Chart and table of population level and growth rate for the Atlanta metro area from 1950 to 2025.

This dataset is published by the Research & Analytics Group at the Atlanta Regional Commission to show population change by utilizing the 2020 redistricting data and comparable data for 2010, 2000, and 1990 across multiple geographies for the State of Georgia. For a deep dive into the data model including every specific metric, see the Data Manifest. The manifest details ARC-defined naming conventions, names/descriptions and topics where applicable, summary levels; source tables; notes and so forth for all metrics.

It should be noted:The 2020 redistricting release is not as detailed in terms of data compared to ACS estimates; data include total population, population by race and ethnicity, and "voting age" population (i.e., adults) by race and ethnicity, adults are subtracted from the total population to show children (ages 0-17); total number of housing units, occupied housing units, and vacant housing units. Percent and change measures are calculated over four different Censuses.These data are expressed in terms of 2020 geographies such as the new 2020 Census tracts. This means that that historical data for geographies like cities have been estimated to the 2020 boundaries. For example, the city of Atlanta, which has made multiple annexations since 1990, has a higher estimated 1990 population of 400,452 (2020 boundaries) than the 394,017 reported in the 1990 Census (1990 boundaries).Due to changes in block geographies and annexations, 2010 population totals for custom geographies such as City of Atlanta NSAs may differ slightly from the numbers we have published in the past.The procedure to re-estimate historical data to 2020 blocks often results in fractional population (e.g., 1.25 instead of 1 or 2). Counts have been rounded to the nearest whole, but to be more precise, all aggregation, percent, and change measures were performed pre-rounding. Some change measures may appear curious as a result. For example, 100.4 - 20.8 = 79.6 which rounds to 80. But if rounded first, 100.4 rounds down to 100, 20.8 rounds up to 21; 100 - 21 = 79.Asian and Pacific Islander categories are combined to maximize compatibility with the 1990 release, which reported the two groups as a single category. Caution should be exercised with 1990 race data because the Census Bureau changed to the current system (which allows people to identify as biracial or multiracial) starting only in 2000.The "other" race category includes American Indian and Alaska Natives, people identifying with "some other race" and (for 2000 forward), people who identify as biracial or multiracial.For more information regarding Decennial Census source data, visit 2020 Census website

In 2023, the real gross domestic product (GDP) of the Atlanta metropolitan area amounted to 471.66 billion U.S. dollars. The Atlanta metropolitan area, or metro Atlanta, officially designated by as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area (MSA) in the United States. In addition to Atlanta, Georgia's capital and largest city, the Atlanta metropolitan area spans up to 28 counties in north Georgia and had a total estimated population in 2021 of 6.1 million.