Atlanta’s population continues to boom with 78,300 new residents between April 2016 and April 2017, according to annual population estimates from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
This is the fastest growth rate for the region at any time since the Great Recession, with 1.8 percent growth to 4,480,100 people in the 10-county Atlanta region. Last year, the region saw a 1.6 percent growth rate with 69,800 new residents.
A significant portion of that growth occurred in the suburbs, with the highest growth in Cherokee and Henry counties, which saw 3 percent and 2.4 percent increases, respectively. Long-term trends show that suburbs have been leading the region’s growth in recent years. According to the ARC, Cherokee County saw a 15 percent gain in population between 2010 and 2017 while Henry county saw a 12 percent increase.
The ARC found that all of the region’s 10 core counties experienced population growth in the past year, with Fulton County adding the highest number of new residents (17,100), followed by Gwinnett County (16,900) and Cobb County (12,800).
The city of Atlanta added 9,900 new residents in the past year, a significant increase from 7,900 new residents last year and 4,800 the year before. This is a turnaround, as the city was steadily losing population for several decades until the 2000 census. Its population grew by 7 percent between 2010 and 2017.
The ARC cites job growth as fueling the booming population as metro Atlanta added jobs at the fastest rate in the nation — 3.3 percent over the past year.
“Metro Atlanta offers a world-class quality of life along with one of the nation’s best business environments,” said Kerry Armstrong, ARC board chair. “It’s a winning combination that has fueled tremendous growth in recent years.”
