A new in-depth report reveals that Georgia’s housing production has not kept pace with its explosive population growth, contributing to a statewide shortage of homes and escalating housing costs. The report, released by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, analyzes 40 years of housing data and identifies housing needs down to the county level.

Since 1980, Georgia has added over a million residents each decade, with counties like Gwinnett, Cobb and Fulton seeing population increases of over 400,000. Yet, housing production dropped sharply after the 2008 financial crisis and has failed to rebound to pre-recession levels, despite continued in-migration and demand.

“Georgia’s housing challenge is not just a Metro Atlanta problem — it’s a statewide issue,” said Kyle Wingfield, President and CEO of Georgia Public Policy Foundation. “We found that 94 of Georgia’s 159 counties face a measurable housing shortage, with some of the state’s most populous counties needing tens of thousands of additional units.”

Key findings include:

• Housing Construction Halved: Georgia approved fewer than 400,000 total new housing permits in the 2010s, a 52% drop from the 2000s.

• Single-Family Homes Preferred, But Scarce: Over 1.8 million single-family permits were approved from 1980–2020, but post-recession production lags behind population growth.

• Metro Counties Face Steep Deficits: Fulton (75,152 units needed), DeKalb (58,094), Cobb (45,416) and Gwinnett (26,532) top the list of counties with the highest housing shortfalls. But we also see large shortages in Coastal Georgia counties, including Chatham (13,424) and Glynn (9,545).

• The “Missing Middle”: The report highlights a critical lack of mid-density housing such as duplexes, triplexes and townhomes that meet the needs of families and younger buyers.

• Details on all 159 counties: The report includes the estimated housing shortage for every county in the state.

The report draws on U.S. Census data, building permit records, and a groundbreaking study by economists Kevin Corinth and Hugo Dante, who estimate Georgia’s total housing shortage exceeds 365,000 units.

“Regulations, high construction costs and labor shortages remain major obstacles,” said Chris Denson, Director of Policy and Research at Georgia Public Policy Foundation. “But the biggest barrier may be political: We need to build more housing of all types if we want to see significant progress when it comes to affordability.” 

The full report includes county-level data, historical trends and analysis to support informed decision-making on housing policy.

Download the full report HERE.