ARC has developed a new series of population and employment forecasts for the 21-county region through the year 2050. The forecasts help inform the development of the Atlanta Region’s Plan, a long-range blueprint that details the investments that will be made in the next 30 years to improve the Atlanta region’s quality of life.
Take a deep dive into these forecasts using ARC's Series 16 Forecast Dashboard. Gain additional regional insights at Neighborhood Nexus by exploring housing, education, health and other community indicators.
Below are some highlights from the recently released forecast.
ARC forecasts the 21-county Atlanta region will potentially add 2.9 million people by 2050, bringing the region’s total population to 8.6 million. To put that growth in perspective, it's as if all of metropolitan Denver will move to the Atlanta region over the next 30 years.
Between 2015 and 2050, the metro Atlanta region's total population and employment is forecast to increase by 51% and 34% respectively, within the same 30-year period.
Every county will experience growth in total population by 2050, with Gwinnett expected to overtake Fulton by 11,000 residents and become the most populous county in metro Atlanta.
ARC's forecasts also show that 1.2 million jobs will be added by 2050, bringing the region's total employment to 4.7 million jobs, including the self-employed. As employment grows, job growth is forecast to be concentrated in the region's core. Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties will experience much of this job growth.
The region's older adult population is also growing rapidly as people live longer and the Baby Boom generation ages. In 2015, 4% of our region was age 75 and over. By 2050, ARC forecasts the number of residents age 75 and over will grow to 12% of our region, totaling just over 1 million people.
At the same time, the Atlanta region is becoming increasingly racially diverse. ARC forecasts that by 2050, a majority of the population - nearly 70 percent - will be made up of racial and ethnic minority groups.
Excel spreadsheets and maps detailing the metro Atlanta region
Additional resources and documents showing ARC's forecasting methodology
For more information on the Series 16 Forecast, please contact the Research & Analytics Department.
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