City profile · Georgia · Census ACS 2023

Atlanta, GA

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Atlanta — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

499,287
Residents
$81,938
Median income
$420,600
Median home
$1,203
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Atlanta, GA

Atlanta is a city in Georgia with a population of 499,287 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $81,938 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 12.9%. Typical homes in Atlanta are valued around $420,600, and the median resident age is 34.0 years. About 58.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 63.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 8,109 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 147% from five years earlier. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 63.2°F with 49.3 inches of precipitation per year.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Georgia registers 96.3 (Near Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $1,203 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $225 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Atlanta report an average commute of 19.6 minutes, with 55.2% driving alone and 26.6% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 39.5 out of 100 (Very Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

499,287 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Georgia

Median Household Income

$81,938 /yr

Poverty 12.9%

Cost of Living Index

96.3 (US=100)

Near Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Atlanta compare to other US cities?

Where Atlanta sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 63% higher than other cities
Home value 79% pricier than other cities
Median rent 51% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Atlanta against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Atlanta, GA Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Atlanta, GA. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Atlanta, GA — median $81,938/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Atlanta, GA — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 58.4%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 12.9%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 63.7%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
499,287
Median Income
$81,938
Median Home Value
$420,600
Median Age
34.0
Poverty Rate
12.9%
Labor force participation
63.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
58.4%

Climate

Avg Temperature
63.2°F
Annual Precipitation
49.3"
Annual Snowfall
N/A

Schools

Total Schools
137
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
8,109
housing units authorized
Single-Family
791
detached homes
Multifamily
7,318
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
16.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 3,283
2020 1,674
2021 2,413
2022 11,853
2023 7,621
2024 8,109

Permit volume increased 147% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
19.6 minutes
Drive Alone
55.2%
Carpool
4.6%
Public Transit
6.4%
Walk
4.2%
Work from Home
26.6%
Other
3.0%

Based on 263,997 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Georgia — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$125
avg/month
Natural Gas
$55
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$45
avg/month
Total Utilities
$225
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Georgia state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Georgia state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
96.3
Near Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,203/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
39.5 / 100
Very Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Atlanta, GA Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Atlanta, GA — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Atlanta compares to nearby Georgia cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Atlanta) plus the nearest peer cities in Georgia, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

GA

Atlanta

81.94% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$81,938
Brackets
499
Selected

GA

Columbus

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,440
Brackets
204
Selected

GA

Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government (balance)

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$20,150
Brackets
202
Selected

GA

Macon-Bibb County

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$15,650
Brackets
157
Census ACS 5-year FIPS GA NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Atlanta, GA?

What is the population of Atlanta, GA? +

Atlanta, GA has a population of 499,287 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Atlanta, GA? +

The median household income in Atlanta is $81,938 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Atlanta? +

Atlanta has a cost of living index of 96.3 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Near Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Atlanta, GA? +

The median home value in Atlanta is $420,600, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Atlanta? +

Atlanta has an average annual temperature of 63.2°F, 49.3 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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