Demographics of Atlanta
 | This article needs to be updated. (January 2021) |
| Demographics of Atlanta | |
|---|---|
 Population pyramid of Atlanta in 2021 | |
| Population | 498,715 (2020) |
Atlanta is the capital and largest city in the state of Georgia. It ranks as the 36th-most populous city in the United States, and the eighth-most populous in the southeastern region. 2020 census results varied dramatically with previous Census Bureau estimates, counting a record 498,715 residents. Atlanta is the core city of the eighth most populous United States metropolitan area at 6,104,803 (est. 2020), with a combined statistical area of 6,930,423.[1][2] For the first time since the 1960 Census, the 2020 Census revealed Atlanta is no longer majority African American. Atlanta has strongly increased in diversity in recent decades and is projected to continue.[3][4]
City of Atlanta
[edit]History
[edit]Atlanta's population grew steadily during the first 100 years of the city's existence, and peaked in 1970 at around 496,000. However, from 1970 to 2000, the city lost over 100,000 residents, a decrease of around 16 percent. During the same time, the metro area gained over three million people, cutting the city's share of the metro population in half, from over 25 percent in 1970 to around 12 percent in 2000.[5] However, the city's population bottomed out in 1990 at around 394,000, and it has been increasing every year since then, reaching 420,003 residents in 2010. The population count increased more in the 2020 census to 498,715, surpassing the 1970 population.[6]
| Historical populations | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Census | City[7] | Region[8] | ||
| 1850 | 2,572 | N/A | ||
| 1860 | 9,554 | N/A | ||
| 1870 | 21,789 | N/A | ||
| 1880 | 37,409 | N/A | ||
| 1890 | 65,533 | N/A | ||
| 1900 | 89,872 | 419,375 | ||
| 1910 | 154,839 | 522,442 | ||
| 1920 | 200,616 | 622,283 | ||
| 1930 | 270,366 | 715,391 | ||
| 1940 | 302,288 | 820,579 | ||
| 1950 | 331,314 | 997,666 | ||
| 1960 | 487,455 | 1,312,474 | ||
| 1970 | 496,973 | 1,763,626 | ||
| 1980 | 425,022 | 2,233,324 | ||
| 1990 | 394,017 | 2,959,950 | ||
| 2000 | 416,474 | 4,112,198 | ||
| 2010 | 420,003 | 5,268,860 | ||
| 2020 | 498,715 | 6,089,815 | ||
| *Estimates[9][10] Region: Combined Statistical Area (CSA) | ||||
Racial and ethnic composition
[edit]| Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[11] | Pop 1990[12] | Pop 2000[13] | Pop 2010[14] | Pop 2020[15] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 135,735 | 119,266 | 130,222 | 152,377 | 192,148 | 31.94% | 30.27% | 31.27% | 36.28% | 38.53% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 280,608 | 263,107 | 254,062 | 224,316 | 233,018 | 66.02% | 66.78% | 61.00% | 53.41% | 46.72% |
| Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) | 600 | 511 | 594 | 754 | 767 | 0.14% | 0.13% | 0.14% | 0.18% | 0.15% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 1,932 | 3,425 | 7,949 | 13,098 | 22,208 | 0.45% | 0.87% | 1.91% | 3.12% | 4.45% |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) | x [16] | x [17] | 131 | 115 | 171 | x | x | 0.03% | 0.03% | 0.03% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 397 | 183 | 630 | 739 | 2,493 | 0.09% | 0.05% | 0.15% | 0.18% | 0.50% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x [18] | x [19] | 4,166 | 6,789 | 17,922 | x | x | 1.00% | 1.62% | 3.59% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 5,750 | 7,525 | 18,720 | 21,815 | 29,988 | 1.35% | 1.91% | 4.49% | 5.19% | 6.01% |
| Total | 425,022 | 394,017 | 416,474 | 420,003 | 498,715 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
Once the nation's fourth largest black-majority city, Atlanta fell below 50% non-Hispanic African American in the 2020 census. The non-Hispanic African-American population has the largest percentage decline in the city since the 2000 census.[20] The strongest growth of African Americans in the Atlanta area is in the surrounding suburbs.[21] In 2020, at least 87% of the African American population in the Atlanta area lived outside the city.[22]
The non-Hispanic White alone population of the city of Atlanta has grown significantly since 2000. Between 2000 and 2020, Atlanta's non-Hispanic White population had increased by 61,296 people while the black population declined by 21,044. The non-Hispanic White percentage increased from 31.3% in 2000, to 36.3% in 2010, to 38.5% in 2020. Since 2000, Atlanta demographics have drastically changed due to an influx of Whites into gentrifying intown neighborhoods, such as East Atlanta and the Old Fourth Ward, coupled with a stronger movement of blacks into surrounding suburbs, especially in Clayton County and DeKalb County,[23][24][25] an influx of Asians and Hispanics moving into the city, combined with increased identification as mixed race and more children born in interracial marriages.
