The population of the 10-county Atlanta metro region grew by 69,200 from April 2015 to April 2016, the fastest rate of growth any time since the Great Recession, the Atlanta Regional Commission reported.
The growth rate over the past year was 1.6 percent, compared with 1.4 percent a year earlier and 1.2 percent from April 2013 to April 2014, ARC said. The region is home to 4.4 million people, “more than that of 24 states.”
ARC attributes the increase to strong jobs growth – nearly 77,000 added between May 2015 and May 2016 in the 29-county Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area, the third-highest figure among the nation’s largest metros. “As always, more jobs mean more people,” said Mike Carnathan, manager of ARC’s Research & Analytics Division.
The city of Atlanta gained 7,900 new residents in the April 2015-16 period, up from 4,800 the prior year as multi-family housing construction surged, ARC said.
Gwinnett led the counties in population growth, with a gain of 17,300, followed by Fulton, 15,300; Cobb, 9,900; Cherokee, 6,800; DeKalb, 6,600; Henry, 4,900; Clayton, 3,700; Rockdale, 1,500; and Douglas and Fayette, 1,600 each.
About the Author
