The population of the 10-county Atlanta region grew to 4,628,400 in 2019, an increase of 72,500 people from 2018. This represents slower growth than the previous two years. From 2018 to 2019, Fulton County saw the largest growth of 16,700 new residents. Overall, the region continues to experience population increases, though the pace of growth is moderating as job growth has slowed. Multi-family development continues to fuel significant population increases in the City of Atlanta.

1. Atlanta Regional Commission
For more information, contact:
mcarnathan@atlantaregional.com
Population Estimates for the Atlanta Region:
Holding the Line on Growth

2. • The 10-county Atlanta region is now home to 4,628,400 in 2019, up from 4,555,900 in 2018. From April 1,
2018 to April 1, 2019 the region added 72,500 new residents. This represents slightly slower growth than
what the region experienced the previous two years.
• The Atlanta region’s 2019 population is larger than that of 24 states.
• The slower growth, while still strong, reflects a moderation in job growth in the past year.
• From 2018 to 2019, Fulton added 16,700 new residents, the largest single-year growth in the region. Next
were Gwinnett with 15,100 new residents, DeKalb with 8,500 new residents, and Cherokee with 8,200 new
residents.
• The City of Atlanta continues to experience significant growth. Again fueled by high levels of multi-family
development, the city added 10,900 new residents between 2018 and 2019, up slightly from last year and
the largest single-year estimated population increase since the Great Recession.
• In 2018, there were 27,600 new residential building permits in the 10-county region, which was an increase
of over 3,000 (primarily in the multifamily sector) from 2017-2018, and almost the same overall level as 2016
permits. Still, current building permit activity for the 10-county region remains lower than pre-recession
permit levels, and still trails the 1980-2018 average annual level of 32,130.
The Highlights

3. 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2018 2019
One Year
Change:
2018-
2019
Average
Annual
Change:
2010-
2019
Average
Annual
Change:
1990-
2010
Atlanta Region 1,500,823 1,896,182 2,557,800 3,429,379 4,107,750 4,555,900 4,628,400 72,500 57,850 77,498
Cherokee 31,059 51,699 91,000 141,903 214,346 254,500 262,700 8,200 5,373 6,167
Clayton 98,126 150,357 184,100 236,517 259,424 279,400 283,900 4,500 2,720 3,766
Cobb 196,793 297,718 453,400 607,751 688,078 758,300 766,400 8,100 8,702 11,734
DeKalb 415,387 483,024 553,800 665,865 691,893 744,530 753,030 8,500 6,793 6,905
Douglas 28,659 54,573 71,700 92,174 132,403 142,800 144,900 2,100 1,389 3,035
Fayette 11,364 29,043 62,800 91,263 106,567 116,200 118,000 1,800 1,270 2,188
Fulton 605,210 589,904 670,800 816,006 920,581 1,020,370 1,037,070 16,700 12,943 12,489
Gwinnett 72,349 166,808 356,500 588,448 805,321 910,700 925,800 15,100 13,387 22,441
Henry 23,724 36,309 59,200 119,341 203,922 234,800 240,900 6,100 4,109 7,236
Rockdale 18,152 36,747 54,500 70,111 85,215 94,300 95,700 1,400 1,165 1,536
City of Atlanta 495,039 424,922 415,200 416,474 420,003 459,600 470,500 10,900 5,611 240
2019 Population Estimates
Note: The City of Atlanta totals are included in both DeKalb’s and Fulton’s population estimatesSource: ARC’s 2019 Population Estimates, Census

4. Source: Census Bureau; ARC Research & Analytics
Peak Growth: Look at Growth By Decade
-4.00%
-2.00%
0.00%
2.00%
4.00%
6.00%
8.00%
10.00%
12.00%
14.00%
16.00%
18.00% Cherokee Clayton Cobb DeKalb Douglas Fayette Fulton Gwinnett Henry Rockdale

5. Population Growth Through the Decades
Source: ARC’s 2018 Population Estimates, Census
0.00%
0.50%
1.00%
1.50%
2.00%
2.50%
3.00%
3.50%
4.00%
1900-1910 1910-1920 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1950-1960 1960-1970 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2019
Average Annual PERCENT Change by Decade - ARC 10 County Area
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
70,000
80,000
90,000
100,000
1900-1910 1910-1920 1920-1930 1930-1940 1940-1950 1950-1960 1960-1970 1970-1980 1980-1990 1990-2000 2000-2010 2010-2019
Average Annual RAW Change by Decade - ARC 10 County Area

6. Units Authorized by Building Permits
Inching Back Towards Historical Average
Source: State of the Cities Data System; ARC Research & Analytics
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
39-year annual average of 32,130

7. Where Growth is Going—Single-Family
Source: HB Weekly (permits); ARC Research & Analytics (processing and mapping)

8. Where Growth is Going--Multifamily
Source: CoStar (data); ARC Research & Analytics (processing and mapping)

9. Building Permits By Jurisdiction, 2018
Source: State of the Cities Data System; Census ACS
0
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
City of
Atlanta
Cherokee
County
Clayton
County
Cobb
County
DeKalb
County
Douglas
County
Fayette
County
Non-COA
Fulton
County
Gwinnett
County
Henry
County
Rockdale
County
Multi-Family
Single-Family
In metro Atlanta some 43
percent of occupied multi-
family units contain
single-person households,
compared to only 20
percent of single-family
unit households occupied
by one person.

10. Where Growth is Likely Going--Totals
Source: ESRI (small-area population estimates)
Total Population Change:
2010 to 2019
1,001 – 5,698
550 – 1,000
350 – 549
0 – 349
-1,247 – 0

11. Where Growth is Likely Going--Density
Source: ESRI (small-area population estimates)
Population Change Per Square
Mile: 2010 to 2019
451 – 14,690
250 – 450
75 – 249
0 – 74
-1,156.7 – 0