The Atlanta Regional Commission has done population estimates, for its (varying) member counties and the City of Atlanta, for very nearly seven decades now–since 1955. The estimates are done primarily as a base to assess member government dues for the next calendar year, but they also serve as a key benchmark indicator as to whether regional growth momentum is building or slowing. The headline this year is that the 11-county region added population of 62,700 persons 2023-2024– that’s down from the 66,730 increase of last year (2022-2023). For permits, the “post- pandemic” recovery ticked up this past year for the single-family segment, but multifamily development slowed greatly (for most areas). The region’s population growth, steady as it is, continues to lag the increases of the “heydays” of the early 2000s, late 2010s, and certainly, the 1990s.

Behind that headline are these highlights below. For much more detail than the highlights, access this slide deck directly or scroll down (below the ‘bullet points’ that follow) to access that same slide deck via slideshare.

  • The 11-county Atlanta region is now home to 5,221,074 residents as of April 1, 2024, up 62,700 new residents since April 1, 2023. This represents a moderate slowing of regional population growth compared to the 66,730 increase in 2022-23, but still trails the average annual increase of 68,245 in the 2010s.

  • From 2023 to 2024, Fulton added 17,400 new residents, the largest single-year numeric increase in the region. Next were Gwinnett with 14,900 new residents, Cobb with 6,700 new residents, and Cherokee with 5,400 new residents.
  • The City of Atlanta continued to set the pace in the leading county of Fulton with a net increase of 10,800. Growth did ease somewhat from the record-high levels (14,300) of 2022-23.
  • Cherokee County led the region in percentage increase 2023-24, at 1.9 percent (though down from 2.5 percent the prior year). Henry follows at 1.8, with Forsyth, Fulton, and Douglas following at 1.6. The 2023-24 growth rate in Douglas is notable, compared to 2022-23’s 0.9% increase.
  • In 2023, there were 28,595 new residential building permits in the 11-county region, which was a decrease of nearly 7,500 permits from 2022 calendar year totals of 36,074. Current building permit activity for the 11-county region remains lower than pre-Great Recession permit levels and fell back below the 1980-2023 average annual level of 33,430.
  • The slight downtick of growth 2023-24 reflects a combined slowdown in permit activity and moderating yet solid growth in our job base. Housing demand remains very high with supply low and prices high, acting as a brake on population growth. Single-family permits remain constrained compared to the historical averages, and multifamily permit levels dropped off 2023-2024, compared to strong increase in the prior year.