Alpharetta, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Alpharetta · Fulton County, Georgia
Population 66,355 (est. 2026: ~68,000)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 0.75% annual growth projection

Alpharetta, Georgia

Fulton County, Georgia · Population 65,818

Alpharetta sits in the northern arc of metro Atlanta, about 26 miles from downtown, and has spent the last two decades becoming one of the Southeast's most recognizable technology corridors. The stretch of GA-400 running through the city carries the nickname "Silicon Peach" for the density of software, cybersecurity, and fintech companies that have planted offices here. That economic base shows up in nearly every data point: incomes well above state and county norms, a highly educated workforce, and housing prices that reflect the competition to live close to so many high-paying jobs. Alpharetta is not a suburb in the quiet, bedroom-community sense — it is a destination employment center with its own downtown, its own traffic, and its own identity within Fulton County.

People & Demographics

Alpharetta's population of 65,818 makes it one of the larger cities in Fulton County, which itself holds 1,066,710 residents. The median age is 40.6 years, reflecting a community heavy with established professionals and families. Of 65,884 counted residents, 38,222 identify as White, 14,562 as Asian, 7,432 as Black, and 5,016 as Hispanic or Latino — a composition noticeably more diverse than many Atlanta exurbs, shaped largely by the technology industry's international workforce.

There are 24,093 households, of which 18,028 are family households. The average household size is 2.72 people. With 16,717 children under 18, families with school-age kids make up a substantial share of the community — something that drives intense attention to school quality and neighborhood selection.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Alpharetta is $141,402 — well above Georgia's statewide median and comfortably above Fulton County as a whole. Per capita income stands at $68,391. The labor force counts 36,300 residents, with 1,730 unemployed. Poverty affects 3,291 residents, which translates to a notably low rate for a city of this size.

The economy is anchored by technology, financial services, and healthcare IT. Companies in cybersecurity, cloud computing, and payments processing have made Alpharetta one of the most concentrated tech employment hubs in the South. That concentration means the local economy is tied closely to the fortunes of the tech sector nationwide.

Housing

Alpharetta's housing market is competitive by any measure in Georgia. The median home value is $562,000, and the median rent is $1,767 per month. Of 25,220 total housing units, 24,093 are occupied and 1,127 are vacant. Owner-occupied units number 16,200, compared to 7,893 renter-occupied — a roughly 67/33 split that leans heavily toward ownership. The low vacancy rate of just under 4.5% signals persistent demand and limited slack in the market.

For buyers, the $562,000 median places Alpharetta in premium territory compared to Fulton County broadly. For renters, $1,767 per month is well above most of the Atlanta metro's mid-market areas.

Schools

Alpharetta is served by Fulton County Schools, and the area's schools are among the largest and most closely watched in the system. High schools include:

Middle schools include Autrey Mill (1,260), Taylor Road (1,250), Hopewell (1,222), DeSana (1,215), Webb Bridge (1,173), and Northwestern (1,143).

Elementary schools include Brandywine (1,203 students), Creek View (1,014), Manning Oaks (754), and Cogburn Woods (746).

School sizes here are large by Georgia standards, and enrollment pressure has been a recurring conversation in the community as residential development continues.

Getting Around

Of 34,120 workers, 20,752 drive alone — about 61%. Another 1,633 carpool. Only 427 use public transit and 416 walk to work, numbers that reflect how car-dependent this part of metro Atlanta remains despite the presence of GA-400. The standout figure is 10,456 people who work from home, roughly 30% of the workforce — a percentage consistent with the concentration of knowledge-sector employment.

Aggregate commute time for the city totals 651,705 minutes. Alpharetta is not a place where one should expect to get by without a car for daily needs.

Healthcare

Fulton County has a broad hospital landscape accessible to Alpharetta residents. Closest to the city is WellStar North Fulton Medical Center, which serves the immediate northern suburbs. Further into the metro are Northside Hospital, Piedmont Hospital, Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, Grady Memorial Hospital, and Emory University Hospital Midtown. For pediatric care, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite is a major regional resource. Behavioral health services include Anchor Hospital Campus.

For individual providers and specialists in Alpharetta, the NPI Registry can be searched directly at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.

Library

The Alpharetta/Louie E. Jones & Gertrude C. Jones Memorial Library serves the city and is part of the Fulton County Library System. Phone: (404) 613-6735.

Parks & Recreation

The Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area is the most immediate NPS resource, with the Island Ford Visitor Center located approximately 7.0 miles from Alpharetta. The Chattahoochee corridor offers trails, paddling access, and wildlife habitat running through the urban edge of the metro.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, about 19.2 miles away, provides hiking and Civil War history. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park in Atlanta is approximately 22.9 miles from Alpharetta.

Natural Hazards

Fulton County has a substantial FEMA declaration history. Winter storms have struck in 2000, 2014, and 2026. Severe storms and flooding impacted the county in 1998 and 2009. Tornadoes accompanied a severe storm event in 2008. Hurricane Ivan remnants reached the area in 2004, Hurricane Irma triggered both an emergency management declaration and a major disaster declaration in 2017, and Hurricane Helene produced the same dual-declaration pattern in 2024. Fulton County also served as an evacuation destination for Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The pattern is clear: the primary risks in this part of Georgia are winter ice storms, severe thunderstorms, flooding, and the remnant effects of Gulf and Atlantic hurricanes moving inland.

Government & Municipal Code

Alpharetta's municipal code is published through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/alpharetta. The city does not have a locally published building code listed in the municipal code repository.

Weather

Current forecasts for Alpharetta are available through the National Weather Service at forecast.weather.gov. Active alerts can be monitored at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is Alpharetta 6.2 NNE, located approximately 0.3 miles from the city.

References

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