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%
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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.