Metro Atlanta adds over 60,000 residents in past year, totaling 5.3M, according to ARC

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August 14th, 2025

A report from the Atlanta Regional Commission released Wednesday charted the region’s population growth from April 2024 to April 2025, bringing the total number of residents to 5,285,474. (Mike Stewart/AP Photo)

Metro Atlanta has added approximately 64,440 residents to the 11-county region in one year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

The report charted the region’s population growth from April 2024 to April 2025, bringing the total number of residents to 5,285,474. The report shows a slight increase compared to last year’s data, which documented 62,700 new residents and a total of 5,221,074 people.

The counties examined — Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Forsyth, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry, and Rockdale — all saw population increases, with Fulton and Gwinnett seeing the highest growth at 18,800 and 15,200, respectively.

“The Atlanta region remains one of the nation’s most vibrant and dynamic regions,” said Anna Roach, ARC executive director & CEO, in Wednesday’s release. “Businesses continue to choose metro Atlanta as a place to grow and thrive, from global corporations to nimble start-ups.”

The report said the region’s growth has been primarily driven by the economy. Metro Atlanta’s employment base has increased 8% since the pandemic began in early 2020, the seventh-highest rate in the nation among major metro areas.

However, while metro Atlanta is still seeing a large share of transplants, the ARC also noted that average annual population growth has decreased. From 2020-2025, the region experienced a 1.2% rate, compared to 1.5% in the 2010s and 2% in the 2000s. The commission cited elevated housing costs, driven by low supplies, causing the slowdown in population growth.

In terms of residential building permits, nearly 30,000 were issued in the 11-county region in 2024, a 3% increase from a year earlier. The City of Atlanta saw the most permits issued at around 8,100, with Gwinnett following at around 5,600.

“Metro Atlanta’s continued growth is a testament to our diverse and dynamic economy and great quality of life,” said ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens, who also serves as mayor of the City of Atlanta. “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.”

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