From Andrea Cueny’s Blog
The Atlanta Regional Commission recently released its Regional Snapshot for November/December 2011. This special Regional Snapshot tells the story of the Atlanta region through the eyes of the 2010 Census, the most comprehensive and reliable information released about the nation in the last 10 years. The story line is familiar – metro Atlanta is one of the fastest-growing places in the nation, while getting older and more diverse. And the magnitude of change is dramatic. Simply put, the Atlanta region isn’t the same place it was 10 years ago. And it won’t be the same place in 30 years. Change will continue to transform our region.
BE NICE TO THE MILLENNIALS – THEY’LL BE RUNNING THIS PLACE SOON
For decades, demographers and other data followers have been warning of the coming tide of aging Baby Boomers. Well, they have arrived. The next tide are the Millennials, and if history is any guide, they too will demand new things from society, much the same way their parents and grandparents (Boomers) did.
While the Baby Boom generation (those ages 45-64 today) continues to put its stamp on society by adding the most population between 2000-2010, it’s the Millennials (those ages 10-29) who have the largest 2010 population. As of 2010, the Millennials are 1.5 million strong in the 20-county Atlanta region, a population almost 200,000 greater than the Baby Boomers. And they have completely different living preferences than the Boomers. They are much more likely to live in-town, or in areas with a college (as they are of college-age, of course).
BUT THOSE OVER 45 ARE RUNNING THIS PLACE TODAY
The areas with the highest median age tend to be outside the I-285 perimeter, with the exception of the Buckhead and Sandy Springs areas in Fulton, and the Toco Hills/Emory area in DeKalb. The urban core is dominated by the young, as are areas with heavy concentrations of Hispanic populations.
While the Millennials are the most populous age cohort in the 20- county Atlanta region, the greatest population gains occurred in the oldest age cohorts – the 45-64 (today known as the Baby Boomers) and the 65 and older groups. Every jurisdiction in the 20-county region had larger percent increases in the older age cohorts than in the younger ones, especially in the outer counties. That doesn’t mean that no jurisdictions are adding kids, however. Forsyth’s under-30 population increased 78 percent, Henry’s increased 67 percent and Paulding’s increased 64 percent.
The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as the City of Atlanta. For 60 years, ARC and its predecessor agencies have helped to focus the region’s leadership, attention and resources on key issues of regional consequence.