It is in cities where the foundations of our economy are laid, where our identity as a people is anchored, and where we live, work, play and enrich our lives.
The 2026 edition of The Value of Cities provides a snapshot of the impact cities have in Georgia and the investments they make to secure a vibrant economic future.
While cities make up just 8% of the state's overall land area, the more than 5 million people who reside in Georgia cities represent 45% of the total state population.
Cities are dense economic and cultural hubs that provide 70% of jobs in Georgia and see their population increase by 24% in the daytime due to commuting. Cities provide services to both their "daytime population" and their resident population.
Three-quarters of Georgia cities have a population of 5000 or less, on par with the country as a whole. These small communities that together serve over 494,000 Georgians rely heavily on regional partnerships and intergovernmental resources to provide key services like broadband and electricity.
Only 4% of Georgia cities have a population above 50,000, but together they represent almost 2.4 million Georgians.
In 2024, voters in 37 additional counties supported the passage of the Special-Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), choosing to tax themselves to pay for capital projects. Over the last five years, $10.3 billion in SPLOST revenues have been distributed to counties and cities. Sales tax combined with property tax continue to be the source of over half of the total municipal budget.