According to figures released from the 2020 decennial census Cobb County‘s population density exceeds that of Fulton County’s. You can visit an interactive map that shows the population density of Georgia counties and other housing-related data by following this link.

Cobb has a population density of 2254.8 people per square mile, while Fulton County’s numbers are at 2025.3. Of metro counties, only Dekalb County, at 2854.9 people per square mile, exceeds Cobb’s overall density. Gwinnett has a comparable density to Cobb County, though slightly less at 2221.8 people per square mile.

So what does this mean?

It’s difficult to say what those figures mean until more detailed figures are released by the U.S. Census Bureau in September. At that point it will be easier to see how population is distributed within each county.

In the meantime, here are a few comparisons from the information the Census Bureau has released thus far to chew on.

Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb, and Dekalb counties are the most populous counties in Georgia, and the only counties with over 500,000 residents.

The order of population, according to 2020 census figures, is:

1. Fulton 1,066,710
2. Gwinnett 957,062
3. Cobb 766,149
4. Dekalb 764,382

The county with the fifth highest population is Clayton County with 297,595 residents, less than half Dekalb’s population.

Here are the population percentage increases for those top four counties between 2010 and 2020:

1. Fulton 15.9 percent
2. Gwinnett 18.8 percent
3. Cobb 11.3 percent
4. Dekalb 10.5 percent

Another factor necessary in making sense of population density changes is the increase in number of housing units. Here are the percentage increases between 2010 and 2020:

1. Fulton 13 percent
2. Gwinnett 13.4 percent
3. Cobb 7.7 percent
4. Dekalb 6.9 percent

Finally, here are the land areas of the four counties, certainly a relevant comparison when considering population density.

1. Fulton 529 square miles
2. Gwinnett 433 square miles
3. Cobb 340 square miles
4. Dekalb 268  square miles

The numbers presented above raise more questions than answers when evaluating the density changes in the four most populous counties.

When the 2020 census is released in more detail next month, we’ll explore it in more depth.