From staff reports
ATLANTA, Ga. | The 11-county Atlanta region added 64,400 residents between April 2024 and April 2025, bringing the total population to 5,285,474, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).
Meanwhile, Gwinnett County continues to grow, adding 15,200 residents during the year, bringing its population now to 1,027,312.
The Atlanta region is growing at a faster rate in the outer suburbs and inner core. Leading the way are Forsyth and Cherokee counties, which each grew at a 2.4 percent clip, followed by the City of Atlanta (2 percent), and Henry County (1.75 percent).
ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens, who also serves as Mayor of the City of Atlanta says: “Metro Atlanta’s continued growth is a testament to our diverse and dynamic economy and great quality of life. But we can’t take our growth for granted. As a region, we must continue to address challenges like housing affordability and transportation and make the investments today needed to ensure a better tomorrow.”
The region’s growth is being driven by the economy. Metro Atlanta’s job employment base has increased 8 percent since the pandemic began in early 2020. That’s the seventh-highest rate in the nation among major metro areas, trailing only Austin, Orlando, Dallas, Las Vegas, Houston and Miami.
Ann Carpenter, ARC’s Chief Research and Information Officer, says: “ARC’s population estimates are a critically important planning tool, offering insights into where our region is today, and where we are headed. Local leaders need trusted, relevant data to make better informed decisions that will move their communities forward.”
The City of Atlanta has been growing much faster in recent years than in previous decades, driven in large part by multifamily housing developments in places like Midtown and along the Atlanta Beltline. The city’s average annual growth rate reached 1.7 percent between 2020 and 2025 and in the 2010s, compared to essentially flat growth in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. For more information, visit ARC 2025 Population Estimates Report.
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