The Atlanta Regional Commission shared their latest population estimates on Wednesday, July 10. They estimate Henry County is home to more than 260 thousand residents as of April 2024.
The population growth slowed between 2023 to 2024. Much of this can be attributed to fewer new homes starting construction, as compared to one year ago.
Population Estimate 2024
The Atlanta Regional Commission publishes population estimates annually for the 11-county metro area. According to their 2024 population estimate, Henry County is home to 262,552 residents. This is a numeric increase of 4,750 residents since 2023, or a 1.84% increase.
The increase is slightly slower than one year ago. By comparison, the 2023 estimate reflected an increase of 5,300 residents or a 2.1% increase. The county has added an estimated twenty-two thousand residents since 2020.
The Atlanta region is now home to an estimated 5.2 million residents. Metro Atlanta became the nation’s sixth-largest metro area, according to the US Census Bureau, in the last year. It surpassed Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. The ARC estimates the region will grow to 7.9 million residents by 2050.
Population Growth
What is driving the population growth? The ARC contributes population growth to two factors: new housing construction and job growth. However, the growth is slower than 2022–2023. In 2023, 28,595 residential building permits were issued in the 11-county region, a decrease of 21%, or nearly 7,500 permits, compared to 2022.
Single-family housing accounted for 15,510 permits, or 54%. The location of new housing is shown on the map. Multifamily housing, not shown, was the other 46% of permits. New apartment construction within the city of Atlanta was responsible for about half of all multifamily permits.
Within Henry County, there were 2,131 housing permits issued last year. This included 1,681 single-family permits and 450 multifamily permits. This is according to the US Housing & Urban Development. One year prior, the county saw 2,522 permits issued in 2022. This broke down to include 1,580 single-family homes and 942 multifamily units. MHF News’ analysis found about 1,200 apartment units broke ground in 2022.
According to the ARC, metro Atlanta’s job employment base has increased 6.4% since the pandemic began in early 2020. That’s the seventh-highest in the nation among selected peer metros. Locally, the county has seen job creation and major investments by new employers such as Andersen Windows and NewCold storage.
Portions of this article are excerpts from the Atlanta Regional Commission. Featured image shows a new subdivision under construction. Stock photo.
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