Clarkston, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Clarkston · DeKalb County, Georgia
Population 14,560 (est. 2026: ~14,600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + -0.02% annual growth projection

Clarkston, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia · Population 14,756

Clarkston sits about nine miles east of downtown Atlanta, tucked inside DeKalb County along the MARTA rail corridor. It is one of the most ethnically diverse small cities in the United States — a designation earned not by accident but through decades of federal refugee resettlement policy that routed families from Somalia, Ethiopia, Burma, Bhutan, and dozens of other countries into this square mile of metro Atlanta. The median age is 27.4, making it a young city by any measure. Clarkston's density, its transit access, and its proximity to Atlanta's job market shape daily life as much as any local institution. This is not a suburb in the conventional sense — it functions more like an urban neighborhood that happens to have its own municipal government.

People & Demographics

Clarkston's population of 14,553 is packed into a small geographic footprint, with an average household size of 3.82 — significantly higher than typical suburban DeKalb numbers, reflecting multigenerational and large refugee family households. Of that population, 10,174 identify as Black, 2,577 as Asian, and 1,298 as white. Hispanic or Latino residents number 259. Children under 18 account for 5,001 residents — more than a third of the total population.

DeKalb County as a whole holds 764,382 people. Clarkston represents less than 2% of that count but draws outsized attention for what its demographics represent: a living case study in American resettlement policy.

Economy & Employment

The labor force stands at 7,077, with 610 people unemployed at the time of the 2022 ACS. Median household income is $51,122 — below Georgia's statewide median, and well below DeKalb County's overall figures, which trend higher due to wealthier municipalities pulling the county average up. Per capita income sits at $18,820, a figure that reflects both the large household sizes and the wage realities of a workforce that includes many recently resettled residents working entry-level or service positions.

Poverty affects 4,175 residents — a substantial share of the population, and one that places significant demand on nonprofit, faith-based, and government assistance infrastructure in the area. The nearby Atlanta metro economy provides the primary employment base; Clarkston itself does not have a large independent commercial sector.

Housing

Of 4,846 total housing units, 3,807 are occupied and 1,039 sit vacant. The ownership rate is strikingly low: only 480 units are owner-occupied, compared to 3,327 renter-occupied units. That means roughly 87% of occupied housing is rental — a figure that reflects both the transient nature of refugee resettlement and the general economics of a low-income, high-density community adjacent to a major metro.

Median home value is $212,500. Median rent is $1,227 per month. For households earning the city's median income, that rent burden is significant. Housing in Clarkston is cheaper than most of intown Atlanta, which is part of why it has historically attracted lower-income renters, but costs have climbed with broader metro Atlanta appreciation.

Schools

Clarkston is served by DeKalb County School District. Local schools include:

The Atlanta Area School for the Deaf is a state-operated school serving students across Georgia, not just the local attendance zone. Its presence in Clarkston reflects the city's role as a regional hub for specialized services. Enrollment at Clarkston High reflects the city's demographic composition — among the most diverse high schools in Georgia by country-of-origin.

Higher education: Georgia Piedmont Technical College operates in the area and can be reached at (404) 297-9522.

Getting Around

Of 6,100 workers, 3,727 drive alone to work and 1,204 carpool. Public transit accounts for 462 commuters — a meaningful number for a city this size, enabled by MARTA rail and bus access connecting Clarkston to Atlanta's job centers. Only 5 workers walk to work. About 587 work from home.

Average travel time, derived from 185,980 aggregate minutes across 6,100 workers, works out to roughly 30 minutes each way. That's consistent with inner-ring suburb commutes into Atlanta.

Healthcare

Clarkston does not have a major hospital within city limits. The Atlanta metro's hospital network — including Emory, Grady Memorial, and DeKalb Medical — is accessible via the surrounding road and transit network. For a current list of licensed healthcare providers with active NPI registrations in Clarkston, the CMS NPI Registry can be searched directly: NPI Registry — Clarkston, GA.

Library

The Clarkston Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library serves the community and can be reached at (404) 508-7175. The branch plays an outsized role here relative to many suburban libraries — it functions as an entry point for residents navigating English language learning, citizenship processes, and job resources.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are within reasonable driving distance:

The Chattahoochee River NRA offers the closest outdoor recreation, with trails and river access north and west of the city.

Natural Hazards

DeKalb County has accumulated 15 FEMA disaster declarations since 1993, covering a wide range of hazard types:

Severe weather and flooding: Severe storms and flooding struck in 1998 and 2009; a tornado event hit in 2008; winter storms hit in 1993, 2000, and 2014, with another severe winter storm declared in January 2026.

Hurricanes: The county has received federal declarations tied to Hurricane Opal (1995), Hurricane Ivan (2004), Hurricane Katrina evacuee impacts (2005), Hurricane Irma (2017, two separate declarations), and Hurricane Helene (2024).

Pandemic: Both the COVID-19 emergency declaration (March 13, 2020) and the subsequent major disaster declaration (March 29, 2020) covered DeKalb County.

The hurricane declarations are notable given Georgia's inland position — these reflect wind, flooding, and in the case of Katrina, mass evacuation support rather than direct landfall impacts. The January 2026 severe winter storm declaration is the most recent on record.

Government & Municipal Code

Clarkston's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/clarkston. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file with this publisher — construction and development standards default to applicable state and county codes.

Weather

Current forecasts for Clarkston are available through the National Weather Service: NWS Forecast — Clarkston, GA. Active alerts can be checked at NWS Alerts. The nearest weather observation station is CLARKSTON 0.6 SW, approximately 0.4 miles from the city center.

References

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