Census Data for Atlanta

Population ...

The most recent Census Estimate<1> was for 2019 and it gave Atlanta a population of 507,301 people.

The last Decennial Census<2> was in 2010, which gave Atlanta a population of 420,003 people.

The city of Atlanta is located in Fulton County. The 2010 Census gave Fulton County; a population of 920,581 people. This means that Atlanta had 45.62% of the county's total population, making it Fulton's most populous community.

At the same time, Georgia had a population of 9,687,653 people, meaning that Atlanta had 4.34% of the total population of Georgia - making it the state's most populous community.

Area ...

The 2010 Census shows that the sampling area for Atlanta has a total area of 134 square miles [347.1 km²]. Of this total, a small amount of the area is covered by water (0.86 square miles [2.2 km²]).

Fulton County has a land area of 526 square miles [1,364 km²]. At 133.2 square miles [344.9 km²], Atlanta has 25.28% of the county's total land area.

• Continue Reading ...
  • When the Census Bureau conducts a census for a city like Atlanta, they draw a boundary around the area in which they are going to conduct their count - this defines the sampling area (usually a polygon). The shape of the sampling area can be quite complex and it's important to keep in mind that the boundaries of the sampling area may or may not match the recognized boundaries of the city.
  • Things like population, area and housing for Atlanta reflect the sampling area. Since the shape of the sampling area and the actual boundaries of Atlanta might be different, it's best to check with the U.S. Census Bureau to resolve any difference between the two.
  • Not only does the sampling area define boundaries, it also has a GPS location (latitude & longitude) that indicates a point within the sampling area (usually the center of the polygon, known as the centroid). At the time of the 2010 Census, the sampling area was located at:
  • Lat:   33° 45' 46"   (or 33.76°)
  • Lon:   -84° 25' 21"   (or -84.42°)
  • More information on this topic and the changes between the 2000 Census and the 2010 Census can be found in the section for our Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Housing Units ...

At the time of the 2010 Census, Atlanta had 224,573 Housing Units<3> and with its population of 420,003 people, this averages 1.87 people per Housing Unit.

• Continue Reading ...
  • The 2010 Census shows Atlanta had a land area of 133.2 square miles [344.9 km²]. This translates to 1,675 Housing Units per square mile [647 housing units/km²].
  • From the Census of 2000: Atlanta had 186,925 Housing Units, a population of 416,474 people and a land area of 131.7 square miles [341.2 km²]. This gives a density of 2.23 people per Housing Unit and 1,411 Housing Units per square mile [545 housing units/km²].
  • Note: Repeating the caution above (under Population Density), be aware that when comparing Housing Units between the 2010 and the 2000 Census, there were changes in the sampling area for Atlanta and you need to be careful when comparing results between the censuses. More information about the nature of these the changes can be found in the section called Census-to-Census Observations ... (see below).

Fulton County ...

Atlanta is primarily located in Fulton County<4> and is the County Seat for Fulton County. A portion of Atlanta extends into DeKalb County.

The county had a population of 920,581 people at the 2010 Census. With it's population of 420,003 people, Atlanta represented 45.62% of the county's total.

In addition, where the city of Atlanta has a population density of 3,134 people per square mile [1,210 people/km²], Fulton County averages 1,748 people per square mile [674 people/km²].

For more information, please visit our Census Page for Fulton County.

Census-to-Census Observations ...

Introduction ...

When the Census Bureau takes a census count (or enumeration) for Atlanta, they start by specifying the boundaries of the area to be counted. This area (or sampling area) is a polygon and its shape can be quite complex - it may or may not match the geographical boundaries of Atlanta. It's important to note that from one Census to the next, the shape and location of the polygon can change.

• Continue Reading ...
  • Although we don't have specific information about the shape of the polygon for Atlanta or how it changed has over time, there is some information that can give us some hints. For example, since the shape of the sampling area is directly related to the shape of the polygon, any change to area probably indicates a new shape for the polygon.
  • If you need precision or details about the methodology of the Census, you should visit the U.S. Census Bureau for a definitive answer.

Location ...

While generally coinciding with the GPS location (latitude/longitude) of Atlanta, the latitude and longitude given by the Census Bureau actually indicates the GPS location of the polygon for Atlanta.

