Atlanta, United States Population

Population in Urban Area, now

6,048,875
  • World: 68th
  • North America: 9th
  • United States: 7th

Atlanta Urban Area Population Graph

Atlanta Population Review

Welcome to the bright and bustling city of Atlanta, the capital of the state of Georgia, one of the biggest cities in the Southern United States, and a culturally significant location for the Civil War. Atlanta is home to 500,000 people who live in just over 500 square-kilometres. However, the Atlanta Metropolitan Area has over 5.8 million residents and projections show the population almost 7 million in just 15 short years. The city’s population density is still quite approachable though, with only 234 people per square kilometre.

With the 10th largest economy in the nation that brings in $276 billion per year, Atlanta’s growth is no fluke. The highly multi-cultural and welcoming city has a hugely successful entertainment and hospitality sector that continues to grow to welcome all of Atlanta’s new residents and its yearly 50 million visitors. One fun fact about Atlanta you may not know? The city has 55 streets and roads called Peachtree!

One of the highest LGBT populations per capita

When people think of a safe and welcoming city for members of the LGBT community, it’s not often their minds go to the southern United States. However, Atlanta has long been a city with a bustling LGBT community and a very progressive view. Atlanta has a perfect score of 100 on HRC’s 2018 Municipal Equality Index, which rates towns and cities on how LGBT-inclusive their laws, policies and services are. In fact, 4.2% of Atlanta’s population identify as LGBT. Atlanta is home to the national headquarters of the LGBT South and the city has one of the most renowned gay neighborhoods in the American South—Midtown. This area boasts LGBT stores, clubs, and restaurants.

A “black mecca”

In Atlanta, Black Americans make up of the population 61% of the population. This makes it second largest black-majority metro area in the United States. The city has long been regarded as a “black mecca” in the United States for its position as a hub of black education, culture, political power, and wealth. While the city is still a stronghold for the black community, the disbursement of the city’s black population shifted dramatically between 2000 and 2010 when many black families moved to the suburban areas outside the city. Over half a million African Americans moved outside the metro area to settle in areas like Gwinnett County, Fulton, and Cobb. The rest of Atlanta’s ethnicity is composed of about 37% white, 4% Asian, 4% Hispanic, and a mixture of other or mixed races.

The “Hollywood of the South”

Much of Georgia’s booming economy and bustling tourism scene owes its success to the city’s status of the Hollywood of the South. More than 100,000 people in Georgia are employed in Georgia’s movie industry. Hugely popular TV shows and movies such as The Walking Dead, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Ant-Man and the Wasp were all filmed in and around Georgia.

Atlanta’s film production sector has become so big that the city now has the largest purpose-built location studio outside of Hollywood. There are thousands of people who live and work in the “company town” built by the studio to help facilitate the production of multi-million dollar movies and television shows. The finished plan is for Pinewood Atlanta Studios to have 1,300 residences in total. By the end of June 2018, there were 455 films and television productions that wrapped in Georgia. These represent an estimated $9.5 billion in economic impact for the state, much of which is centered around Atlanta.

Review Updated: July 9, 2020
Atlanta SkylineAtlanta Skyline

Atlanta Urban Area Population History

1950 513,000
1951 535,000
1952 557,000
1953 581,000
1954 605,000
1955 631,000
1956 658,000
1957 685,000
1958 714,000
1959 745,000
1960 776,000
1961 810,000
1962 845,000
1963 881,000
1964 919,000
1965 959,000
1966 1,001,000
1967 1,044,000
1968 1,089,000
1969 1,136,000
1970 1,182,000
1971 1,220,000
1972 1,260,000
1973 1,301,000
1974 1,343,000
1975 1,386,000
1976 1,431,000
1977 1,478,000
1978 1,526,000
1979 1,575,000
1980 1,625,000
1981 1,673,000
1982 1,722,000
1983 1,773,000
1984 1,826,000
1985 1,879,000
1986 1,935,000
1987 1,992,000
1988 2,051,000
1989 2,111,000
1990 2,184,000
1991 2,292,000
1992 2,406,000
1993 2,525,000
1994 2,650,000
1995 2,781,000
1996 2,919,000
1997 3,064,000
1998 3,215,000
1999 3,375,000
2000 3,522,000
2001 3,613,000
2002 3,706,000
2003 3,802,000
2004 3,900,000
2005 4,001,000
2006 4,104,000
2007 4,210,000
2008 4,319,000
2009 4,430,000
2010 4,544,000
2011 4,661,000
2012 4,782,000
2013 4,905,000
2014 5,032,000
2015 5,162,000
2016 5,295,000
2017 5,432,000
2018 5,572,000
2019 5,689,000
2020 5,803,000
2021 5,911,000
2022 6,013,000
2023 6,106,000
2024 6,193,000

Atlanta Urban Area Population Projections

2025 6,272,000
2026 6,345,000
2027 6,414,000
2028 6,479,000
2029 6,541,000
2030 6,602,000
2031 6,662,000
2032 6,720,000
2033 6,777,000
2034 6,834,000
2035 6,889,000

Map of Atlanta, United States

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