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Metro Atlanta Added 89,000 People Last Year, Third Most in U.S.

Posted on: Mar 29, 2018

Cherokee County grew at the fastest rate of any metro Atlanta county between 2016-2017. Pictured: Downtown Woodstock, located in Cherokee

The Atlanta region added more than 89,000 people in the year ending June 1, 2017, according to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census. Metro Atlanta ranked third in total population growth, behind only Dallas and Houston.

The population growth is driven by metro Atlanta’s strong economy. The region’s employment base grew by 2.5 percent between September 2016 and September 2017, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In metro Atlanta, Cherokee County grew at the fastest rate: +2.47%, followed by Henry and Clayton counties.

The Atlanta Regional Commission will issue its annual population estimates for the 10-county region in August.

Top Ten Largest-Gaining Metropolitan Areas: 2016-2017

Metro 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

 

10-County Metro Region: Population & Change Estimates, 2016-2017

(For an interactive version of this table, head over to ARC’s regional data blog, 33n.)

Total Population, 2016 Total Population, 2017 Percent Change, 2016-2017
Cherokee County 241,600 247,573 2.47%
Henry County 221,355 225,813 2.01%
Clayton County 280,006 285,153 1.84%
Fulton County 1,024,248 1,041,423 1.68%
Gwinnett County 907,101 920,260 1.45%
Douglas County 142,021 143,882 1.31%
Fayette County 111,248 112,549 1.17%
Rockdale County 89,375 90,312 1.05%
DeKalb County 746,690 753,253 0.88%
Cobb County 750,477 755,754 0.7%
10-County Metro Region 4,514,121 4,575,972 1.37%

 

For more details on population change in the Georgia counties for 2017, including interactive features highlighting growth in the ten-county region, across Georgia and more, please visit 33n.

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33°n
CDAP
Community Planning Academy
ConnectA
Empowerline
Georgia Commute Options
Green Communities
LCI
LINK
MARC
Metro Atlanta Speaks
MNG Water Planning District
RLI
State of the Region
UASI
WorkSource GA