Dacula, Georgia
Seal of Georgia
Dacula · Gwinnett County, Georgia
Population 7,135 (est. 2026: ~8,200)
Source: Census ACS 2023 · ACS 2023 + 4.33% annual growth projection

Dacula, Georgia

Gwinnett County, Georgia · Population 6,882

Dacula sits in the northeastern corner of Gwinnett County, roughly 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. It occupies that particular slice of exurban Georgia where subdivision streets still end near open land, where the county's suburban push hasn't quite erased the small-town bones underneath. The city proper is compact — under 7,000 residents — but the schools serving the Dacula area enroll nearly 9,700 students across eight campuses, a clear signal that the surrounding unincorporated community dwarfs the city limits. Families come here for the school cluster, the relative affordability compared to Atlanta's closer suburbs, and access to a metro labor market without paying metro-core prices.

People & Demographics

Dacula's 6,906 residents (ACS 2022) skew young. The median age is 35.0, consistent with a community built around young families — 2,131 residents are children under 18, roughly 31% of the total population. Average household size is 3.10, well above the national average of around 2.5, reinforcing that family-with-children profile.

The racial and ethnic makeup is genuinely mixed. Of the total population, 3,128 identify as white, 1,682 as Black, and 515 as Asian. The Hispanic and Latino population stands at 1,416 — about 20.5% of residents — reflecting broader demographic trends across Gwinnett County, one of the most diverse counties in the southeastern United States. Gwinnett's overall population of 957,062 makes it Georgia's second-most-populous county, and Dacula's diversity mirrors the county's reputation as a majority-minority community.

There are 2,230 households total, with 1,668 classified as family households — about 74.8% of all households.

Economy & Employment

The median household income in Dacula is $81,322, which sits above Georgia's statewide median and reflects the community's role as a bedroom destination for Atlanta-area professionals. Per capita income is $27,774, a figure that makes more sense when read against the above-average household size — income is spread across larger families.

Of 3,087 residents in the labor force, 158 are unemployed, an unemployment rate of roughly 5.1%. Poverty affects 724 residents, or approximately 10.5% of the population — present but not dominant.

Most workers commute out. Dacula itself has limited commercial employment; the economic gravity is Atlanta and the broader Gwinnett corridor.

Housing

Dacula's 2,366 total housing units are overwhelmingly occupied — only 136 sit vacant, a 5.7% vacancy rate that signals tight supply. Owner-occupancy dominates: 1,886 units are owner-occupied against just 344 renter-occupied, putting the homeownership rate at about 84.6% of occupied units. This is a town of homeowners.

The median home value is $305,500. Median rent runs $1,285 per month. Both figures are meaningful relative to Gwinnett County overall, where values have climbed sharply through the 2020s. Dacula remains accessible compared to Alpharetta or Johns Creek to the west, but the gap has narrowed.

Schools

The Dacula cluster within Gwinnett County Public Schools is one of the larger school clusters in the county system.

Dacula High School (Grades 9–12): 2,498 students Dacula Middle School (Grades 6–8): 1,839 students Alcova Elementary School (Grades K–5): 1,436 students Harbins Elementary School (Grades K–5): 1,412 students Dacula Elementary School (Grades K–5): 1,188 students Dyer Elementary School (Grades K–5): 861 students Puckett's Mill Elementary School (Grades K–5): 780 students Fort Daniel Elementary School (Grades K–5): 691 students

Total cluster enrollment across all eight schools exceeds 10,700 students — a number that puts the school population in sharp relief against the city's 6,882 residents. The cluster serves a large surrounding unincorporated area, not just the city proper.

Among Dacula residents 25 and older (4,191 total), 702 hold a bachelor's degree and 157 hold a doctorate — a notable figure suggesting a professional and academic thread in the community. An additional 129 hold master's degrees.

Getting Around

Dacula is a car-required community. Of 2,775 workers, 1,893 drove alone to work — 68.2%. Another 209 carpooled. Only 21 used public transit, and zero reported walking to work. Working from home has become a significant category: 652 residents — about 23.5% of workers — worked from home, a proportion that reflects both the post-pandemic shift and the white-collar composition of the workforce.

The aggregate travel time for all commuters is 89,880 minutes, averaging roughly 32 minutes per worker each way. Atlanta's traffic patterns mean that number stretches considerably during peak hours for anyone heading toward the perimeter or downtown.

Healthcare

The nearest major hospital systems serving Dacula residents include Northside Hospital Gwinnett, Piedmont Eastside Medical Center, and Northside Hospital Duluth, all within Gwinnett County. Emory Johns Creek Hospital lies to the west. SummitRidge Center (psychiatry and addictive medicine) provides specialized behavioral health services in the region.

For a directory of individual healthcare providers registered in Dacula, the NPI Registry search is available at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.

Library

The Hamilton Mill branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library system serves the Dacula area. Phone: (770) 978-5154.

Parks & Recreation

Three National Park Service units are accessible from Dacula:

Natural Hazards

Gwinnett County has a substantial FEMA declaration record, and Dacula residents should understand the range of events that have triggered federal assistance in this county:

Severe weather and flooding hit repeatedly — declarations for severe storms and flooding in 1998 and 2009, and severe winter storms in 1993, 2000, 2014, and 2026. Hurricanes Opal (1995), Irma (2017, two declarations), and Helene (2024) all reached Gwinnett with enough force to trigger federal emergency declarations. The county also participated in the Hurricane Katrina evacuation declaration in 2005, absorbing displaced Gulf Coast residents. The COVID-19 pandemic generated two federal declarations in March 2020. A drought declaration dates back to 1977.

The winter storm history is worth noting for anyone assuming Georgia's climate means light winters — ice events have triggered federal declarations multiple times across the decades.

Government & Municipal Code

Dacula's municipal code is published through Municode and is publicly accessible at library.municode.com/ga/dacula. No separate building code is listed in the municipal code index.

Weather

National Weather Service forecasts for Dacula are available at forecast.weather.gov. Weather alerts specific to this location are at alerts.weather.gov. The nearest official weather observation station is DACULA 2.7 NW, approximately 2.0 miles from town.

References

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