This document summarizes employment and business trends in the Atlanta region. Some key findings include: 1) Atlanta ranks 2nd among 12 major metros in relative job growth over the past year, adding jobs at a faster rate than the national average. 2) Several outer suburban counties like Forsyth, Henry, and Paulding have seen the largest increases in employees and business establishments since 2000, experiencing strong population and economic growth. 3) Small businesses, defined as having 0-49 employees, make up around 24% of all businesses in Atlanta and are clustered in exurban areas, though they receive a smaller share of total payroll compared to other major cities.

1. Atlanta Regional Commission
For more information, contact:
mcarnathan@atlantaregional.com
All Things Big and Small:
Employment Trends & Business
Establishment Growth in Metro
Atlanta

2. About the Data
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): We used BLS data to explore up to date
industry sector change in Atlanta and the U.S. as a whole.
• Quarterly Workforce Indicators (QWI): A set of economic indicators
including employment, job creating, earnings, and other measures of
employment flows. We have used the QWI to study and compare business
and employment patterns in metro Atlanta to other peer metro areas.
• Zip Code Business Patterns: We used Census business establishment/ firm
numbers to look at total establishments and change in establishments on
the Zip Code level.
Note: We mention both firms and establishments numerous times throughout the report. There are subtle differences, but, in general, when using these
terms, we simply mean “businesses.” To learn more about the difference between firms and establishments, please visit:
https://ask.census.gov/faq.php?id=5000&faqId=487

3. What the data tell us…
• Overall, Atlanta performs well when compared to
other U.S. metros in terms of job change and
employment. Atlanta ranks 2nd in relative job
change against 12 other metros over the past year.
• Metro Atlanta exceeded its pre-recession
employment peak in May 2014, finally digging out
of the hole the Great Recession wrought.
• At the county level, Forsyth, Henry, and Paulding
counties have had the highest relative increase in
employees from 2000 to 2013.
• At the Zip Code level, areas in North Fulton,
Forsyth, and Hall Counties have the largest increase
in business establishments since 2005. Specifically, a
Suwanee Zip Code has seen the largest increase.
• The Zip Codes with the highest concentrations of
small businesses are all clustered along the exurban
fringes of the region.

4. 0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
Total Change
3.2
2
1.2
3.4
2.1
2.6
3.1
1.5
1
3 3
1.8
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
% Change(000s)
Job Change, May 2014- May 2015
Metro Atlanta is adding jobs at a nice clip recently, especially compared with the 11 other large
metros in the nation. The chart on the left shows total numbers and the chart on the right shows
percentages. For total jobs added, between May 2014 and May 2015, metro Atlanta has added the
fourth-most jobs. Metro Atlanta ranks second in percent change of jobs over the past year.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

5. 0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
Metro Atlanta's Relative Strengths Compared to Other Large Metros
(Location Quotient by Super Sector)
Strengths of Metro Atlanta’s Economy
We examined metro Atlanta’s strengths by comparing the percent of employment by each “super
sector” in metro Atlanta to the percentage of employment in each sector in the other 11 large
metro areas. Each value above one means that metro Atlanta is relatively stronger in that sector. So
Information; Trade, Transportation & Utilities, and Professional & Business Services are metro
Atlanta’s relative strengths, according to this analysis.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NOTE: For comparison purposes, Mining and Logging are included with Construction

6. Atlanta Boston Chicago Dallas Houston
Los
Angeles Miami New York Philadelphia Phoenix
San
Francisco Washington
Construction 2 1 1 7 7 1 1 1 1 2 3 2
Manufacturing 7 10 9 9 10 10 9 10 7 10 5 10
Trade, trans., and utilities 5 9 4 4 3 5 7 6 5 7 7 4
Information 10 5 7 10 5 9 8 8 9 9 2 9
Financial activities 4 7 9 2 8 8 3 8 6 5 10 8
Professional and bus. services 3 2 2 3 6 6 5 5 10 4 1 3
Education and health services 6 4 3 4 2 2 2 2 4 3 9 1
Leisure and hospitality 1 8 5 1 1 4 3 4 3 6 4 5
Other services 9 3 8 8 9 3 6 3 2 1 6 7
Government 8 5 6 6 4 7 10 7 8 8 8 6
Ranking the Sectors in Each of the 12 Largest Metros:
(% Change, May 2014-May 2015)
This chart shows which sectors have increased the most in each of the largest 12 metros by ranking
the percent increase in each sector. In metro Atlanta, for example, Leisure and Hospitality as well as
Construction experienced the largest percent gains in employment. In the table above, greens
indicate the largest percent increases, while reds indicate the smallest increases, or, in some cases,
declines.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics. NOTE: For comparison purposes, Mining and Logging are included with Construction