• Continue Reading ...
  • For the 2010 Census, the location was given as:
  • Lat:   33.762909°   (or 33°45'46" N)
  • Lon:   -84.422675°   (or -84°25'21" W)
  • For the 2000 Census, the location given was:
  • Lat:   33.759506°   (or 33°45'34" N)
  • Lon:   -84.403176°   (or -84°24'11" W)
  • The difference indicates that the U.S. Census Bureau moved the location of the polygon for the 2010 Census 6,038 feet to the west<5> of the location that was used in the 2000 Census.
  • The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN) have assigned a unique GNIS identifier (#2403126) to Atlanta. This identifier also marks a GPS point on the map, and that point lies within the boundaries of Atlanta. The GNIS point has been mapped to the latitude/longitude:
  • Lat:   33.762997°   (or 33°45'46" N)
  • Lon:   -84.422883°   (or -84°25'22" W)
  • The GPS location given for the 2010 Census lies 70.7 feet to the southeast<6> of the point given by the GNIS for Atlanta. For more information about this and the relationship of the various Federal Codes, please visit our Misc Page for Atlanta.

Miscellaneous Information for Atlanta ...

The Federal government has assigned various identifying codes to each community, county and state. At one time or another, the US Census Bureau has used one (or more) of the following identifiers when referring to either Fulton County or the city of Atlanta:

• The GNIS Codes ...
  • The current system of identification is called the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS). The following GNIS codes relate to Atlanta:
  • GNIS ID for Atlanta: 2403126
  • GNIS ID for Fulton County: 1694833
  • GNIS ID for State of Georgia: 1705317

• The FIPS Codes ...
  • An earlier (and largely obsolete) identification method was called the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS):
  • State Code: 13 (Georgia)
  • County Code: 121 (Fulton County)
  • Place Code: 04000 (Atlanta)
  • State & County Code: 13/121 (Georgia / Fulton County)
  • State & Place Code: 13/04000 (Georgia / Atlanta)

• Misc. Census Codes ...
  • Atlanta is located in Census Region #3 (the South Region) and Division #5 (the South Atlantic Division).

• The US Postal Service ZIP Code ...
  • While some people have used ZIP codes to identify a community, the ZIP codes were actually created to make mail delivery more efficient by grouping addresses together. Although a ZIP Code doesn't specifically identify a city like Atlanta, they do identify addresses that are in (or near) the city. It's important to remember that the boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes.
  • Our list of ZIP codes for Atlanta:<7>
  • 30301, 30302, 30303, 30304, 30305, 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30310, 30311, 30312, 30313, 30314, 30315, 30316, 30317, 30318, 30319, 30320, 30321, 30324, 30325, 30326, 30327, 30328, 30329, 30330, 30331, 30332, 30333, 30336, 30337, 30338, 30339, 30340, 30341, 30342, 30343, 30344, 30345, 30346, 30347, 30348, 30349, 30353, 30354, 30355, 30356, 30357, 30358, 30359, 30360, 30361, 30364, 30366, 30368, 30369, 30370, 30374, 30375, 30376, 30377, 30378, 30379, 30384, 30385, 30386, 30387, 30388, 30389, 30392, 30394, 30396, 30398, 31106, 31119, 31126, 31131, 31139, 31141, 31145, 31150, 31156, 31191, 31192, 31195, 31196, 31197, 31198 & 31199.

• Census ZCTA Codes ...
  • The US Census Bureau created statistical entities that they call ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) and these ZCTAs are frequently confused with the ZIP codes that come from the US Postal Service (USPS).
  • ZCTAs were first created for the 2000 Census and at that time, they were based upon the USPS ZIP codes. While largely covering the same areas, the boundaries of a ZCTA do not necessarily match the boundaries of a postal ZIP code with the same number. For example, while a postal ZIP code can cross a county or state line, a Census ZCTA can not. They should be treated as separate entities with no correlation between them.

For more information about the various Federal identification codes, please visit our Misc Page for Atlanta.

Off-the-Road Links ...

The official website for Atlanta: www.atlantaga.gov/

The official website for Fulton County: www.co.fulton.ga.us/

The official website for State of Georgia: https://georgia.gov/

The official website of the U.S. Census Bureau

The official website of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names (BGN)

The official website of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)