ATLANTA — The latest population estimates for the metro Atlanta area show that the region is still growing, but things are starting to slow down.
The data comes from the Atlanta Regional Commission, which puts together population estimates for the region each year.
For 2026, ARC says the data showed a 1% increase in population, slightly fewer new residents than the year before.
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“The 11-county region grew at a rate of 1.0%, a slight decrease from last year (1.2%), reflecting a nationwide trend of slowing population growth,” ARC said in a statement. “The Atlanta region added 64,400 residents between 2024 and 2025.”
But in 2026, ARC said there were only 53,690 new residents.
As in the past, population growth wasn’t restricted to just one or two counties, though the biggest increases remained in the core metro areas, such as Fulton County and the City of Atlanta.
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In just Atlanta, ARC said nearly 7,000 people moved to the area or were born here. The study did not differentiate between births and migration as far as how many people were added to the count.
While Atlanta and Fulton County led the way for growth rates, Forsyth county and Henry County also saw increases at 1.5% and 1.3%, respectively.
Among the research findings, ARC said the decrease in how fast the metro Atlanta area was growing was, at least in part, due to a decline in how many new homes are being built. Fewer permits are being requested to build homes, remaining below what ARC said were historical averages.
Compared to the year before, the region saw a big decrease in new building permits for homes, with only 24,015 issued in the 11 counties that make up the regional core. That’s an 18.5% decrease from the previous year.
ARC said the current building permit activity is still lower than pre-Great Recession levels and below the yearly average from 1980 to 2025.
Fewer new homes being built is also accompanied by low housing supply and higher prices in the metro Atlanta area, which “places a brake on population growth, especially domestic migration.”
Here’s how the 11-county area’s populations increased, according to ARC:
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | # change 2025-2026 | $% change 2025-2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Region | 5,091,644 | 5,158,374 | 5,221,074 | 5,285,474 | 5,339,164 | 53,690 | 1.00% |
| Cherokee | 279,840 | 286,960 | 292,360 | 299,460 | 302,830 | 3,370 | 1.10% |
| City of Atlanta | 507,015 | 521,315 | 532,115 | 542,715 | 549,615 | 6,900 | 1.30% |
| Clayton | 302,285 | 303,315 | 304,215 | 306,615 | 308,665 | 2,050 | 0.70% |
| Cobb | 779,249 | 785,349 | 792,049 | 795,749 | 799,349 | 3,600 | 0.50% |
| DeKalb* | 775,022 | 779,442 | 783,442 | 786,542 | 788,522 | 1,980 | 0.30% |
| Douglas | 149,297 | 150,697 | 153,097 | 154,197 | 155,477 | 1,280 | 0.80% |
| Fayette | 122,684 | 124,284 | 125,384 | 126,284 | 127,424 | 1,140 | 0.90% |
| Forsyth | 265,033 | 270,833 | 275,233 | 281,933 | 286,083 | 4,150 | 1.50% |
| Fulton* | 1,087,170 | 1,105,670 | 1,123,070 | 1,141,870 | 1,163,040 | 21,170 | 1.90% |
| Gwinnett | 983,702 | 997,212 | 1,012,112 | 1,027,312 | 1,038,112 | 10,800 | 1.10% |
| Henry | 252,502 | 257,802 | 262,552 | 267,152 | 270,652 | 3,500 | 1.30% |
| Rockdale | 94,860 | 96,810 | 97,560 | 98,360 | 99,010 | 650 | 0.70% |
Note: Fulton County numbers include the City of Atlanta
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