By the Numbers
Atlanta is a city made stronger by its diversity. From 2000-2010, Atlanta had the 2nd fastest growing immigrant population among Metro areas, at 69% growth in the 2000s decade. Today, nearly 850,000 immigrants reside in the Metro area, making it the 11th largest Metro area immigrant population in the country. Atlanta is an “emerging gateway” for immigrants from all over the world:
- 2nd largest Bhutanese community in the US
- 5th largest Burmese community in the US
- 7th largest Nepalese community in the US
- 8th largest Sri Lankan community in the US
- 9th largest Vietnamese & Bangladeshi communities in the US
- 10th largest Pakistani & Indian communities in the US
Since the mid-1990s and largely due to the 1996 Olympics, Atlanta’s immigrant population has grown significantly, and as a result, 647,100 immigrants in Atlanta have lived in the US for more than a decade. An estimated 437,500 immigrants are non-citizens, and their undocumented status puts them at risk of deportation and may pose numerous additional challenges not faced by their native-born counterparts. An estimated 12,000 DACA recipients reside in Metro Atlanta.
Youth and Families
0
children in Atlanta have at least one immigrant parent (2 in every 7 children in Atlanta)
0
%
of children in Atlanta with at least one immigrant parent were born in the United States
0
immigrants in Atlanta are students enrolled in pre-K through college or graduate school
Economic and Labor Contributions
- Immigrants are essential to the labor force. 71% of Atlanta’s immigrants participate in the labor market, compared to 66% of their native-born counterparts.
- “Immigrants are critical job creators.” Immigrants are 41.1% more likely to start a business than their native-born counterparts, which drives job creation and economic growth.
- Nearly 1 in 5 self-employed Georgia business-owners is an immigrant. Immigrant-owned businesses generate $1,772,400,000 in total annual revenue.
- Immigrants play a huge role in building housing wealth in Atlanta. 222,739 immigrants are homeowners. “Much of this was possible because immigrants moved into neighborhoods once in decline, helping to revitalize communities and make them more attractive to U.S.-born residents.”
Hispanic / Latinx Growth
- Georgia had the #1 fastest growing Hispanic/Latinx population in the country from 2000-2015. In a decade and a half, the Hispanic/Latinx population grew by 118%.
- Since then, Metro Atlanta has seen more moderate growth in the Hispanic/Latinx population. From 2010-2020, Census data indicated a 31% increase across Metro Atlanta counties.
- Most of Metro Atlanta’s new Latinos are arriving in Atlanta from elsewhere in the US. “Between 2000-2015, U.S. born Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 69% of the Hispanic/Latino population growth in metro Atlanta.”
- The median age for the Hispanic/Latinx population in Metro Atlanta is 27 years old.
- In the City of Atlanta, the Hispanic/Latinx population grew by 37% from 2010-2020, compared to 18% growth for Atlanta’s population as a whole.