Smyrna, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Smyrna · Cobb County, Georgia
Population 56,285 (est. 2026: ~57,500)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.62% annual growth projection

Smyrna, Georgia

Cobb County, Georgia · Population 55,663

Smyrna sits in the northwest corner of metro Atlanta, wedged between Marietta to the north and the Cumberland district to the east, roughly 15 miles from downtown. It is not a suburb that drifts into the background. With nearly 56,000 residents packed into a city that has actively redeveloped its downtown core over the past two decades, Smyrna functions more like a mid-size city than a bedroom community. The Village Green area at its center draws residents out on foot; the neighborhoods radiating outward range from post-WWII ranch houses to newer townhome clusters. Cobb County's overall population tops 766,000, and Smyrna accounts for a meaningful slice of that — not as a quiet outlier, but as one of the county's densest and most economically active cities.

People & Demographics

Smyrna's 55,863 residents have a median age of 35.6, younger than most Georgia suburbs of its size. That relative youth shows up in the household composition: 12,234 children under 18 live here, spread across 24,694 occupied households. Family households number 13,478, with an average household size of 2.25.

The city is genuinely diverse. White residents number 25,598; Black residents, 18,566; Asian residents, 4,509; and 6,257 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino. No single group holds an overwhelming majority. That mix is more pronounced here than in many of Cobb County's other municipalities.

Economy & Employment

Median household income sits at $92,258, and per capita income reaches $59,851 — both figures comfortably above Georgia state medians. Of the 34,869 residents in the labor force, 1,453 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of about 4.2 percent. An estimated 4,469 residents fall below the poverty line, representing roughly 8 percent of the population — relatively low for a city of this size.

Smyrna's position near the I-285/I-75 interchange, the Cumberland Galleria employment corridor, and the broader Atlanta job market means residents work across a wide range of industries. Healthcare, logistics, technology, and professional services all draw heavily from this ZIP code cluster.

Housing

Total housing stock stands at 26,383 units, with 24,694 occupied and 1,689 vacant — a vacancy rate of about 6.4 percent. Owner-occupied units number 14,131; renters occupy 10,563 units, putting the owner-renter split at roughly 57–43.

Median home value is $380,100. Median gross rent runs $1,553 per month. Both figures reflect Smyrna's position as a desirable inner-ring suburb: not as expensive as Buckhead or Alpharetta, but not cheap either. For buyers arriving from Atlanta proper, prices are often comparable or higher than what they left behind. For renters, the $1,553 median is steep relative to wages further out in the metro, though the income levels here generally support it.

Schools

Smyrna falls within the Cobb County School District. The schools serving the city run from elementary through high school:

Elementary (PreK–5): King Springs Elementary (1,111 students), Nickajack Elementary (1,111), Teasley Elementary (1,005), Smyrna Elementary (904), Norton Park Elementary (673), Russell Elementary (604), Green Acres Elementary (557), Argyle Elementary (295), Belmont Hills Elementary (279), and International Academy of Smyrna (318, Grades K–5).

Middle School: Campbell Middle School (1,222 students), Griffin Middle School (994 students).

High School: Campbell High School serves grades 9–12 with 2,928 students — one of the larger high schools in Cobb County.

Post-secondary options in the city include Fortis College–Smyrna (770-980-0002), a private career college.

Getting Around

Of 32,630 workers, 21,991 drive alone — about 67 percent. Carpooling accounts for another 2,019. Only 35 residents report using public transit, a remarkably low number that underscores how car-dependent daily life remains despite the city's density and proximity to MARTA's reach. Walking to work is an option for 368 people. Notably, 7,805 residents — nearly 24 percent of workers — work from home, reflecting a workforce composition skewed toward knowledge-economy jobs.

Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 707,745 minutes, suggesting an average one-way trip in the 20–22 minute range, which is reasonable for the Atlanta metro.

Healthcare

Three major hospital systems serve the Smyrna area. WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center in Marietta is the region's largest facility and the most likely destination for serious emergencies. WellStar Cobb Medical Center offers additional inpatient and emergency capacity. For behavioral health, Ridgeview Institute — with a Smyrna location — specializes in psychiatric and addiction treatment.

A full directory of individual healthcare providers registered in Smyrna is searchable through the NPI Registry.

Library

The Lewis A. Ray Library serves Smyrna as part of the Cobb County Public Library System. Phone: (770) 801-5335.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units sit within easy reach:

Natural Hazards

Cobb County's FEMA declaration history is long and varied. Since 1993, the county has been included in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations:

Tropical systems account for several: Hurricane Opal (1995), Hurricane Ivan (2004), a Hurricane Katrina evacuation declaration (2005), Hurricane Irma (two declarations, 2017), and Hurricane Helene (2024). Winter storms have triggered declarations in 1993, 2000, 2014, and 2026. Severe storms and flooding brought declarations in 1993, 1998, and 2009. The COVID-19 pandemic generated two overlapping declarations in March 2020.

The pattern is clear: residents should prepare for ice storms, tropical remnants that deliver heavy rain and wind well inland, and periodic flooding.

Government & Municipal Code

Smyrna's municipal code is published by Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/smyrna. The city does not maintain a separate local building code in the Municode database; building regulations default to state and county standards.

Weather

Current forecasts for Smyrna are available from the National Weather Service. Active alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is at Marietta Dobbins Air Force Base, 1.9 miles away.

References

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