Monday, August 27, 2018

Fulton County Leads Region’s Growth Surge, Adds 17,200 People in Past Year, According to ARC’s 2018 Population Estimates




Fulton County added 17,200 new residents in the past year, tops in the 10-county Atlanta region, according to population estimates released today by the Atlanta Regional Commission. The growth brings the county’s total population to 1,020,000.
“Fulton County is a leader for our region in many ways, including population growth,” said Chairman Robb Pitts. “With more than a million residents, Fulton County has a greater population than six U.S. States and represents 10% of the population of Georgia.”


Long the largest county in metro Atlanta, Fulton is the only county with a population over 1 million. Fulton’s growth has gathered strength in recent years. The county grew by 17,100 people between April 2016 and April 2017 and added 15,300 the previous year. Fulton has added more than 99,000 people since 2010. 


Overall, the 10-county Atlanta region added 75,800 people in the past year, the second-largest increase since the Great Recession ended in 2010. The region’s growth was down slightly from a year earlier, when population increased by 78,300. The Atlanta region is now home to 4,555,900 people, more than that of 25 states.

Jobs growth fueled the region’s population boom. The 29-county metropolitan statistical area (MSA), as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, added more than 41,000 jobs between April 2017 and April 2018, ranking 9th in the nation.

“The Atlanta region had strong growth over the last few years as we emerged from the Great Recession,” said Mike Carnathan, manager of ARC’s Research & Analytics Group. “People are moving here because jobs are plentiful and because metro Atlanta offers a great quality of life.”

Each of the Atlanta region’s 10 core counties experienced population growth during the past year. Gwinnett County, the second-largest county in the region, added 16,700, and DeKalb County added 10,630.

The city of Atlanta, which lost population between 1970 and 2000, is growing again amid a boom in multifamily housing. The city added over 10,000 residents in the past year, compared to 9,700 the year before, and has grown by 9% since 2010.

“ARC’s annual population estimates are a great tool to help local governments plan for the future and focus the region’s attention on key issues critical to our quality of life, like housing affordability and transportation,” said Kerry Armstrong, ARC Board Chair.
For more details about ARC’s population estimates, check out ARC’s latestRegional Snapshot.

Metro Atlanta Growth Since 2010


2010

2017

2018
Change
2017-2018
Average Annual Change
2010-2018
Atlanta Region
4,107,750
4,480,100
4,555,900
75,800
56,019
Cherokee
214,346
247,400
254,500
7,100
5,019
Clayton
259,424
275,300
279,400
4,100
2,497
Cobb
688,078
750,300
758,300
8,000
8,778
DeKalb
691,893
733,900
744,530
10,630
6,580
Douglas
132,403
140,900
142,800
1,900
1,300
Fayette
106,567
114,000
116,200
2,200
1,204
Fulton
920,581
1,002,800
1,020,370
17,570
12,474
Gwinnett
805,321
894,000
910,700
16,700
13,172
Henry
203,922
229,000
234,800
5,800
3,860
Rockdale
85,215
92,500
94,300
1,800
1,136
City of Atlanta
420,003
449,500
459,600
10,100
4,950