City · Fulton County, Georgia

Atlanta, Georgia

Atlanta is a city in Fulton County, Georgia, part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area. It has 505,268 residents. Atlanta, Georgia has a quality-of-life score of 49 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #7,940 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Georgia it ranks #70 of 386 cities and towns. It ranks best on gyms and fitness centers (high), new business applications (high) and average weekly wage (high). It ranks worst on income inequality (Gini index) (high), time spent in the emergency room (high) and homicide rate (high).

49Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #7,940 of 15,651 cities and towns
Georgia: #70 of 386 in GA
Population: 505,268 (2020-2024)
Land area: 135 mi²
Density: 3,735.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 1304000

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety6#14,672/15,637
Economy45#8,629/15,631
Housing36#9,620/14,977
Health69#4,813/15,609
Healthcare63#5,781/15,650
Environment17#12,862/15,453
Education77#3,555/15,649
Infrastructure61#6,081/15,650
Community38#9,665/15,651
Leisure & amenities97#398/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Atlanta, Georgia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Fulton County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Gyms and fitness centers · high3.3 /10k
99/100Georgia 1.5 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
New business applications · high45.4 /1k
99/100Georgia 22.5 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauFulton County value
Average weekly wage · high$1,999
98/100Georgia $1,404United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high13.4 /10k
97/100Georgia 4.9 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
Restaurants and bars · high15.9 /10k
96/100Georgia 8.5 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFulton County value
Public EV charging ports · high19.4 /10k
96/100Georgia 6.7 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyFulton County value

Weaknesses

Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.557
0/100Georgia 0.477United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Time spent in the emergency room · high253 min
2/100Georgia 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFulton County value
Homicide rate · high13.7 /100k
3/100Georgia 7.4 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataFulton County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.6 µg/m³
4/100Georgia 9.1 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFulton County value
Property crime rate · high2,345 /100k
7/100Georgia 1,409 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationFulton County value
Violent crime rate · high497 /100k
11/100Georgia 297 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationFulton County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

New homes permittedImproving
4.9 /1k (2021) → 12.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+163%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
81.1% (2015-2019) → 91.7% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Child poverty rateImproving
33.5% (2015-2019) → 23.3% (2020-2024)
−10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$59,948 (2015-2019) → $85,652 (2020-2024)
+43%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
51.8% (2015-2019) → 59.2% (2020-2024)
+7.4 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Public transit commutersWorsening
10.4% (2015-2019) → 5.7% (2020-2024)
−4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Atlanta, Georgia improved on 7 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 5 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved7

Child poverty−10 points33.5% → 23.3%
Bachelor's++7.4 points51.8% → 59.2%
Household income+43%$59,948 → $85,652
Poverty−3.9 points20.8% → 16.9%
Inequality−0.0240.582 → 0.557

Declined3

Transit use−4.7 points10.4% → 5.7%
Rent / income+1.2 points29.7% → 30.9%
Price / income+0.3×4.8× → 5.1×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of Atlanta, Georgia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.2 min2015-2019	26.5 min2020-2024	−0.7 min	Within the margin of error	56%
Bachelor's degree or higher	51.8%2015-2019	59.2%2020-2024	+7.4 points	Improved	81%
Broadband subscriptions	81.1%2015-2019	91.7%2020-2024	+11 points	Improved	62%
Child poverty rate	33.5%2015-2019	23.3%2020-2024	−10 points	Improved	82%
Effective property tax rate	1.05%2015-2019	1.01%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	23%
High school diploma or higher	90.9%2015-2019	93.4%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Improved	64%
Home price to income ratio	4.8×2015-2019	5.1×2020-2024	+0.3×	Declined	62%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5822015-2019	0.5572020-2024	−0.024	Improved	71%
Median household income	$59,9482015-2019	$85,6522020-2024	+43%	Improved	77%
Poverty rate	20.8%2015-2019	16.9%2020-2024	−3.9 points	Improved	75%
Public transit commuters	10.4%2015-2019	5.7%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Declined	7%
Rent as share of income	29.7%2015-2019	30.9%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Declined	45%
Rent-burdened households	49.3%2015-2019	51.5%2020-2024	+2.3 points	Within the margin of error	48%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	5.9%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.5%2015-2019	11.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	50%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Atlanta, Georgia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Atlanta, Georgia in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Atlanta, Georgia itself moved +2.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

