DeKalb expands at slower rate than its neighbors
DeKalb County's population is growing, but at a slower pace than other core metro Atlanta counties.
Annual estimates from the U.S. Census released last month show that 734,871 people lived in DeKalb in 2015, a 4.4 increase from 2010.
Gwinnett was the area’s fastest-growing county, raising its population by 9 percent since 2010 to a total of 895,823 residents. Fulton remained Georgia’s largest county, with 1,010,562 people and 8.2 percent growth over the last five years. Cobb County had 741,334 residents, an increase of 6.2 percent over 2010.
Across the larger metro Atlanta region, population boomed to 5.7 million last year, an 8 percent increase from 2010.
Median household income in DeKalb also trailed the region, according to Census figures.
DeKalb’s household income was $50,799 from 2010 to 2014. By comparison, Cobb had the metro area’s highest median income level at $64,657, followed by Gwinnett at $60,329 and Fulton at $56,642.
About the Author
Mark Niesse is an enterprise reporter and covers elections and Georgia government for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and is considered an expert on elections and voting. Before joining the AJC, he worked for The Associated Press in Atlanta, Honolulu and Montgomery, Alabama. He also reported for The Daily Report and The Santiago Times in Chile.
