ARC: Cherokee County Seeing Slower Growth

Cherokee County remains one of the fastest growing counties in the Atlanta region, but its growth rate has slowed to under 2%, according to numbers from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

According to 2024 population estimates released by the ARC, Cherokee County added 5,400 residents between April 2023 and April 2024, growing to 292,360.

In that time, Cherokee grew by 1.9%, down from 2.5% in 2022-23.

The slower growth in Cherokee is in line with trends across the region.

In the 11-county Atlanta region, 62,700 residents were added over the past year. The previous year, there were 66,730 new residents. The region’s total population is now estimated at 5.2 million.

According to the ARC, factors contributing to the decline in growth include a reduction in housing permit activity, a slight moderation in jobs growth and high housing prices.

Although Cherokee’s growth rate fell below 2%, its percentage growth rate was the second-highest in the region, only behind the city of Atlanta, which grew by 2.1% with 10,800 people. The next fastest growth was in Henry County, which added 4,750 people and grew by 1.8%.

“People from around the country are choosing metro Atlanta because of our great quality of life and our dynamic, diverse economy,” said Atlanta Mayor and ARC Board Chair Andre Dickens. “Of course, our continued growth is not guaranteed. We must continue to invest in our region’s infrastructure to ensure a successful future.”

ARC staff presented its 2024 population estimates July 10. The ARC board is expected to approve the estimates in August.

For the ARC’s full population estimates presentation, visit https://tinyurl.com/29p7vdrp .

Earlier this year, the ARC projected Cherokee’s population will surpass 400,000 by 2050.

For more information about the Atlanta Regional Commission, visit https://atlantaregional.org.