Brookhaven, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Brookhaven · DeKalb County, Georgia
Population 57,224 (est. 2026: ~59,300)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 1.1% annual growth projection

Brookhaven, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia · Population 55,161

Brookhaven sits inside the I-285 perimeter, tucked between Atlanta's Buckhead district to the west and Chamblee to the north, incorporated as a city only in 2012 but functioning as one of metro Atlanta's most established residential enclaves for decades before that. It is young, educated, expensive, and dense enough to feel urban while still organized around neighborhoods and school catchments the way suburban Atlanta tends to be. The median age of 34.6 reflects a city dominated by working-age professionals — many of them pulling salaries that put Brookhaven well above both DeKalb County and Georgia state medians. It is not a bedroom community in the sleepy sense. People here are close to the city, connected to it, and in many cases actively commuting into it daily.

People & Demographics

Brookhaven's 56,848 residents spread across 24,369 households, with an average household size of 2.30. The city is racially mixed in a way that reflects its position inside metro Atlanta: 37,096 residents identify as white, 6,923 as Black, 3,873 as Asian, and 10,014 as Hispanic or Latino. Family households number 12,147, and children under 18 account for 12,616 residents — meaningful for a city this size, and a driver of demand for the public school system. DeKalb County as a whole holds 764,382 residents, making Brookhaven about 7% of county population, though it punches above that weight in terms of income and educational attainment.

Economy & Employment

The median household income of $114,570 places Brookhaven well above the Georgia state median, which has historically sat around $65,000–$70,000. Per capita income reaches $74,964 — a figure that reflects a highly credentialed workforce concentrated in professional services, healthcare, technology, and finance. Of the 34,897 residents in the labor force, 1,054 are unemployed, yielding a low unemployment rate. Poverty affects 5,958 residents, a relatively modest share of the total population given the city's overall affluence, though those individuals are navigating poverty inside one of the most expensive housing markets in the county.

Housing

Housing in Brookhaven is expensive. The median home value of $626,800 is high by any Georgia standard. Median rent runs $1,711 per month. Of 27,597 total housing units, 24,369 are occupied and 3,228 sit vacant — a vacancy rate of roughly 11.7%. Owner-occupied units number 13,301, while 11,068 households rent, making the split close to 55% ownership and 45% rental. That near-parity between owners and renters is characteristic of inner-ring Atlanta cities where apartments and condominiums are interspersed with single-family neighborhoods. Affordability is a real concern: a household earning the city's median income would spend a significant share of take-home pay on a typical mortgage or rent here.

Schools

Brookhaven's public schools operate within DeKalb County Schools.

Cross Keys High School serves a heavily Hispanic student population, reflecting the demographics of the northern Brookhaven area it draws from. Oglethorpe University, a private liberal arts institution, is located in Brookhaven and reachable at 404-261-1441.

Getting Around

Of 33,207 total workers, 20,541 drive alone — about 62%. Another 1,955 carpool. Public transit accounts for 1,429 commuters, a modest but real number supported by MARTA rail and bus access along Peachtree Road and Buford Highway corridors. Working from home claims 8,543 residents, roughly 26% of the workforce — a figure that reshapes what "commuting" means here. Only 240 residents walk to work. Aggregate travel time across all workers totals 606,350 minutes, suggesting average one-way commutes typical of inner-Atlanta distances — shorter than outer suburbs, longer than zero. Brookhaven is walkable in patches, particularly around Dresden Drive and Peachtree Road, but a car remains necessary for most daily needs.

Healthcare

Local providers can be searched through the CMS NPI Registry for Brookhaven, GA: NPI Provider Search. Major hospital facilities serving Brookhaven residents are located in adjacent Buckhead and Midtown Atlanta, within a short drive inbound on Peachtree Road.

Library

The Brookhaven Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library system serves the city from 1.1 miles away. Phone: 404-848-7140.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from Brookhaven:

Natural Hazards

DeKalb County carries a long FEMA declaration history, and Brookhaven sits within that risk profile. Declarations affecting the county include:

Winter storms repeatedly emerge as a recurring threat — Atlanta's ice storm vulnerability is well established, and DeKalb County has been caught in multiple events severe enough to warrant federal declarations. Flooding along creek corridors is also a documented hazard.

Government & Municipal Code

Brookhaven's municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/brookhaven. No separate municipal building code is listed in the city's code library.

Weather

Current forecasts for Brookhaven are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast. Active weather alerts: NWS Alerts. The nearest official weather observation station is North Atlanta 2.0 SW, located 1.2 miles from the city center.

References

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