While the 11-county Atlanta region continues to grow, it did not gain as many residents as it did a year ago.

Why it matters: Despite the internet chatter, Atlanta is (still) not full.

The latest: The Atlanta Regional Commission on Wednesday released its latest population estimates, which show the area added 53,690 residents from April 2025 to April 2026, bringing our total population to 5.3 million.

• Our growth rate was 1%, down a hair from 1.2% from 2024 to 2025 when we added 64,400 people.
• Ann Carpenter, chief researcher and innovation officer at the ARC, told Axios that Atlanta's numbers reflect a national trend of slowing population growth.

Zoom in: All counties in the region saw growth last year, but the strongest rates were in the outlying counties and in Fulton County.

• The state's largest county, with a population of 1.1 million, grew by 1.9% or 21,170 people.
• Forsyth County followed with 1.5% (4,150) and Henry at 1.3% (3,500).
• "New growth on the periphery tends to be driven by greenfield development, as these areas have more available, developable land," Carpenter said.

The big picture: The region's growth rate has been dropping over the last two decades. The average annual growth rate was 1.2% between 2020 and 2026, compared to 1.5% in the 2010s, 2% from 2000 to 2010 and 3.3% during the 1990s, the ARC notes.

State of play: The city of Atlanta is experiencing the opposite of slowed growth.

• Its growth rate has been faster than in previous decades, mostly because of high-density residential developments going up in places like Midtown and along the Beltline.
• Atlanta grew by 6,900 people — or 1.3% — and now has an estimated population of 549,615.

What we're watching: Whether the slowed growth trend will continue into 2027.

Share this story

MARTA's board of directors decided that the best person to lead the transit agency is already doing the job.

Why it matters: Jonathan Hunt, a longtime MARTA lawyer who has served as the interim CEO and general manager for a year, comes off a successful World Cup surge and must now help the agency rebuild post-pandemic ridership and relationships with Atlanta leaders.

Zoom in: Hunt, who joined MARTA's law department in 2014, said at Thursday's meeting that the past year has been an "amazing journey."

• He said he wants to build stronger relationships with metro, state, business and union leaders and welcomes efforts to make the agency more accountable.

"I think it's good for the authority," he said after the board voted to give him the job. "I think it's good for building trust throughout the region, and I think it's good for moving us forward."

Catch up quick: Former CEO and general manager Collie Greenwood, who's Canadian, retired in July 2025, citing a work-authorization issue related to his immigration status.

• The board appointed MARTA chief legal counsel Hunt as interim CEO and formed a committee to conduct a national search.
• The board narrowed the list of nearly 300 applicants to: Hunt, who initially didn't want the job; Jacksonville Transportation Authority executive Cleveland Ferguson III; and Washington Metro executive Leroy Jones.

The big picture: Hunt must make sure MARTA's recently redesigned bus network succeeds, new train vehicles hit the rails and station construction moves ahead, all while also navigating Atlanta's transit expansion plans.

• More broadly, he'll need to shepherd MARTA through an increasingly crowded transportation landscape that includes Waymo robotaxis, e-bikes, e-scooters and new autonomous shuttles.

Atlanta Technical College this week began its $30 million project to revamp and expand its Henry Louis "Hank" Aaron Academic Complex.

Why it matters: The southwest Atlanta school said the space will be designed to "meet the evolving needs of learners, employers and Georgia's rapidly changing economy."

Zoom in: The project includes a 15,000-square-foot addition and renovations to 18,000 square feet of space.

• Once completed, the facility will have refreshed space for student support and will house the school's centers for artificial intelligence and advance manufacturing.
• There will also be space to prepare students in the fields of cybersecurity and graphic design.

🧑‍💻 The Marietta City Council approved an 11-acre data center despite strong public opposition. A new six-month moratorium against the developments does not apply because the project was submitted beforehand. (Fox 5)

👶 Georgia lawmakers are studying why the state's spending on child welfare services has climbed sharply. (Georgia Recorder)

🦖 Southwest Atlanta's Wisteria Gardens neighborhood stands in for early 1980s suburban Michigan in Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor's new dinosaur thriller "The End of Oak Street." (AJC)