Housing affordability remains metro Atlanta's top concern
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Housing costs are once again the top concern that keeps residents of the Atlanta Regional Commission's 11-county area up at night.
Why it matters: The growing number of residents who struggle to afford housing is no longer just an urban issue; it's now a pain point for people in suburban and exurban counties.
The latest: In the 2026 Metro Atlanta Speaks survey, which was released last week, 30% of respondents said housing affordability was the biggest problem in metro Atlanta.
- That was followed by traffic at 22% and the economy at 16%.
- Housing affordability was also the top concern among residents who participated in the 2025 survey.
By the numbers: In the 2026 survey, 51% said the cost of housing greatly affected their economic mobility.
- 38% pointed to a lack of job opportunities as another factor.
- Transportation costs (28%), caring for an aging parent (26%) and public assistance eligibility (26%) were also listed as burdens.
- 35% said they were doing worse economically this year, which is up from 29% last year (27% said they were doing better, which is around the same for 2025).
- 40% said they did not have many friends whose income was different from theirs, and 1 in 3 said it's hard to find good jobs within a "reasonable commute."
What they're saying: Mayor Andre Dickens, ARC board chair, said the survey shows "what stands in the way of getting ahead: housing they can afford, jobs they can reach, and connections across income lines."
Driving the news: The survey results were unveiled Nov. 4 during the ARC's State of the Region, where the ARC announced its new Opportunity Rising initiative.
- This collaborative effort, said ARC CEO & executive director Anna Roach, is about "agreeing on what success looks like for children, families and communities, and finding ways of working together to achieve it."
- The initiative will use data to understand what factors and barriers prevent residents from ascending the economic mobility ladder.
Catch up quick: In September, the ARC released its Housing Forward 2035 strategy for the region.
- That strategy calls for building 367,000 homes by 2035, and preserving about 104,000 affordable units that could be lost due to redevelopment.
- It also calls for 51% of those new homes to be classified as affordable.
The fine print: The 2026 survey was conducted in August by Kennesaw State University's A.L. Burruss Institute of Public Service and Research. It included 4,136 adults in the 11-county region.