What are the richest and poorest parts of Cobb County? Here’s an interactive map to show you

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A series of graphics depicting charts and tables, with "Cobb by the Numbers" above it

Posted By: Larry Felton Johnson July 13, 2023

[This in one of our series “Cobb by the Numbers” which uses data from the census and various other sources to paint a picture of our large and changing county]

The Courier has used census data from the American Community Survey (see the bottom of this article for a detailed description of the ACS) and a programming language designed for processing data called R, to put together an interactive map that gives an overview of the family income levels in various parts of Cobb County.

We use median family income to determine the wealth of each census tract within Cobb County.

“Median” values indicate that half the families are above that number, and half below.

Median values give a better picture of the characteristics of a community than simple averages, which are easy to skew if you have one or two extremely wealthy families in a tract, making it seem as though the neighborhood is wealthier than it really is.

We also use census tracts rather than the better-known zip codes for two reasons: zip codes are too large to give an accurate picture of an area’s characteristics, and they often overlap county lines.

You can zoom in and out on the map, click on individual census tracts, and even find your street on the map.

[Editor’s note: I’m searching for a color palette that makes the street labels easier to read. At the moment the colors make reading the labels a bit of a challenge. When I come up with a solution to that problem I’ll go back and edit all the previous maps.]

Here’s the map:

Some things are not surprising. The part of Vinings adjacent to Buckhead, and the tract in East Cobb near Roswell are the tracts with the highest incomes, hovering on both sides of $250,000. This is mostly consistent with a map of median home values we published earlier.

By far the lowest median family income is the Franklin Gateway area between Cobb Parkway and I-75, with a median family income of $29,583.

Most other parts of the county have a pretty wide range, and the larger incorporated cities (Mableton, Marietta, Smyrna) have both high and low income census tracts.

So enjoy exploring the map!

Sorted Tables

Here are two tables, one sorted in descending order by the family incomes, the second by census tract number. These tables should make it easier to find and compare nearby census tracts. The NA are tracts with not enough residential to gather statistics (i.e. industrial areas, Dobbins AFB).

