Income Changes in Metro Atlanta: Meandering Through the Research

While Per Capita Income in the Atlanta area has risen steadily over the past four decades, the Great Recession took a mighty toll on the trajectory of growth. Fortunes of entire neighborhoods have flipped dramatically, where some of the wealthiest neighborhoods back in 1970 are today among some of the poorest. This is but one of the topics explored in the latest Regional Snapshot. Other key findings include:

• From 1970 to 2000, income growth in metro Atlanta outpaced national income growth each decade. While the average metro area saw a slight increase of three percent in Per Capita Income between 2000 and 2010, metro Atlanta experienced a 12 percent decline. Incomes in Atlanta have rebounded somewhat since 2010.
   
• Of the 100 census tracts with the highest median household incomes, all but four are located north of I-20.
   
• In 1970, the poorest 20 percent of neighborhoods in the eight-county region had roughly 17 percent of all family income in the region. Currently, the poorest 20 percent of neighborhoods have only six percent of all income.