Metro Atlanta’s population reaches 5.2 million in 11-county region this year

The Atlanta Regional Commission’s annual population estimates released July 10 show the region added 62,700 residents between April 2023 and April 2024, a slight decline in growth from 2022-23.

But the population estimates have not been officially voted on. The ARC board decided to vote on the estimates at the joint meeting of the Atlanta Regional Commission and Transportation and Air Quality Committee on July 10 due to a lack of quorum. The board will vote on the estimates at a special meeting called for Aug. 28.

Estimates were nonetheless presented and show a total population of 5.2 million in the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is made up of 11 counties, including Fayette, Clayton, Henry, Rockdale Forsyth, Cherokee, Cobb, Gwinnett, DeKalb, Douglas and Fulton counties.

ARC officials said the region is in a period of “steady, steady growth.” The rates are a far cry from the population “explosion” of the 1990s that outpaced most other metropolitan areas in the country.

“While this is the third largest annual increase in decades, it is actually slightly less than last year,” said Mike Carnathan, managing director of the research and analysis department.

Housing is a hurdle for the city. A lack of available housing and high home prices have acted as a “drag” on growth — the median home price in Atlanta was $415,000 in January, according to a Realtor.com report.

“We haven’t built enough housing for 15 years, which is going to drive up housing prices,” Carnathan said.

The city of Atlanta continues to eclipse other cities in the region when it comes to building permits. In 2023, 28,595 residential building permits were issued across the region’s 11 counties, including just over 7,500 in Atlanta.

The city also had the highest number of multifamily housing projects, with 6,482, compared to 1,139 within the city limits. Gwinnett had a significant number of building permits, with 5,423 new permits, but more than 4,000 of those were for single-family homes. Other counties like Fayette, Rockdale and Cherokee had few or no permits for multifamily housing.

Overall, however, the number of permits issued decreased by 7,500 compared to 2022.

Carnathan said the region needs to continue to invest in affordable housing for both buyers and renters. But he said the estimates come as no surprise.

“This is not unanticipated growth,” Carnathan said. “We’re not reacting to the growth we had last year; in fact, we predicted it 20 years ago.”

But the region will need to be able to accommodate this growth. That’s where long-term investments like the BeltLine, envisioned decades ago, come into play.

“You have to invest in communities and infrastructure, right?” Carnathan said. “If you don’t, you’re not going to be able to accommodate this population.”

Atlanta is also about average in employment, which has grown 6.4% since the pandemic began in 2020. With career opportunities and major infrastructure projects like the BeltLine continuing for decades, Carnathan said the population will tend to grow slowly and steadily, continuing toward a projected population of 7.9 million by 2050.

“People across the country choose metro Atlanta because of our excellent quality of life and our vibrant, diverse economy,” said Atlanta Mayor and ARC Board Chairman Andre Dickens. “Of course, our continued growth is not guaranteed. We must continue to invest in our region’s infrastructure to ensure a prosperous future.”

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