7.12 Blog ImageIt’s time to check in on metro Atlanta’s economic health! Check out our dashboard to see how our economy is doing, but here are the highlights in case you’re in a hurry:

All Sectors Employment Year-Over-Year % Change

  • Construction increased in year-over-year change between January and May, and ended on top AGAIN with a 7.2% year-over-year change by May 2016. At 5.1%, Leisure had the 2nd highest year-over-year change, just behind Construction. Information was the only sector to have a negative year-over-year change at -3.8% as of May 2016.
  • Metro Atlanta continues to outrank the U.S. in total employment year-over-year change. Although recently ticking downward, metro Atlanta’s economy is showing resiliency. Its year-over-year total employment has decreased slightly from 3.2% in January to 3% in May. The U.S. as a whole has decreased from 1.9% in January to 1.7% in May.

Employment- Percent Change from Pre-Recession Peak

  • In October, Metro Atlanta had a 7.1% change from the pre-recession peak which is a slight decrease from the highest pre-recession change from the pre-recession peak, at 8.5% in December 2015.

Monthly Building Permits

  • Monthly building permits in Metro Atlanta have decreased from 3,767 permits in February to 2,777 permits in May.

County Building Permits

  • Barrow, Cherokee, Cobb, and Fulton (excluding City of Atlanta) had fewer building permits in 2015 than they did in 2014. The remaining counties (among the 20) had more permits in 2015. Gwinnett, Fulton (without Atlanta), Forsyth, and the City of Atlanta have seen the most building permits through May of 2016.

ATL Case-Shiller

  • Atlanta’s most recent Case-Shiller Index is 127.76- its highest index score since the recession. When compared to the 20-Metro Composite, metro Atlanta ranks 7th in Home Price percentage change since the pre-recession peak.

CoStar: Office and Retail

  • Office Net Absorption totals have decreased between 2015 Q4 and 2016 Q2 while Retail Buildings under Construction have increased during that period. The vacancy rates have also decreased between the quarters.  

 Special Topic!: Top Job Postings in metro Atlanta (Last 90 Days- April to June 2016)

  • In the past 90 days, there have been 6,490 job postings for registered nurses making it the most in- demand occupation over the last three months. Heavy Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers have had 5,776 postings, making it the 2nd most in- demand job. Software Developers and Retail Salesperson postings rank 3rd and 4th in the last 90 days.