Candler-McAfee, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Candler-McAfee · DeKalb County, Georgia
Population 21,316 (est. 2026: ~20,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -1.93% annual growth projection

Candler-McAfee, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia · Population 22,468

Candler-McAfee sits in the southwestern corner of DeKalb County, just outside Atlanta's city limits and east of I-285. It's a census-designated place, not an incorporated municipality — meaning it shares county services rather than running its own city hall. The neighborhood is densely residential, majority Black, and working-class in character. Residents are close enough to downtown Atlanta to commute by transit or highway, yet median home values here run well below what Atlanta proper commands. It's the kind of place where people have lived for decades, raised families, and built equity in an affordable pocket that the metro area's expansion has increasingly surrounded.

People & Demographics

The population stands at 22,707, with a median age of 39.8 — slightly older than a typical suburban Atlanta community. The racial composition is clearly defined: 18,453 residents identify as Black (roughly 81%), 2,624 as White, and 655 as Hispanic or Latino. The Asian population is small at 57. DeKalb County as a whole counts 764,382 residents, making Candler-McAfee about 3% of the county's total.

There are 7,890 occupied households averaging 2.84 people each. Family households number 4,449, and 4,461 children under 18 live here — a meaningful share of the population that reflects the community's family-oriented character.

Economy & Employment

Median household income is $57,633, and per capita income is $28,833. Georgia's statewide median household income hovers around $65,000, so Candler-McAfee runs below the state average — but the gap is narrower than many assume for a community this close to Atlanta.

Of the 11,593 residents in the labor force, 1,518 are unemployed, an unemployment rate near 13%. That figure reflects structural challenges that have persisted in this part of DeKalb County. Approximately 3,315 residents fall below the federal poverty line.

Housing

Candler-McAfee has 10,051 total housing units, of which 7,890 are occupied and 2,161 sit vacant — a vacancy rate around 21.5%. That's higher than most metro Atlanta communities and worth noting for anyone evaluating neighborhood stability.

Owner-occupied units number 4,870; renters occupy 3,020. The homeownership rate of roughly 62% is solid for an inner-ring suburban community. Median home value is $211,400 — affordable by Atlanta metro standards, where many nearby ZIP codes have pushed past $400,000. Median gross rent is $1,346 per month, which reflects the broader Atlanta rental market pressure.

Schools

Candler-McAfee falls within DeKalb County Schools. The large high schools serving this part of the county include Westlake High School (2,461 students, grades 9–12), Lithonia High School (1,483 students), Tucker High School (1,579 students), and Maynard Jackson High School (1,474 students). Middle school students in the area may attend Sequoyah Middle School (1,763 students, grades 6–8) or Willis A. Sutton Middle School (1,548 students).

For families seeking alternatives, Riverwood International Charter School (1,737 students) and Georgia Cyber Academy — a statewide online school enrolling 8,876 students across grades K–12 — are options within the county's broader ecosystem. Several of the listed schools, including North Atlanta, Dunwoody, Chamblee, and Lakeside high schools, serve other parts of DeKalb or Fulton County but reflect the scale and diversity of options available in the metro.

Higher education nearby includes Morehouse School of Medicine, reachable at 404-752-1500, located in Atlanta's historic west side.

Getting Around

Of 9,926 workers, 6,497 drive alone, 776 carpool, and 897 use public transit — a transit share of about 9%, notable for a suburban community. MARTA bus and rail connections make Atlanta's core genuinely accessible without a car. Another 1,310 work from home and 152 walk to work.

The aggregate commute picture averages roughly 30 minutes per worker. I-285 and I-20 are the primary highways. For transit commuters, MARTA's east-west rail line and multiple bus routes provide real options into downtown Atlanta and beyond.

Healthcare

Candler-McAfee is surrounded by DeKalb County's hospital network. Emory Decatur Hospital and Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta are the primary facilities serving this area. A full directory of individual healthcare providers registered with CMS in Candler-McAfee is searchable through the NPI Registry.

Library

The nearest public library branch is the Flat Shoals Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library system, approximately 1.0 mile away. Contact: 404-244-4370.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from Candler-McAfee:

Natural Hazards

DeKalb County has a long record of federal disaster declarations, and Candler-McAfee sits squarely within that risk profile. Since 1993, the county has faced declarations for:

The pattern is clear: this part of Georgia faces recurring winter storm disruption, periodic flooding, and tropical storm impacts even well inland. Ice storms in particular have caused widespread outages and road closures in DeKalb County multiple times.

Government & Municipal Code

Candler-McAfee is a census-designated place and does not have an independent municipal government. County-level governance through DeKalb County applies. A municipal code is published through Municode and accessible at library.municode.com/ga/candler-mcafee-cdp-georgia. No local building code is on file for the CDP.

Weather

Current forecasts for Candler-McAfee are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast. Active weather alerts can be monitored at NWS Alerts. The nearest weather observation station is Decatur 3.9 SE, approximately 2.5 miles from the community center.

References

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