Census Tract sorted by Median Family IncomeMedian Family Income
313.18NA
312.21NA
306.04NA
303.55NA
302.75NA
312.12250001
303.7241019
303.66212375
303.51210723
303.67202019
302.64198090
303.37197965
303.69184856
303.4179265
303.42177563
303.26177552
303.35177551
303.31177386
305.1177074
303.65176630
312.09174500
303.43173917
302.36173689
303.6171652
302.65168333
303.57164750
313.15164722
302.56164412
303.52163005
306.02161884
302.67158451
303.59156968
312.13156172
303.54154135
305.09153403
303.68152819
309.07150528
312.15149704
305.07148265
302.52146520
313.16146375
302.5145192
303.41144821
311.22144146
304.09143289
315.17142479
302.61142169
302.44140784
303.22140198
302.62137566
302.76137478
311.12136750
303.53135833
303.29135667
302.77135417
312.07135194
302.68135093
303.34134583
302.73133250
311.11130363
302.53130074
301.07128750
302.51128292
302.71127847
312.2126143
311.18126029
302.69125682
313.14123125
303.27122222
303.32121875
303.5121071
302.41120598
313.25120541
304.08119514
303.24118563
302.35118375
303.19118008
303.62117679
303.58117145
311.2115885
303.63115863
311.17115638
302.33115233
312.18113807
303.48113278
302.45112833
303.56111172
302.4110288
302.57108152
303.45108125
305.11107622
302.66106875
303.47106293
314.1105527
309.06103809
306.03103646
302.42102891
315.14101619
303.64101167
302.63100872
313.23100729
315.15100625
302.55100350
301.0899911
303.6199773
305.0899643
314.1499589
312.1799542
302.297396
301.1197344
302.5897136
304.195556
302.4895385
312.1494203
311.1593750
309.0993289
315.1191971
302.791862
310.0591083
302.4989890
303.4689167
302.7488828
309.1288603
313.0687461
315.1386929
304.0786875
302.7286719
312.1685313
302.5985294
305.0685083
315.1684091
301.183839
313.2482917
312.1982917
302.682470
302.7881970
315.0681545
302.4381381
311.181369
314.1679327
315.0779313
301.0979013
315.1278047
301.0478036
301.1376563
302.4775429
314.1573750
311.1473750
311.2172910
315.172460
311.1371250
314.1771004
30870750
315.1870714
309.0870586
313.2269756
301.1268125
314.1267852
303.4966432
302.5465938
314.0965511
314.1165375
309.164519
313.1763471
311.1662875
313.0862500
311.0161910
30761360
304.1361161
304.1260625
302.4659865
311.1959545
310.0657879
305.0553504
309.1152775
303.4450696
310.0150365
313.250066
304.0549167
310.0748643
314.1346964
313.2145819
310.0444694
304.1144421
313.1944390
304.1429583
Sorted by Census Tract NumberMedian Family Income
301.0478036
301.07128750
301.0899911
301.0979013
301.183839
301.1197344
301.1268125
301.1376563
302.297396
302.33115233
302.35118375
302.36173689
302.4110288
302.41120598
302.42102891
302.4381381
302.44140784
302.45112833
302.4659865
302.4775429
302.4895385
302.4989890
302.5145192
302.51128292
302.52146520
302.53130074
302.5465938
302.55100350
302.56164412
302.57108152
302.5897136
302.5985294
302.682470
302.61142169
302.62137566
302.63100872
302.64198090
302.65168333
302.66106875
302.67158451
302.68135093
302.69125682
302.791862
302.71127847
302.7286719
302.73133250
302.7488828
302.75NA
302.76137478
302.77135417
302.7881970
303.19118008
303.22140198
303.24118563
303.26177552
303.27122222
303.29135667
303.31177386
303.32121875
303.34134583
303.35177551
303.37197965
303.4179265
303.41144821
303.42177563
303.43173917
303.4450696
303.45108125
303.4689167
303.47106293
303.48113278
303.4966432
303.5121071
303.51210723
303.52163005
303.53135833
303.54154135
303.55NA
303.56111172
303.57164750
303.58117145
303.59156968
303.6171652
303.6199773
303.62117679
303.63115863
303.64101167
303.65176630
303.66212375
303.67202019
303.68152819
303.69184856
303.7241019
304.0549167
304.0786875
304.08119514
304.09143289
304.195556
304.1144421
304.1260625
304.1361161
304.1429583
305.0553504
305.0685083
305.07148265
305.0899643
305.09153403
305.1177074
305.11107622
306.02161884
306.03103646
306.04NA
30761360
30870750
309.06103809
309.07150528
309.0870586
309.0993289
309.164519
309.1152775
309.1288603
310.0150365
310.0444694
310.0591083
310.0657879
310.0748643
311.0161910
311.181369
311.11130363
311.12136750
311.1371250
311.1473750
311.1593750
311.1662875
311.17115638
311.18126029
311.1959545
311.2115885
311.2172910
311.22144146
312.07135194
312.09174500
312.12250001
312.13156172
312.1494203
312.15149704
312.1685313
312.1799542
312.18113807
312.1982917
312.2126143
312.21NA
313.0687461
313.0862500
313.14123125
313.15164722
313.16146375
313.1763471
313.18NA
313.1944390
313.250066
313.2145819
313.2269756
313.23100729
313.2482917
313.25120541
314.0965511
314.1105527
314.1165375
314.1267852
314.1346964
314.1499589
314.1573750
314.1679327
314.1771004
315.0681545
315.0779313
315.172460
315.1191971
315.1278047
315.1386929
315.14101619
315.15100625
315.1684091
315.17142479
315.1870714

What is the American Community Survey?

The American Community Survey is both more frequent and more comprehensive than the decennial census (the better known census that’s conducted every 10 years). Here’s a description of the ACS from the U.S. Census website. The ACS is:

  • Conducted every month, every year
  • Sent to a sample of addresses (about 3.5 million) in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico
  • Asks about topics not on the 2020 Census, such as education, employment, internet access, and transportation
  • Provides current information to communities every year.  It also provides local and national leaders with the information they need for programs, economic development, emergency management, and understanding local issues and conditions.

The decennial census, on the other hand, is:

  • Conducted every ten years
  • Counts every person living in the 50 states, District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories
  • Asks a shorter set of questions, such as age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, and owner/renter status
  • Provides an official count of the population, which determines congressional representation.  Also provides critical data that lawmakers and many others use to provide daily services, products, and support for communities.

There are two limitations to be aware of before diving into the numbers. One is that the ACS is a survey, meaning that the subjects in the survey report their best estimate of the value of their home.

The second is that there is always a time lag with ACS numbers. These figures are for a five-year period ending in 2021.

But that said, the survey is useful since it focuses on a smaller unit than zip codes, and is very good for comparing numbers within the county, whether cost, or non-currency things like population density and housing units. 

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