The city of Atlanta is becoming more diverse in the 21st century. The city long consisted overwhelmingly of non-Hispanic blacks and non-Hispanic Whites; those groups made up 92.1% of the city in 1990, but by 2020 their proportion had shrunk to 85.3%. Atlanta's Hispanic population increased 11,268 from 2000 to 2020, and in 2020 the city was 6.0% Hispanic. The Asian American population increased by 14,259 and in 2020 Asian Americans made up 4.5% of the city.
Income
[edit]In 2022, the median income for a household in Atlanta was $77,655. Also in 2022, 17.7% of the population lived below the poverty line which is down from 21.8% in 2010.[26] Since 2000, poverty in most of Atlanta's suburbs is growing faster than in the city.[27]
Sexual orientation and marital status
[edit]The city of Atlanta has one of the highest LGBT populations per capita in the nation. It ranked third of all major cities, behind San Francisco and slightly behind Seattle, with 12.8% of the city's total population recognizing themselves as gay, lesbian, or bisexual.[28][29]
According to a 2024 Chamber of Commerce report, Atlanta is fourth in the nation for single-person households (44.5%). Within the past 10 years, the number of people living alone has increased by almost 5 million. Nearly half of those single-person households manifested during the pandemic. Compared to pre-pandemic (2019) rates, 2.4 million more people are living alone in 2024. Atlanta ranked 3rd in the nation for the most women living alone (29%) and 10th for men (24%).[30]
Born out-of-state and foreign-born
[edit]In the city of Atlanta, Ga. 53% of residents were born in Georgia, 19.1% elsewhere in the South, 18.6% outside the South and 8.0% in a foreign country. Although the foreign-born population in the city itself is low among large US cities and even compared to Atlanta's own metro area, it is high compared to other nearby Southern cities. For example, in Macon, Georgia, 7.1% were US-born outside the South and 3.0% foreign-born, and in Birmingham, Alabama only 7.7% were US-born outside the South and 3.2% foreign-born.[31]
Homelessness
[edit]According to a 2024 report, an estimated 3,000 people are dealing with chronic homelessness in Atlanta. Of that 3,000, about 1,000 do not stay in homeless shelters. Around 75% of the homeless population in the city are men and 86% self-identify as African American.[32][33]
By county
[edit]Circa 2024, of the Atlanta residents, 491,711 of them lived in Fulton County and 28,292 of them lived in DeKalb County.[34]
Race and ethnicity by neighborhood
[edit] | This article needs to be updated. (May 2024) |
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2010 census figures for Atlanta's 25 neighborhood planning units reveal several key facts about Atlanta's neighborhoods:
- 60% of the city's area consists of predominantly black neighborhoods: together, Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast Atlanta are 92% black
- there are some areas that are predominantly white, notably Buckhead and Northeast Atlanta (NPUs F and N) which are on average 80% white
- most of the fastest growing areas are central: Downtown (25.9%), Midtown, West Midtown, close-in east side neighborhoods (NPU N) (18.4%)
