Friday Fact Day: Where Atlanta’s Black Residents Are Moving
February is African-American History Month, and Atlanta has been the site of a number of important events in that history. From the political and social legacy of the local civil rights movement, to the institutional history of the Atlanta’s historically black colleges and universities, to the innovations of the city’s music and art scenes, Atlanta has become known over the decades as an unofficial “capital of black America.”
The above African-American History Month graphic from the Atlanta Regional Commission shows that as Atlanta’s general population continues to swell, more black residents are flocking to the metropolitan area.
In the 29-county metro statistical area measured by the ARC’s data, Atlanta hosts nearly 2 million black residents – 35 percent of the population – and that number has been growing yearly. That’s compared to the city of Atlanta itself, in which 53 percent of the population is black, and Clayton County, which has the highest percentage of black residents at 67 percent.
However, the county with the fastest growing population of African-American residents is Gwinnett County. That is consistent with a long-term regional shift within metro Atlanta’s African-American population from the city to the suburbs.
In the graphic below, you can see how all of Atlanta’s demographics compare to those of the region, state and country.
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