7. -8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
Jan-08
Apr-08
Jul-08
Oct-08
Jan-09
Apr-09
Jul-09
Oct-09
Jan-10
Apr-10
Jul-10
Oct-10
Jan-11
Apr-11
Jul-11
Oct-11
Jan-12
Apr-12
Jul-12
Oct-12
Jan-13
Apr-13
Jul-13
Oct-13
Jan-14
Apr-14
Jul-14
Oct-14
Jan-15
Apr-15
Year-Over-Year % Change: Total Employment
2008-Present
ATL U.S.
This chart indicates that Atlanta (Blue trend line) is outperforming the U.S. (Red trend line) in terms of
year-over-year employment change. Atlanta’s growth in employment has outpaced the U.S.’s
employment growth for almost three years now.
Job Change, 2008- Present
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

8. This shows total employment in metro Atlanta from January 2000 to May 2015. The pre-recession peak
employment of 2.48 million jobs occurred in December 2007, the month the Great Recession officially
began. Metro Atlanta exceeded that pre-recession peak in May 2014, and today is trading well above
the December 2007 number.
Total Employment, 2000-2015
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
2000.0
2100.0
2200.0
2300.0
2400.0
2500.0
2600.0
2700.0
Jan-00
May-00
Sep-00
Jan-01
May-01
Sep-01
Jan-02
May-02
Sep-02
Jan-03
May-03
Sep-03
Jan-04
May-04
Sep-04
Jan-05
May-05
Sep-05
Jan-06
May-06
Sep-06
Jan-07
May-07
Sep-07
Jan-08
May-08
Sep-08
Jan-09
May-09
Sep-09
Jan-10
May-10
Sep-10
Jan-11
May-11
Sep-11
Jan-12
May-12
Sep-12
Jan-13
May-13
Sep-13
Jan-14
May-14
Sep-14
Jan-15
May-15
Pre-recession peak
employment:
December 2007

9. This chart looks at business firm size, specifically small firms, as small local businesses are critical to a
sustainable and healthy economy. For this snapshot, small business firms are defined as firms with 0-
49 employees. Of these metros, Atlanta has the second highest percentage of small firms at 23.8%. It
is right behind Chicago with 24.4% of firms that are considered “small”.
Business Firms by Size
23.80%
24.40%
22.10%
22.50%
21.10%
21.50%
19.00%
20.00%
21.00%
22.00%
23.00%
24.00%
25.00%
Atlanta Chicago Dallas Houston Washington Phoenix
% Employees in Small Business Firms, 2014 (Q2)
Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (All years show data for Q2)

10. Payroll by Business Firm Size
19.1%
20.6% 21.5%
15.6%
20.9%
14.6%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
Atlanta DC Phoenix Dallas Chicago Houston
% Payroll going to Small Business Firms (0-49 Employees)
While Atlanta has the second largest percentage of people working in small business firms, QWI
payroll numbers tell us something slightly different. In terms of the percent of payroll going to small
firms, we fall to 4th in ranking. These data suggest that even though many of our employees work in
small firms, they are just not paid as much in comparison to other metros. Of course, cost-of-living
differences among the metros explain most of this variation.
Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (All years show data for Q2)

11. 17.7%
21.0%
19.3%
21.2%
28.6%
19.9%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
% Employees in Medium Sized Business firms,
2014
58.5%
54.6%
58.6% 56.3%
50.8%
58.6%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
% Employees in Large Business Firms, 2014
Distribution of Employees in Medium and Large Business Firms-
Atlanta and other U.S. Metros
Medium Business firms are defined as 50-499 employees and large business firms are defined as 500+ employees
In comparing business firm size across large metros, there isn’t much variation of the percentage of
employees working for medium or large firms. In general, Atlanta has a lower percentage of employees
working in medium-sized firms, and a slightly higher percentage of employees working in large firms.
Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (All years show data for Q2)

12. Distribution of Employees by Business Firm Size in Metro Atlanta
This chart shows how the distribution of employees has changed from 2000 to 2014. Due to the
recession, not surprisingly, each firm size lost employees around 2010. But businesses have recovered
nicely since 2010 as firms of all sizes have more employees in 2014 than in 2000.
465,430
362,422
1,187,053
457,285
340,443
1,121,817
508,715
378,287
1,250,657
0
200,000
400,000
600,000
800,000
1,000,000
1,200,000
1,400,000
Small (0-49 Employees) Medium (50-499
Employees)
Large (500+ Employees)
2000 2010 2014
Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators (All years show data for Q2)

