset of the pandemic.
- That's the seventh highest among ARC's selected peer metros, trailing Austin, Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, Houston, and Miami.
Yes, but: ARC also said the 11-county region added 62,700 residents between April 2023 and April 2024. The area added 66,730 people in 2022-23.
- Metro Atlanta issued 28,595 residential building permits in 2023, a 21% decline from 2022 and below the 1980-2023 average annual of 33,430.
By the numbers: Metro Atlanta's 11 counties each saw population growth in the past year.
- Fulton County and Atlanta combined saw the largest numeric increase in the region with 17,400 new residents.
- The city of Atlanta alone had the fastest growth rate (2.1%), adding 10,800 people, followed by Cherokee County (1.9%) with 5,400, and Henry County (1.8%) with 4,750.
- Cobb County added 6,700 new residents.
The intrigue: Gwinnett County finally surpassed 1 million residents.
- In the past year Gwinnett added 14,900 people and issued the second-most permits at 5,423.
What they're saying: ARC Board Chair and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens said in a Wednesday statement that the report shows people are choosing metro Atlanta for a "great quality of life and our dynamic, diverse economy."
- But his statement also acknowledged "continued growth is not guaranteed," and said they need to keep investing into the region's infrastructure.
How it works: ARC's estimates come from a demographic accounting equation generated by the University of Georgia that reviews school enrollment trends, occupancy rates and building permit data, among other sources.
- The base for each year's estimates is the previous year's estimate, with the starting point for the decade's estimates the decennial census count.