By Delaney Tarr, Managing Editor
“We’re full, y’all.”
It’s a well known refrain among Metro Atlanta residents: The city is full, the traffic is bad and people should stop moving here. But the numbers tell a different story. This year’s Economic Competitiveness Red Book from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce laid out statewide population projections, and they revealed some interesting details about the future of Georgia.
The Red Book is a comprehensive annual 159-county data report that tracks Georgia’s economic growth and workforce metrics. But right at the front is data that frames the rest of the information – demographics.
Daniela Perry, the executive director of the Georgia Chamber Foundation, the Chamber’s research arm that gathers data said the demographics are up front “because it is going to shape the infrastructure in your community.”
The demographic data showed some expected information. In 2025, Georgia had a population of 11.2 million. By 2040, the state is projected to hit 12.7 million. That is nearly 13 percent growth in just 15 years.
“We always pull the statewide data, because it shows where Georgia is really excelling from a competitiveness standpoint, and where we have the edge,” Perry said. “It also illuminates opportunities for us to double down on our investment and the resources we are deploying in the state to make sure we’re meeting our long term objectives.”
As Perry explained, the data is a “tool” for officials across the state. State agencies, higher education institutions, county commissioners, mayors and even city councils pull from the population metrics to assess how their state is doing.
The Red Book breaks down population by several metrics, but perhaps the most valuable is countywide data. It splits the state into three categories: Metro Atlanta, hub communities and rural Georgia.
Metro Atlanta data shows what many would expect. It supports the highest growth rate, thanks to major industries, investments and infrastructure. In 2024, the Atlanta Regional Commission released a population forecast that predicted the 21-county region would reach 7.9 million people by 2050.
It proved the metro has room to grow – it would mark a 1.8 million person increase from 2020 census data, with particularly rapid growth in outer areas like Forsyth County. About half the growth is predicted to occur in the core of Metro Atlanta, in Fulton, Cobb, DeKalb and Clayton County.
The commission also predicted the creation of roughly 856,000 jobs by 2050 across several sectors, including arts and entertainment, business, food service and manufacturing. The ARC uses this data as a tool for regional planning.
Perry said it’s no surprise that statewide growth is heavily influenced by Metro Atlanta’s growth, since investments into the urban core can spread across many counties and draw major investments – think intercity transit, airports, highways, corporations, sporting events, conventions and more.
“The success of the Metro Atlanta region is going to be very important to Georgia’s long term future,” Perry said.
Population metrics can be a way to plan for the future, like Perry explained. But they are also a way to gauge success. A growing population indicates a place can support more people. That means it has job openings, resources and investment. It shows a community can “withstand its tax base.”
Nowhere is this proven more than in Georgia’s rural communities. The majority of Georgia counties are rural. To ensure their success, in 2016 the Chamber launched a “Georgia 2030 Tour” where it visited 14 rural communities across the state to share research and listen to residents.
Back then, it painted a “different picture for the state of Georgia.”
“In terms of rural Georgia growth, we saw a lot of counties that were projected to lose a substantial amount of population,” Perry said. “It was something that was very concerning, because the majority of the counties in the state are rural.”
The chamber knew a “long term, prosperous” future for the state needed to include rural Georgia. So the chamber established the Center for Rural Prosperity in Tifton in 2017, as part of a long-term initiative focusing specifically on the success and well-being of Georgia’s rural communities.
Perry said it was no haphazard attempt, but rather an intentional effort from the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, the Georgia General Assembly and Governor Brian Kemp.
“We’ve had a very strategic and intentional focus on rural Georgia and making sure we can have opportunity regardless of zip code,” Perry said.
It paid off. The 2026 Red Book revealed that in the next five years, the rural Georgia population growth rate is projected to match the growth in communities like Columbus and Augusta. Currently, rural areas account for 4.7 million people. By 2040, that is predicted to hit 5.3 million. That’s an 11.24 percent growth rate.
For the chamber, rural population growth is a benchmark to measure the success of their initiatives. But other information showed areas where the state may need to invest in the future – like a rapidly growing group of people over 65.
Elderly populations are the fastest growing age group in Georgia, according to the 2026 Red Book. It matches national patterns, as populations continue to live longer. But it indicates need. Perry explained older populations will need more doctor’s appointments, medical care and succession planning within businesses.
The data also showed Georgia is growing more diverse. As people age out of the workforce and jobs open up, fields become more multigenerational. Millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha employees are working alongside Baby Boomers.
Perry said it will impact how people manage their workforce. “It’s an interesting picture,” she said. “You’re going to have lots of different kinds of groups and personalities and people.”
While the data shows the payoff of hard work, or lays out expected numbers, it is also a tool for people to consider their communities on a macro-level. It can also answer an essential question: How is the state evolving as a whole?
“I think, sometimes, when you live it every day, you need a tool to reflect back on who is in your community,” Perry said.
This information will allow state and local leaders to make “more strategic and intentional decisions” to help ensure the state’s future as an economically competitive hub. But the numbers already have it: Georgia is a state that just won’t quit.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have a steady growing population,” Perry continued. “People continue to see Georgia as a great place to live and work, to grow their business, to raise their families, and that’s something we should be extremely excited about and fortunate to have.”
Delaney Tarr is a Florida native-turned-Georgia lover with years of experience covering the ins and outs of Atlanta. She specializes in untold stories, eclectic profiles and hard-hitting news.
