The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area was ranked the No. 3 largest-gaining metropolitan area in the country, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Atlanta metropolitan area saw a population increase of 89,013 from 2016 to 2017 to more than 5.88 million.
Ahead of Atlanta was the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area, with a population increase of 146,238, and the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan area, with a population increase of 94,417.
The Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell area was ranked as the ninth-most populous metropolitan area in 2017.
| 2017 Rank | Metropolitan Area | 2017 Population | 2016 Population | Numeric Change |
| 1 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 7,399,662 | 7,253,424 | 146,238 |
| 2 | Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 6,892,427 | 6,798,010 | 94,417 |
| 3 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 5,884,736 | 5,795,723 | 89,013 |
| 4 | Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | 4,737,270 | 4,648,498 | 88,772 |
| 5 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 6,216,589 | 6,150,681 | 65,908 |
| 6 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 3,867,046 | 3,802,660 | 64,386 |
| 7 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | 4,580,670 | 4,523,653 | 57,017 |
| 8 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 2,509,831 | 2,453,333 | 56,498 |
| 9 | Austin-Round Rock, TX | 2,115,827 | 2,060,558 | 55,269 |
| 10 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 3,091,399 | 3,036,525 | 54,874 |