Atlanta, Georgia
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Atlanta.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Atlanta compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 499,287City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $81,938Incorporated place (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($78,538)U.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 129ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)29% above U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $420,600City limits (ACS)39% above U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,617City limits (ACS)20% above U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 3.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 31 min24% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 487% above U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Property crime rate
- UnavailableFBI CDE gap
- Summer high
- 89°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 35°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 48.1 in46% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2429% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Atlanta with another city
Piedmont heat and a sprawling logistics/job belt shape commute realities. Expect summer highs near 89°F and winter lows around 35°F. Average one-way commute time is about 31 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 48/100. Labor-market readings near 3.3% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. Crime rates are marked unavailable for this municipality in our FBI CDE pull; do not rely on a citywide index.
About 499,287 people live in Atlanta, GA. With median income around $81,938 and a cost index of 129, the market reads above the national housing-cost baseline. Entry home prices around $420,600 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
If you only tour one corridor, make it Midtown; if you have a weekend, contrast it with Buckhead and the quieter edges near Old Fourth Ward. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Atlanta with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Midtown
- Buckhead
- Old Fourth Ward
- Virginia-Highland
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Atlanta city, 1600000US1304000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN131210000000003 (Fulton County, May 2026)
- Crime: data unavailable
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00003888 ATLANTA FULTON CO AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28