Lithonia, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Lithonia · DeKalb County, Georgia
Population 2,614 (est. 2026: ~2,600)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.31% annual growth projection

Lithonia, Georgia

DeKalb County, Georgia · Population 2,662

Lithonia sits at the eastern edge of metro Atlanta, tucked inside DeKalb County about 20 miles from downtown. The city limits are tight — just over 2,600 residents — but Lithonia functions as a hub for a much larger surrounding area. The name comes from the Greek word for stone, fitting for a place that built its early economy on granite quarrying. Today it sits along the US-278 corridor, close to Stone Mountain Park, with MARTA rail access at the Lithonia station connecting residents to the broader metro. It is a predominantly Black city with a young population, a majority-renter housing stock, and a school network that serves far more students than live within the city itself.

People & Demographics

Lithonia's 2,614 residents skew young — median age is 33.1, noticeably lower than DeKalb County's broader profile and below the Georgia state median. The racial composition is sharply defined: 2,138 residents (roughly 82%) identify as Black, 155 as Asian, and 97 as white. The Hispanic and Latino population numbers 199.

There are 984 occupied households, averaging 2.65 people per household. Of those households, 460 are family households. Children under 18 account for 858 residents — nearly a third of the total population — which shapes everything from school demand to park programming.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Lithonia is $45,431. Per capita income stands at $37,638. Both figures trail DeKalb County, where the median household income runs considerably higher, and they sit below Georgia's statewide median as well.

Poverty touches a significant share of residents: 905 people fall below the poverty line, roughly 35% of the population for whom poverty status is determined. Of 1,408 people in the labor force, 103 are unemployed — an unemployment rate of about 7.3%. Most workers commute out of Lithonia into the broader Atlanta metro economy. The city itself has limited commercial and industrial employment within its boundaries, though the surrounding unincorporated area includes retail corridors and light industrial uses near I-20.

Luther Rice College & Seminary (770-484-1204) operates in Lithonia, providing a graduate theological education institution within the city.

Housing

Lithonia has 1,148 total housing units, of which 984 are occupied and 164 are vacant — a vacancy rate of about 14.3%. The ownership picture is distinctly renter-heavy: 703 households rent while only 281 own, meaning renters make up roughly 71% of occupied units. That ratio is steep compared to Georgia's overall homeownership rate and reflects both income constraints and the city's urban-adjacent character.

The median home value is $166,500. Median gross rent runs $1,086 per month. For a household at the city's median income, rent at that level consumes a substantial share of monthly earnings, making housing affordability a real pressure for many residents.

Schools

Lithonia sits within the DeKalb County School District. The schools serving this area are large by enrollment:

High Schools - Lithonia High School — Grades 9–12, 1,483 students - Martin Luther King Jr. High School — Grades 9–12, 1,440 students - Miller Grove High School — Grades 9–12, 1,188 students - Arabia Mountain High School (Academy of Engineering & Medicine) — Grades 9–12, 1,184 students

Middle Schools - Lithonia Middle School — Grades 6–8, 1,214 students - Salem Middle School — Grades 6–8, 988 students - Redan Middle School — Grades 6–8, 668 students

Elementary Schools - Flat Rock Elementary — Grades PK–5, 996 students - Stoneview Elementary — Grades PK–5, 781 students - Princeton Elementary — Grades PK–5, 724 students - Panola Way Elementary — Grades PK–5, 653 students - Edward L. Bouie Sr. Elementary — Grades PK–5, 612 students - Rock Chapel Elementary — Grades PK–5, 558 students - Fairington Elementary — Grades PK–5, 546 students - Murphey Candler Elementary — Grades PK–5, 528 students

The combined enrollment across these schools exceeds 11,000 students — a figure many times the city's own population, reflecting how Lithonia's school campuses anchor a much wider catchment area.

Getting Around

Of 1,305 workers, 922 drive alone. Another 118 carpool. Seventy-two use public transit — a higher share than many comparable small cities, enabled by the MARTA Blue Line with a station in Lithonia. Sixty residents walk to work. Seventy-five work from home.

Aggregate commute time across all workers totals 50,355 minutes, working out to a mean travel time just under 39 minutes per commuter. Driving is the dominant mode, but the MARTA rail connection is a genuine asset that distinguishes Lithonia from most small Georgia cities.

Healthcare

Emory Hillandale Hospital is located in Lithonia, providing the community with a hospital within city boundaries — a significant advantage given the small population size. For a broader directory of local healthcare providers, the CMS NPI Registry lists licensed providers in Lithonia: Search Lithonia, GA providers.

Library

The Redan-Trotti Branch of the DeKalb County Public Library system serves the Lithonia area. Phone: (770) 482-3821.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units sit within reasonable distance of Lithonia:

Stone Mountain Park, immediately west of Lithonia, provides the most proximate large outdoor recreation area, though it is a state facility rather than NPS.

Natural Hazards

DeKalb County carries a long FEMA declaration history, and Lithonia sits fully within that exposure. Declared events going back to 1993 include:

Winter ice storms are a recurring hazard — the Atlanta metro's road infrastructure handles winter precipitation poorly, and Lithonia is no exception. Flooding risk along low-lying areas warrants attention given the repeated storm and flood declarations. The county's hurricane declarations reflect the fact that inland Georgia still takes significant wind and rain damage from Gulf and Atlantic storms.

Government & Municipal Code

Lithonia's municipal code is published through Municode and available at library.municode.com/ga/lithonia. The city does not have a locally adopted building code on file with Municode.

Weather

Current forecast for Lithonia: NWS Forecast Active weather alerts: NWS Alerts Nearest weather observation station: Stone Mountain 4.9 E, approximately 4.0 miles from the city center.

References

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