Cobb County, Georgia: commercial real estate data.
Cobb County, Georgia had an estimated 787,538 residents on July 1, 2024, up 2.8 percent since the 2020 census base of 766,086, across 340 square miles. County output reached $81.87 bn in 2024, 22,148 establishments operate here, and the SBA record carries 1,150 7(a) approvals worth $765.7 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Cobb County
How many people live in Cobb County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024775,208
- Households295,714
- Average household size2.62
- Median household income$102,738
- Median age37.5
- Median gross rent$1,730 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$407,200
- Home value to household income4.0 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income20.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher50.8 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree19.0 percent
- Adults 25 and over529,840
- Population under 18174,967
- Share under 1822.6 percent
- Population 65 and over105,818
- Share 65 and over13.7 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 64494,423
- Civilian labor force437,210
- Unemployment rate4.5 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over72.8 percent
- Rank by population among Georgia counties3rd of 159
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included85th of 3,222
Cobb County is the 3rd largest of 159 Georgia counties by population. A median home costs 4.0 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents under 18 outnumber those 65 and over, at 22.6 percent against 13.7 percent, a household formation profile rather than a retirement one.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Cobb County
Is Cobb County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 2024787,538
- Census 2020 base population766,086
- Population change since the 2020 census base2.80 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 20246,330
- Births, 20248,919
- Deaths, 20244,770
- Natural change, 20244,149
- Net domestic migration, 2024-5,616
- Net international migration, 20247,795
- Total net migration, 20242,179
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 2024-13,908
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents924th of 3,144
The county has grown 2.80 percent since the 2020 census base. The population grew in 2024 from both sources: births exceeded deaths and more people moved in than left.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Cobb County
Where are people moving to Cobb County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving28,996
- People arriving, from those returns48,469
- Tax returns filed by households leaving30,178
- Net household movement-1,182
- Adjusted gross income arriving$2.18 bn
- Net adjusted gross income movement$-398.2 m
- Average income of an arriving household$75,190
- Average income of a leaving household$85,440
- Largest single originFulton County (5,784 households)
- Largest single destinationFulton County (4,865 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton County | 5,784 | 9,083 | $521.1 m |
| DeKalb County | 2,171 | 3,476 | $172.2 m |
| Cherokee County | 1,678 | 2,734 | $106.8 m |
| Paulding County | 1,474 | 2,801 | $85.0 m |
| Gwinnett County | 1,319 | 2,098 | $79.2 m |
| Douglas County | 932 | 1,710 | $43.0 m |
| Clayton County | 460 | 806 | $15.2 m |
| Bartow County | 412 | 679 | $21.6 m |
Households arriving report $10,250 less average income than households leaving, which drains spending power even where headcount holds up. The largest single source of arrivals is Fulton County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Cobb County
What is the Cobb County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$81.87 bn
- County GDP, 2023$78.93 bn
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.7 percent
- GDP change over five years40.2 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Georgia areas BEA publishes2nd of 159
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes64th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$105,609
Output grew 3.7 percent in the latest year and 40.2 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Cobb County
Employment by industry in Cobb County
- Covered employment, annual average384,275
- Establishments reporting28,427
- Average annual pay$77,531
- Average weekly wage$1,491
- Health care and social assistance, employment49,558
- Health care and social assistance, average annual pay$76,614
- Retail trade, employment40,163
- Retail trade, average annual pay$48,658
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment36,495
- Professional, scientific and technical services, average annual pay$122,883
- Accommodation and food services, employment34,701
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$27,319
- Construction, employment31,775
- Administrative and support and waste management services, employment28,006
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 49,558 | 2,764 | $76,614 |
| Retail trade | 40,163 | 2,397 | $48,658 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 36,495 | 4,697 | $122,883 |
| Accommodation and food services | 34,701 | 1,958 | $27,319 |
| Construction | 31,775 | 2,188 | $92,921 |
| Administrative and support and waste management services | 28,006 | 1,904 | $52,055 |
| Wholesale trade | 21,671 | 1,613 | $103,228 |
| Manufacturing | 20,190 | 812 | $95,204 |
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 49,558 jobs, 12.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Cobb County
How many businesses are in Cobb County?
- Establishments, all industries22,148
- Employment at those establishments376,117
- Annual payroll$27.90 bn
- Establishments per 1,000 residents28.6
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cobb County
Building permits in Cobb County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20241,604
- Declared construction value permitted$467.2 m
- Single family units authorized1,143
- Multifamily units authorized461
- Multifamily share of units28.7 percent
- Average declared value per unit$291,277
- Units authorized per 1,000 households5.4
Single-family homes are 71.3 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Cobb County
SBA loans in Cobb County (7(a) and 504)
- 7(a) approvals recorded1,150
- 7(a) gross approval dollars$765.7 m
- Average 7(a) approval$665,857
- Median 7(a) approval$315,850
- 10th percentile approval$50,000
- 90th percentile approval$1,897,750
- Largest single approval$5,000,000
- Jobs reported supported, 7(a)12,962
- Jobs per approval11.3
- Distinct 7(a) lenders active138
- Distinct industries receiving approvals275
- Median 7(a) term120 months
- Share of loans on real estate terms, 240 months or longer19.3 percent
- Loans on real estate terms222
- Loans on working capital terms, 120 months or shorter824
- Franchise loans264
- Franchise share of approvals23.0 percent
- Leading industry by approval countFull-Service Restaurants (60)
- Most active lenderThe Huntington National Bank (93)
- 504 approvals recorded260
- 504 gross approval dollars$220.8 m
- Average 504 approval$849,065
- Median 504 approval$544,500
- Distinct CDCs active8
- 504 jobs per approval9.4
- 504 jobs per million dollars approved11.1
- Most active CDCFlorida Business Development Corporation (82)
- Combined SBA approval dollars, 7(a) FY2020 to FY2026 and 504 FY2010 to FY2026$986.5 m
The average approval of $665,857 sits well above the median of $315,850, pulled up by a few larger deals, so the median is the better guide to what a typical borrower here gets. Only 19.3 percent of approvals run on real estate terms, so SBA credit here is mostly working capital and equipment rather than property acquisition.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30. US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cobb County
SBA loan default and charge-off rates in Cobb County
Do SBA loans in Cobb County get paid back?
