ATLANTA — Georgia's surging population growth shows no signs of tapering off, according to new Census data published Thursday.
The U.S. Census Bureau issued a release detailing some of the growth trends as part of updated population estimates for July 1, 2022 to July 1, 2023.
In the release, the Census noted both that metro Atlanta saw the third-most overall population growth in that time period among U.S. metro areas and that two counties in north Georgia are among the five fastest-growing in the country.
Data released later in the morning also showed metro Atlanta inching ahead of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia as the sixth-largest in the country.
Another city in the region is also the fastest growing "micro area" in the country, according to the release.
Here's an overview:
New Census data on Atlanta, north Georgia population growth
Metro Atlanta:
- +68,585 people between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023
According to the release, this number puts the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metropolitan area at 6,307,261 people. The 68,585 new residents in the metro is the third-highest number in the country, behind only Dallas and Houston.
It ranks ahead of Orlando, Tampa, Charlotte, Austin, Phoenix, San Antonio and Miami.
The 6,307,261 figure put Atlanta ahead of D.C. (6,304,975) and Philadelphia (6,246,160) for No. 6 largest metro in the country.
Fastest growing counties
Two Georgia counties are in the top 5 fastest growing among counties with a population of 20,000 or more, according to the release. They are:
- No. 4: Jackson County | 5.5% growth for total population of 88,615
- No. 5: Dawson County | 5.1% growth for total population of 31,732
Most growth among micro areas
One Georgia city ranked first first among "micro areas" for percent growth:
- Jefferson, Ga. (Jackson County): 5.5% with +4,606 people between July 1,2022 and July 1, 2023
This ranked ahead of Clewiston, Florida (4.2%) and Lewisburg, Tennessee (3.1%).
Jefferson was also listed with the second-most total growth with the +4,606 figure. This ranked just behind Seaford, Delaware (+7,062) and ahead of Anderson Creek, North Carolina (2,999).
One other Georgia city was ranked ninth among fastest-growing "micro areas."
- Cornelia, Ga. (Habersham County): 2.7%, with +1,292 people between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023
Fastest growing metro areas
This list generally features smaller metro areas with higher ceilings for growth. No. 1 was Wildwood-The Villages, Florida (4.7%) and No. 2 was Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida (3.8%). One Georgia area ranked No. 6:
- Hinesville, Ga. (Liberty County): 2.9%, with +2,490 people between July 1, 2022 and July 1, 2023
This ranked behind Port St. Lucie, Florida (3.1%) and alongside of Midland, Texas (2.9%) and Spartanburg, South Carolina (2.9%).
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