Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
With 529,110 people, Atlanta can't be summed up by one letter: its C− averages neighborhoods that are worlds apart. It ranks 151st of 258 graded places in Georgia. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 78% of the country and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 98% of U.S. towns. What weighs on its grade: its crime rate is higher than 94% of U.S. towns, with 3,850 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, and homes are expensive, about $380K for a typical one and 4.2 times the Atlanta metro’s $90K median household income. 43% of working residents work locally in Atlanta, against 9% in Georgia’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Joel Chandler Harris House and Georgia State Capitol. On civic life, just 6 of Georgia’s 307 towns do better.
Where Atlanta beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Joel Chandler Harris House| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Georgia State University | 30,368 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus | 27,011 |
| Emory University | 14,248 |
Joel Chandler Harris House is one of 8 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 236 National Register listings are more than in any other Georgia town with a listing.
Census counts: 2,572 in 1850, 498,715 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1864 and 3 maps from 1888 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Georgia), ordered by how far Atlanta is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 6%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Atlanta. Close and well known come first.
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaMercedes-Benz Stadium
Big drawin town Stadium & arenaState Farm Arena
in town Zoo & aquariumGeorgia Aquarium
Big draw7 mi Theme parkSix Flags Over Georgia
Big draw16 mi MountainStone Mountain
in town Stadium & arenaCenter Parc StadiumMercedes-Benz Stadium: Atlanta Falcons, CC BY 3.0 · State Farm Arena: Hermann Luyken, CC0 · Georgia Aquarium: Diliff, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags Over Georgia: hagerman, CC BY 2.0 · Stone Mountain: KyleAndMelissa22, Public domain · Center Parc Stadium: Southernkeith, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Atlanta, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Atlanta.
Atlanta draws workers from South Fulton and beyond and has home values still below their peak, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Georgia rate.
104 miles of trail in 165 parks and preserves. The trail density in Atlanta is 0.8 miles per square mile. Shirley Clarke Franklin Park, at 337 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Atlanta | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.8 miles per square mile | 0.3 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 2.2% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Piedmont Park | 3 mi | 169 |
| 2. Grant Park | 2.2 mi | 123 |
| 3. Lullwater Preserve | 2.1 mi | 142 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Atlanta Public Schools. Three of its 134 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willis A. Sutton Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,619 | A− |
| North Atlanta High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,368 | C |
| Jackson Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 502 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within GA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 7.3 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D. Property crime runs at 31 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Georgia rate, most of it theft.
Atlanta’s violent crime rate is 7.3 per 1,000 residents. Atlanta reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 94% report less. Atlanta’s property crime rate is 31 per 1,000 residents.
| Atlanta | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 31 per 1,000 residents | 14.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
513,609 jobs are based in Atlanta, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 29.7% of workers work from home, against 15.9% across Georgia.
30% of workers work from home in Atlanta. Jobs based in Atlanta grew to 513,609 in 2023, 89,325 more than in 2013. 17% of residents live below the poverty line in Atlanta.
| Atlanta | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 30% | 9.2% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 15% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $63,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
29% of Atlanta adults have obesity. Atlanta beats the Georgia average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 11% of Atlanta adults report frequent physical distress.
| Atlanta | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 38% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 29% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 38% | 35% |
| What stands out | Atlanta | GA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| More binge drinkers | 17.2% | 14.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1,759 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 262 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,759 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Atlanta.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Atlanta has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 33° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical value, about $380K, is 9% below its July 2022 peak. At about $380K, home values are up 2% in five years, against a rise of 21% across Georgia.
The typical Atlanta home is worth about $380,000, down 1.9% in a year, 16% above the Georgia typical home.
| Atlanta | Georgia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 58% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,711 a month | $1,152 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
27 within 15 miles of the center of Atlanta
About 12 of every 100 Atlanta residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Georgia.
420,003 counted in 2010 and 498,715 in 2020; an estimated 529,110 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.1% since 2020, after 18.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
236 places in Atlanta on the National Register of Historic Places.
27 notable people were born in Atlanta.
Capital and most populous city of Georgia, U.S.
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the county seat of Fulton County and extends into neighboring DeKalb County. With a population of 498,715 at the 2020 census and an estimated 529,110 in 2025, Atlanta is the eighth-most populous city in the Southeast and the 36th-most populous city in the United States. Atlanta is classified as a Beta+ global city. The Atlanta metropolitan area has an estimated population of over 6.4 million and is the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Situated among the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of just over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, Atlanta features a unique topograp…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Atlanta.
| Town | GA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | #151 | C− | D | D | C+ | A− |
| Druid Hills | #75 | B− | D− | — | C− | A+ |
| South Fulton | #94 | C+ | C | D | A− | B− |
| Sandy Springs | #23 | A− | D− | B− | A− | A+ |
| North Druid Hills | #65 | B− | D− | — | C− | A+ |
| East Point | #52 | B | C+ | — | A− | C |
| Candler-McAfee | #155 | C− | C+ | — | C− | C+ |
| Hapeville | #48 | B | C− | — | A− | C+ |
Druid Hills, North Druid Hills, East Point, Candler-McAfee and Hapeville report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Atlanta with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Atlanta grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #151 of 258 in Georgia. It grades A− for health, D for safety and C+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
27 notable people were born here, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Julia Roberts.
