The 10-county Atlanta region added 60,300 new residents between April 2014 and April 2015, according to the latest population estimates from the Atlanta Regional Commission.
Metro Atlanta’s growth rate has picked up steam as the economic recovery gains traction. Metro Atlanta’s population grew by 1.4 percent in the past year, compared to 1.2 percent a year earlier. The Atlanta region’s population is now 4,332,600 million, larger than 24 states.
“The Atlanta region has experienced strong employment growth in the past year, helping fuel our population growth,” said Mike Alexander, manager of ARC’s Research & Analytics Division. “It’s not the explosive growth we were seeing 10 and 20 years ago, but the trend for the last couple of years is that population growth, like employment growth, is accelerating.”
The Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) region added nearly 80,000 jobs between May 2014 and May 2015, the fourth-highest total in the nation.
Each of the region’s 10 counties experienced population growth during the year. Gwinnett County led the way, adding 15,700 residents. Fulton County added 12,300 residents, while Cobb County grew by 10,500. The City of Atlanta continued its strong growth, adding 4,800 people.
Cherokee County added 5,800 people, DeKalb 5,500, Henry County 4,200, Clayton County 2,200, Rockdale County 1,500, Douglas County 1,400 and Fayette County 1,200.