- the Ben Hill area at the southwest Perimeter is also growing quickly (up 5,452 people, 45.8%)
- population loss in areas of Northwest Atlanta (avg. -24.1%) and Southeast Atlanta (-20.5%), as well as some parts of Southwest Atlanta
Source:[35]
| Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) | Major neighborhoods | 2010 pop. | 2000 pop. | Growth % | White | Black | Asian | All other | Hispanic | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Downtown/Midtown | ||||||||||
| M | Downtown, Old Fourth Ward, Sweet Auburn, Castleberry Hill | 26,886 | 21,359 | 25.9% | 34.1% | 56.1% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.8% | [36] |
| E | Midtown, Georgia Tech, Atlantic Station, Loring Heights, Brookwood Hills | 42,121 | 34,461 | 22.2% | 65.4% | 17.4% | 12.6% | 4.6% | 4.9% | [37] |
| Buckhead | ||||||||||
| A | Paces, Margaret Mitchell, Mt. Paran/Northside, Chastain Park | 11,687 | 11,300 | 3.4% | 91.7% | 3.2% | 3.5% | 1.7% | 2.3% | [38] |
| B | Buckhead Village, North Buckhead, Lindbergh, Pine Hills, Peachtree Heights, Garden Hills | 47,292 | 38,645 | 22.4% | 75.5% | 12.3% | 5.3% | 6.8% | 9.5% | [39] |
| C | Collier Hills, Peachtree Battle, Arden/Habersham, SW Buckhead (W of Northside, S of Wesley) | 18,122 | 16,199 | 11.9% | 83.5% | 8.4% | 3.2% | 4.9% | 6.0% | [40] |
| Northwest | ||||||||||
| G | West Highlands, Carey Park | 8,381 | 11,632 | -27.9% | 3.3% | 94.2% | 0.5% | 2.1% | 1.9% | [41] |
| J | Grove Park, Center Hill | 12,533 | 17,085 | -26.6% | 1.9% | 96.4% | 0.1% | 1.7% | 1.3% | [42] |
| K | Bankhead, Washington Park, Mozley Park, Hunter Hills | 9,399 | 11,997 | -21.7% | 9.1% | 88.5% | 0.4% | 2.0% | 1.9% | [43] |
| L | English Avenue, Vine City, (The Bluff) | 6,148 | 7,316 | -16.0% | 6.1% | 89.1% | 1.0% | 3.8% | 2.8% | [44] |
| Border Buckhead/West Midtown/Northwest | ||||||||||
| D | Whittier Mill Village, Riverside, Bolton, Underwood Hills, Huff Rd in W Midtown, Berkeley Park | 10,690 | 8,690 | 23.0% | 59.2% | 23.9% | 4.5% | 12.4% | 15.7% | [45] |
| Northeast / East | ||||||||||
| F | Virginia-Highland, Morningside/Lenox Park | 23,641 | 20,890 | 13.2% | 79.6% | 10.0% | 3.3% | 7.2% | 9.7% | [46] |
| N | Inman Park, Candler Park, Poncey-Highland, Reynoldstown, Cabbagetown, Lake Claire | 17,389 | 14,688 | 18.4% | 79.9% | 13.2% | 2.7% | 4.2% | 4.2% | [47] |
| O | Edgewood, Kirkwood, East Lake | 13,886 | 14,724 | -5.7% | 36.9% | 58.7% | 1.4% | 3.0% | 2.5% | [48] |
| W | Grant Park, East Atlanta, Ormewood Park, Benteen Park | 19,233 | 20,054 | -4.1% | 54.8% | 38.0% | 1.7% | 5.5% | 6.5% | [49] |
| Southwest | ||||||||||
| H | Adamsville, areas S of I-20, W of I-285, N of Cascade Rd | 14,049 | 17,274 | -18.7% | 2.1% | 92.3% | 0.2% | 5.4% | 6.2% | [50] |
| I | Collier Heights, Peyton Forest, Cascade Heights | 20,741 | 21,500 | -3.5% | 2.2% | 94.1% | 0.1% | 3.6% | 4.2% | [51] |
| P | Ben Hill, (SW Atlanta W of I-285) | 17,363 | 11,911 | 45.8% | 1.9% | 95.0% | 0.6% | 2.5% | 1.9% | [52] |
| Q | Midwest Cascade, Regency Trace | 1,770 | 1,024 | 72.9% | 1.5% | 96.5% | 1.0% | 1.0% | 0.6% | [53] |
| R | Adams Park, Campbellton Road, Greenbriar | 16,452 | 16,679 | -1.4% | 1.4% | 96.8% | 0.1% | 1.6% | 1.4% | [54] |
| S | Oakland City, Venetian Hills, Cascade Avenue/Road, Fort McPherson | 10,204 | 12,396 | -17.7% | 4.0% | 93.8% | 0.2% | 2.0% | 1.2% | |