13. Percent Change in the Number of
Employees from 2000-2014, by County
74%
70% 71%
79%
58%
69%
74%
61%
73% 72%
81%
67%
69%
72%
80%
73%
81%
64% 65%
74%
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
We used QWI data to determine the percent change in the number of employees from 2000 to
2014 in each county. We can see that the largest increases in employees are in Forsyth, Henry
and Paulding counties, three counties that experienced tremendous population growth during the
2000s as well.
Source: Quarterly Workforce Indicators

14. Now we will look at the number of business establishments by size (instead of the number of employees
by business firm size) using data from the U.S. Census’ Business Patterns program. Because the data are
different, the groupings we use will be different. But, as the pie chart shows, the VAST majority of
business establishments employ fewer than 20 employees (almost 86 percent).
57.5%
16.4%
11.6%
8.8%
3.1%
1.9%
0.5%
0.2% 0.1%
Number of Business Establishments, 2013
1 to 4 employees
5 to 9 employees
10 to 19 employees
20 to 49 employees
50 to 99 employees
100 to 249 employees
250 to 499 employees
500 to 999 employees
1,000 employees or more
Number of Business Establishments by Size, Metro Atlanta (2013)
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census

15. Because the definition of metro Atlanta changed in 2012, we can only look at growth in the number of
business establishments between 2012 and 2013. As the chart and table show, there isn’t a lot of
difference in the rates of growth among the different business establishment sizes, although those
employing one to four employees had the slowest rate of growth.
Change in the Number of Business Establishments by Size,
Metro Atlanta, 2012 - 2013
0.8%
1.1%
1.6%
0.0%
1.0%
2.0%
3.0%
4.0%
5.0%
1 to 4 employees 5 to 9 employees All Other Establishment Sizes
Percent Change in the Number of Business Establishments
2013 2012 Change % Change
1 to 4 employees 75,789 75,168 621 0.8%
5 to 9 employees 21,617 21,387 230 1.1%
All Other Establishment Sizes 34,377 33,834 543 1.6%
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census

16. 129,130
133,087
136,724
134,338
129,429
128,177
127,305
129,287
130,704
122,000
124,000
126,000
128,000
130,000
132,000
134,000
136,000
138,000
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
This chart analyzes the total number of business establishments in the 20-county Atlanta region
between 2005-2013. As the line shows, the Great Recession destroyed many business establishments,
and the 20-county area has yet to recover. There are roughly 6,000 fewer establishments today than in
2007. The good news, however, is that there are about 3,400 more establishments today than during
the nadir of 2011.
* Zip Codes do not adhere to county boundaries, so we included only Zip Codes that have their center point in one of the 20 counties.
Total number of Business Establishments in 20-
County Atlanta Region Zip Codes*: 2005-2013
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census

17. Distribution of Business Establishments, by Zip Code
The map on the left shows the total number of business establishments in 2013, with the bulk of the establishments
located in the northern parts of the region, between I-75 and I-85. There is a Zip Code in Henry County that has among
the most number of establishments in the region as well. The map on the right shows the number of establishments
per 1,000 people. Although there isn’t much difference between the two, the areas with the most establishments per
1,000 people are clustered in the region’s most affluent areas (North Fulton, Buckhead, Decatur and Fayette County).
Total Business Establishments, 2013
Total Business Establishments per 1,000
Population, 2013
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census, via Neighborhood Nexus

18. Change in the total number of Business Establishments,
2005-2013
This map illustrates the
number of change in
business establishments
from 2005 to 2013. As the
map shows, the most
dramatic increases the
number of establishments
are in North Fulton
(Alpharetta/Johns Creek
area), Forsyth, and
Gwinnett (Suwanee/Duluth
areas).
This map reflects earlier
findings in the percent change
in employees in each county.
Forsyth County and the largest
increase in establishments
AND the largest percent
increase in employees.
Business Growth, 2005-
2013
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census, via Neighborhood Nexus

19. Focus on small Business Establishments (1-9
Employees), 2013
This map highlights those Zip
Codes where at least 90
percent of all business
establishments have fewer
than 10 employees – so where
the heaviest concentrations of
small businesses are located.
As the map shows, all of these
Zip Codes are located on the
exurban fringes of the region,
which makes some sense given
that many small businesses
may not require “foot traffic”,
thus they don’t necessarily
need to be in heavily
populated areas.
Highest Concentrations of
Small Businesses, 2013
Source: Business Patterns, U.S Census, via Neighborhood Nexus