New Census data show how Georgia’s workforce is changing

Newly released 2020 Census data shows that Georgia’s workforce continues to become more urbanized, more ethnically diverse, and more concentrated in the Atlanta area.

In 2010, 45.6 percent of the state’s population resided in Georgia’s 10 largest counties; in 2020 this percentage grew to 47.7 percent. Of the state’s 10 most populous counties, 8 of them are in the Atlanta area, with the other two being Chatham County (Savannah) and Muscogee County (Columbus).

Between 2010 and 2020, 78 percent of the state’s population growth occurred in the Atlanta metropolitan area, as the metro area saw its population grow by 803,087 out the statewide total increase of 1,024,255. Metro Atlanta is now home to 57 percent of the state’s population up from 54.6 percent in 2010.

Job concentration in the Atlanta metro area

In April 2020, 59 percent of employment in Georgia was situated in the Atlanta metro area.

As in 2010, in 2020 Fulton County remained the state’s most populous county, as well as the location of the largest number of jobs, although nearby Gwinnett County showed faster population growth over the decade.

In 2020, Fulton County held 10 percent of the state’s population and nearly 20 percent of the state’s jobs.

Georgia’s second most populous county, Gwinnett County, accounted for 9 percent of the state’s population and 8 percent of the state’s jobs.

A more diverse population leads to a more diverse workforce

As the state added population, fewer of its residents identified themselves as White alone. The number of residents identifying themselves as White alone declined by 4 percent over the decade.

Persons identifying themselves as White alone accounted for 51.9 percent of the state’s population but this percentage increased to 58.0 percent when persons were counted as White alone or in combination with another race.

Individuals identifying as Black or African American alone or in combination came in at 33.0 percent, with people identifying as Asian alone or in combination accounting for 5.3 percent.

Persons identifying themselves as Hispanic or Latino accounted for 10.5 percent of the population.

In the state’s most populous county, Fulton County, White alone accounted for 39.3 percent of the population, while in Gwinnett County, they accounted for 35.5 percent.

In both counties, the number of people identifying as White alone recorded significant drops from the 2010 Census when Fulton County reported a White alone population of 44.5 percent, and Gwinnett County recorded a 53.3 percent rate.

All of the Atlanta metro area’s 8 largest counties showed declines in the number of people reporting themselves as White alone since the 2010 Census.