505,268 residents (±79)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

236,468 households (±2,330)

Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia share

Under $25k19%45,340
$25k–50k14%32,083
$50k–75k13%29,601

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

236,468 households (±2,330)

Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia share

Own46%109,792
Rent54%126,676

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+2.9 points).

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

271,965 workers (±3,872)

Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia share

Drive alone53%143,914
Carpool4.7%12,697
Public transit5.7%15,571

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Fulton County, the county holding most of Atlanta's residents.

Fulton County has 40,949 employer establishments, 378 for every 10,000 residents (1.52× the US rate of 248; 1.60× Georgia's), with 928,068 paid employees at an average annual pay of $92,125. The Census Bureau also counts 144,976 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 40,949; 144,976 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 378; US 248 · Georgia 236
Paid employees: 928,068
Average annual pay: $92,125; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Fulton County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	3,752	34.6	1.66×More than typical	45,887	$82,849	6,808
Restaurants and other eating places	3,008	27.8	1.51×More than typical	64,462	$26,263	829
Lessors of real estate	2,946	27.2	2.21×More than typical	22,888	$95,391	16,323
Management, scientific and technical consulting	2,214	20.4	3.05×More than typical	25,387	$151,462	9,083
Legal services	1,739	16.1	2.99×More than typical	17,114	$143,255	1,816
Computer systems design and related services	1,623	15	3.46×More than typical	40,142	$117,231	2,219
Real estate agents and brokers	1,372	12.7	2.60×More than typical	5,641	$109,935	4,073
Full-service restaurants	1,363	12.6	1.64×More than typical	35,891	$30,558	380
Offices of physicians	1,361	12.6	1.94×More than typical	22,546	$107,714	1,442
Limited-service restaurants	1,254	11.6	1.44×More than typical	23,674	$21,155	254
Offices of other health practitioners	1,075	9.9	1.63×More than typical	5,018	$48,502	2,791
Personal care services	963	8.9	1.86×More than typical	4,887	$37,904	8,894

Rank places for an industry Open Fulton County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 1,083,022 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $922.9M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Atlanta, Georgia: $1,827 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $922.9M; −6.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,827; US $1,994
Sole-source: 24%; US 30%
Single offer: 15%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Acquisition Service$221.9M24%
Department of the Navy$153.3M17%
Department of the Air Force$117.4M13%
Department of the Army$102.3M11%
Public Buildings Service$44.5M4.8%
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$36.7M4.0%
Environmental Protection Agency$29.6M3.2%
Social Security Administration$23.1M2.5%

Top recipients

GEORGIA TECH APPLIED RESEARCH CORP$251.1M27%
INTEGRATED QUALITY SOLUTIONS, LLC$162.1M18%
WUNDERMAN THOMPSON LLC$127.9M14%
GEOTAB USA INC$29.3M3.2%
JONES LANG LASALLE AMERICAS, INC.$20.7M2.2%

Spending by fiscal year

735.7MFY2017
679.8MFY2018
707.4MFY2019
962.3MFY2020
952MFY2021
1.1BFY2022
1.2BFY2023
1.1B

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$254.1M28%
Warehousing and storage · 4931$162.2M18%
Advertising, public relations, and related services · 5418$133.2M14%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$47.8M5.2%
Communications equipment manufacturing · 3342$36.8M4.0%

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Atlanta, Georgia, so they do not add up across cities.

Atlanta, Georgia's figures are part of those of Fulton County, GA and DeKalb County, GA ($3B in FY2026), never added to them: 31% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Atlanta is mostly in Fulton County.

See federal money in Fulton County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Atlanta, Georgia is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA57

Other cities and towns in Fulton County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/1304000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends