Metro Atlanta's future is older
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
Metro Atlanta's 65 and up population is projected to boom in the coming decades amid a demographic inversion that's expected to deepen well into the future.
Why it matters: Aging in place isn't easy in the sprawling, car-dependent metro, and regional planners say action is needed to accommodate a 65 and older population expected to more than double by 2050.
By the numbers: The Atlanta Regional Commission projects the 11-county region will have roughly 1.3 million to 1.4 million residents ages 65 and up by 2050, representing 22% of the region's population — a 122% increase from 2020.
- In 2024, planners forecast suburban counties to show the biggest gains: Forsyth (211%), Gwinnett (176%), Paulding (168%), Henry (161%), Newton (140%) and Cherokee (127%).
Reality check: Older adults told the ARC that transportation, especially in communities with limited transit and poor pedestrian infrastructure, is a top concern.
- So is money: 43% of respondents over 65 said in a 2025 ARC survey they didn't have enough cash on hand to pay a $400 emergency.
State of play: The ARC's "age friendly" action plan calls for new multigenerational housing models, including co-housing, home-sharing and eco-villages, along with mobility hubs, walk audits and pedestrian fixes such as improved curbs and signal timing.
- Incentives for home accessibility upgrades and strengthening support for kinship caregivers could help address economic mobility and security, according to the May 2026 report.
The big picture: Adults 65 and older now outnumber children under 5 around the globe amid a global plunge in fertility — demographers' term for the number of children being born — and people living longer lives, Axios' Russell Contreras reports, citing a new U.S. Census study.
- In 1980, there were 3.9 children for every resident over the age of 65 in metro Atlanta. In 2024, that number was 1.7.
Zoom in: Nearly a quarter of metro Atlantans 65 and older participated in the labor force in 2023, according to the ARC. In 2010, it was 18%.
- Older metro Atlantans also volunteer, provide care to loved ones and neighbors and guide civic organizations.
Between the lines: The demographic shift could force societies to rethink old age as an economic asset rather than simply a cost, Census report contributor Andrew Scott said.