Coweta is on path for population of 250,000

Mid-decade population numbers for Fayette and Coweta counties show that these two southwest metro Atlanta counties continue to grow, with Coweta now growing at a faster rate and projected to greatly outpace Fayette in the next few decades.

According to www.census.gov, Coweta had a July 2015 estimated population of 138,427. That compares to a population of 127,317 in the 2010 census.

Fayette in July 2015 had an estimated population totaling 110,714 residents, compared to the 2010 census of 106,567.

Both counties have experienced an uptick in population growth as the effects of the Great Recession continue to fade, with Coweta seeing more than double the percentage of growth in the half-decade since the census.

Whether in 2010 or today, most residents of either county were not born here. Most are transplants from other areas. And most people are likely not aware of how both counties have grown so rapidly over the past few decades.

In terms of population growth over past years and the percentage of increase, the following is a snapshot of what that growth looked like during the past six decades:

– Coweta –

• 1960 – 28,893

• 1970 – 32,310 or 11.8 percent

• 1980 – 39,268 or 21.5 percent

• 1990 – 53,853 or 37.1 percent

• 2000 – 89,215 or 65.7 percent

• 2010 – 127,317 or 42.7 percent

– Fayette –

• 1960 – 8,199

• 1970 – 11,364 or 38.6 percent

• 1980 – 29,043 or 155.6 percent

• 1990 – 62,415 or 114.9 percent

• 2000 – 91,263 or 46.2 percent

• 2010 – 106,657 or 16.8 percent

As for what the future could hold, the Atlanta Regional Commission Projection 2040 shows Coweta with a 2021 population of nearly 168,000. That number increases to nearly 189,000 by 2026 and to more than 226,000 by 2036.

For Fayette, the projection shows a 2040 population of more than 143,000 residents over the 110,714 who called Fayette home in 2015.