- Loans with a final outcome recorded216
- Paid in full196
- Charged off20
- Charge-off rate on resolved loans9.3 percent
- Status: Exempt from disclosure722
- Status: Paid in full196
- Status: Cancelled168
- Status: Charged off20
- Status: Committed, not yet disbursed44
Of the 216 loans that have reached a final outcome, 9.3 percent were charged off. This is computed only over resolved loans, because a loan still running has not yet succeeded or failed and counting it either way would be wrong.
Compare against the national and state SBA charge-off rates, computed the same way over resolved loans only.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cobb County
SBA lending by place in Cobb County
- Borrower cities with recorded lending18
- Marietta, approvals493
- Kennesaw, approvals175
- Smyrna, approvals147
- Atlanta, approvals94
- Acworth, approvals67
- Austell, approvals51
| Borrower city | Approvals | Gross approval dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Marietta | 493 | $335,945,500 |
| Kennesaw | 175 | $124,694,600 |
| Smyrna | 147 | $111,774,800 |
| Atlanta | 94 | $43,865,100 |
| Acworth | 67 | $49,199,200 |
| Austell | 51 | $38,389,100 |
| Mableton | 51 | $30,098,200 |
| Powder Springs | 41 | $10,831,000 |
| 10 other borrower cities | 31 | $20,937,800 |
Marietta accounts for 493 approvals against 175 in Kennesaw. County level figures average over that gap, which is why a site decision is made at the submarket rather than the county.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Cobb County
How large is Cobb County?
- Land area340 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Georgia counties82nd of 159
- Width, east to west20.4 mi
- Height, north to south23.2 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary5
- Residents per square mile of land2,280
- Establishments per square mile65.14
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Cobb County
Flood risk in Cobb County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Cobb County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 130052
- Community Rating System class of the county's own communityClass 7
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book7
- Of those, participating in the NFIP7
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Best Community Rating System class in the county A lower CRS class is a larger flood insurance premium discount.Class 5
- Communities carrying a CRS class4
- Radon levels in Cobb County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/LZone 1
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Cobb County (community 130052), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries Community Rating System class 7, a flood insurance premium discount for policies written there. The EPA places Cobb County in radon zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. The best Community Rating System class among the county's communities is 5, which carries a flood insurance premium discount for policies written in that community. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Cobb County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Cobb County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-2024775,208
- Households295,714
- Average household size2.62
- Median household income$102,738
- Median age37.5
Common questions
Cobb County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Cobb County, Georgia?
The Census Bureau estimates 787,538 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 775,208, in 295,714 households, ranking 3rd of 159 Georgia counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Cobb County's population growing?
The population has grown 2.80 percent since the 2020 census base of 766,086, to 787,538 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 8,919 births against 4,770 deaths, with net migration of 2,179. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Cobb County?
$102,738. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $407,200, which is 4.0 times income, and median gross rent is $1,730 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Cobb County?
22,148 establishments, employing 376,117 people with an annual payroll of $27.90 bn. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Cobb County?
Health care and social assistance is the largest private sector at 49,558 jobs, 12.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 384,275 jobs at an average annual pay of $77,531, or $1,491 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How much SBA lending happens in Cobb County?
1,150 7(a) approvals totaling $765.7 m since FY2020, across 138 lenders, with a median approval of $315,850, plus 260 504 approvals worth $220.8 m since FY2010. These are approvals recorded in the release, not loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans in Cobb County get paid back?
Of the 216 loans that have reached a final outcome, 196 were paid in full and 20 charged off, a charge-off rate of 9.3 percent. Loans still running are excluded, because they have not yet succeeded or failed.
How many building permits were issued in Cobb County?
1,604 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $467.2 m. Multifamily was 28.7 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Cobb County?
Zone 1, a predicted average indoor radon screening level greater than 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Cobb County come from?
The largest single origin is Fulton County, with 5,784 households. Arriving households report an average income of $75,190 against $85,440 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Cobb County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Cobb County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Cobb County
Cities and places in Cobb.
10 Census places lie wholly or partly in Cobb County. All 10 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mableton | city | 77,678 | 51 | Wholly in this county |
| Marietta | city | 62,263 | 493 | Wholly in this county |
| Smyrna | city | 56,633 | 147 | Wholly in this county |
| Kennesaw | city | 34,605 | 175 | Wholly in this county |
| Acworth | city | 22,473 | 67 | Wholly in this county |
| Powder Springs | city | 18,009 | 41 | Wholly in this county |
| Vinings | CDP | 14,390 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Fair Oaks | CDP | 9,014 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Austell | city | 8,447 | 51 | 97.0 percent here, 3.0 percent Douglas County |
| Kennesaw State University | CDP | 2,284 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
A further 125 of the county's 1,150 SBA 7(a) approvals are to borrowers in cities that match no Census place in Cobb County, the largest being Atlanta (94), Roswell (15), Woodstock (8). Those are postal cities, unincorporated areas and cities outside the county, so no place row claims them; they are counted in the county total above.
Nearby