City of Atlanta CDP

Per Capita Income

Per capita income within the City will increase at a rate that is comparable for most of Fulton County but will be less than the rate for the state as a whole.  Long-term changes in per capita income are tied to changes in birth rates, household types and increases in the education levels of the general population. (see Table 3.4 ‘Per Capita Income’).

The decline in the number of the City’s households from 1980 to 1990 parallels its population loss during this time.  The number of households in the City increased by a total of 8% between 1990 and 2000.  The size of the City’s households declines during this same period due to a dramatic reduction in the size of family-households, indicating the average household has fewer members (see Table 3.5 ‘Number of Households’).  Moreover, the number of one-person households continues to increase, which is consistent with national trends.  Two factors that will impact the number and types of households in the city are the significant decline in the birth rate for city residents and the redevelopment of many of AHA’s communities.  The net effects of these two factors will be a reduction in household size.

Since financial well-being and most major financial decisions are based on joint family income, the average household income is an important indicator of community economic activity.  Between 1970 and 1990, average household income in the City, expressed in constant 1982 dollars, increased by 13 percent, while it increased by about 20 percent in the State.  Average household income is projected to more than double between 1990 and 2005 due to increased labor force participation by women and Atlanta’s role as the premier commercial city in the Southeast.

 

Sources: U.S. Census, 1970, 1980, 2000; ARC and National Planning Data Corporation with interpolation by the Bureau of Planning

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