Fulton Leads Population Growth In Atlanta Region

FULTON COUNTY, GA — Fulton County gained the most residents of any county in the metro Atlanta region in the past year, and remains the only county in the Peach State with a population exceeding 1 million people.

This is according to the Atlanta Regional Commission, which released the latest figures of its Regional Snapshot last week. Fulton County added 17,570 new residents from 2017 to 2017, bringing the county population to 1.02 million.

“Fulton County is a leader for our region in many ways, including population growth,” said County Commission Chairman Robb Pitts. “With more than a million residents, Fulton County has a greater population than six U.S. states and represents 10 population of the population of our state.”

The largest county in metro Atlanta, Fulton is the only Georgia county where the population is more than 1 million residents. Fulton’s growth has gathered strength in recent years, as it 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, the county said.

The ARC notes the region's overall population grew by 1.7 percent, and is now 4.55 million, making it larger than 25 states across the country. 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.

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Jobs growth fueled the region’s population boom. The 29-county metropolitan statistical area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, added more than 41,000 jobs between April 2017 and April 2018, ranking ninth in the nation, according to ARC figures.

“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.”

The 10-county region's fastest growth rate occurred in Cherokee and Henry counties. The city of Atlanta gained 10,100 new residents from April 2017 to April 2018, compared to 9,900 the previous year and 7,900 from 2015 to 2016.

“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 latest Regional Snapshot.

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