Marietta, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Marietta · Cobb County, Georgia
Population 61,773 (est. 2026: ~63,400)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.79% annual growth projection

Marietta, Georgia

Cobb County, Georgia · Population 60,972

Marietta sits at the geographic and cultural heart of Cobb County, roughly 20 miles northwest of downtown Atlanta. It is the county seat, and it functions like one — dense with civic institutions, hospitals, courts, schools, and commercial corridors that serve a metro area of more than 766,000 people. The city is old enough to have a genuine downtown square, complete with a Civil War history that shaped the surrounding landscape, and large enough to carry a fully urban feel without being absorbed into Atlanta's identity. Kennesaw Mountain looms to the northwest. The Chattahoochee River defines the eastern and southern edges of the county. Life here is suburban in the broadest sense, but Marietta proper has walkable blocks, a historic theater district around the Square, and enough independent density to feel like an actual city rather than a bedroom community.

People & Demographics

Marietta's 61,387 residents make it one of the larger cities in Georgia by population. The median age is 35.2 years — a working-age city with 12,736 children under 18. Demographically, the city is genuinely diverse: 27,783 residents identify as white, 18,879 as Black, and 11,571 as Hispanic or Latino. Asian residents number 1,259. That mix — particularly the size of the Hispanic population — sets Marietta apart from many of its Cobb County neighbors, which skew whiter and older in the eastern suburbs. The average household size is 2.39, spread across 24,403 occupied households. Family households account for 13,960 of that total.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Marietta is $67,589, and per capita income sits at $40,767. Those numbers put Marietta below the wealthier East Cobb communities within the county but above many cities of comparable size in Georgia overall. Of 33,694 residents in the labor force, 1,154 were unemployed at the time of the 2022 ACS — a relatively tight labor market. About 7,462 residents fall below the poverty line, representing a meaningful share of the population that reflects the economic range within city limits. WellStar Health System, headquartered in Marietta, is one of the county's dominant employers. Lockheed Martin's facility in Marietta — one of the largest aerospace manufacturing sites in the Southeast — employs thousands. Higher education adds jobs through Life University and Chattahoochee Technical College, both located within the city.

Housing

Marietta's 26,599 total housing units include 24,403 occupied and 2,196 vacant. The ownership split leans toward renters: 13,119 renter-occupied units compared to 11,284 owner-occupied — unusual for a Cobb County city and reflective of Marietta's denser, more urban character. The median home value is $376,400, and median gross rent is $1,372 per month. At that price point, Marietta is more accessible than Atlanta proper but has risen considerably over the past decade alongside metro-wide appreciation. The vacancy rate of approximately 8.3% suggests moderate turnover without significant distress.

Schools

Marietta operates within two school systems: Marietta City Schools, which serves the city proper, and Cobb County School District, which covers surrounding areas. High schools in or closely associated with this area are among the largest in Georgia:

Middle schools serving the area include East Cobb Middle (1,334 students), Marietta Middle (1,316 students), Dickerson Middle (1,223 students), and Dodgen Middle (1,222 students). Elementary campuses include East Side Elementary (1,112 students), Sope Creek Elementary (1,079 students), and Cheatham Hill Elementary (1,048 students).

Higher education within the city includes Life University, a health sciences institution known for its chiropractic program; Chattahoochee Technical College, a comprehensive two-year college; Lincoln College of Technology–Marietta; Gwinnett College–Marietta Campus; and Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy–Atlanta.

Getting Around

Marietta is car country. Of 31,807 workers, 21,473 drive alone. Carpooling accounts for another 3,091. Only 356 residents use public transit — a remarkably low number for a city this size, reflecting limited MARTA rail service in Cobb County (the county famously opted out of the MARTA rail network). Cobb Community Transit provides bus service, but coverage is sparse compared to intown Atlanta options. A notable 4,880 residents work from home. Walkers number 701. Aggregate travel time across all workers totals 734,875 minutes, putting the average one-way commute in the range of 23 minutes — manageable by metro Atlanta standards, though I-75 and I-575 congestion can extend that considerably during peak hours.

Healthcare

Marietta is a regional healthcare hub. WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is one of the busiest hospitals in Georgia by volume and serves as the anchor trauma and acute care facility for northwest metro Atlanta. WellStar Cobb Medical Center provides additional acute care capacity within the city. Ridgeview Institute specializes in behavioral health. Together, these facilities mean that Marietta residents have hospital access without meaningful travel time — an advantage over much of suburban Georgia. For a full directory of local providers registered with Medicare and Medicaid, the NPI Registry lists active clinicians in the city.

Library

Switzer Library serves as Marietta's primary public library branch, operated under the Cobb County Public Library System. Phone: (770) 528-2320.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from Marietta:

Natural Hazards

Cobb County has a documented and varied disaster history. FEMA declarations on record include:

The pattern is consistent with inland Georgia generally: ice storms represent the most disruptive winter threat, while tropical remnants push heavy rain and wind up from the Gulf. The 2009 flooding declaration reflects the severe storms that inundated much of metro Atlanta that September. The 2024 Hurricane Helene declaration is a reminder that even a weakened inland storm can trigger county-level emergency response.

Government & Municipal Code

Marietta's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/marietta. No separate building code is listed in the municipal code repository — building standards are administered through county and state frameworks.

Weather

Current forecasts and conditions for Marietta are available through the National Weather Service. Active alerts can be checked at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest weather observation station is Marietta 4.2 SW, located 0.9 miles from the city center.

References

The law belongs to the people. Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 590 U.S. (2020)