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 a report released today by the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).

The 11-county region’s growth represents a slight uptick compared to 2023-34, when the region added 62,700 people.

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% clip, followed by the City of Atlanta (2%), and Henry County (1.75%).

“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.”

The region’s growth is being driven by the economy. Metro Atlanta’s job employment base has increased 8% 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.

“The Atlanta region remains one of the nation’s most vibrant and dynamic regions,” said Anna Roach, ARC Executive Director & CEO. “Businesses continue to choose metro Atlanta as a place to grow and thrive, from global corporations to nimble start-ups. This keeps our economy moving and our population growing.”

Metro Atlanta’s average annual population growth rate has been slowing. Between 2020 and 2025, the 11-county region grew at a rate of 1.2%, compared to 1.5% in the 2010s, 2% between 2000 to 2010, and 3.1% in the 1980s and 1990s.

The City of Atlanta has bucked that trend, 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% between 2020 and 2025 and in the 2010s, compared to essentially flat growth in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.

“ARC’s population estimates are a critically important planning tool, offering insights into where our region is today, and where we are headed,” said Ann Carpenter, ARC’s Chief Research & Information Officer. “Local leaders need trusted, relevant data to make better informed decisions that will move their communities forward.”

Each of metro Atlanta’s 11 counties saw population increases in the past year. Fulton County (including the City of Atlanta) added 18,800 residents, the largest numeric increase in the region, followed by Gwinnett (15,200), Cherokee (7,100), Forsyth (6,700), and Henry (4,600). The City of Atlanta added an estimated 10,600 from April 2024 to April 2025.

The ARC report noted that elevated housing costs, driven by low supplies, have acted as a brake on the region’s population growth.

ARC relies on a range of data points to develop the population estimates, with an emphasis on the number of housing permits issued.

In 2024, 29,482 residential building permits were issued in the 11-county region, a 3% increase from a year earlier. Current building permit activity remains lower than pre-Great Recession permit levels and is below the 1980-2024 average annual level of 33,430.

The City of Atlanta once again led the region in number of building permits issued, with 8,109. Gwinnett had the second-most permits issued at 5,607.