Atlanta, overlooking Piedmont Park at dusk. Atlanta’s population has surged in recent decades, along … [+]
Atlanta has changed a lot over the last few decades. Its growth is very much due to the huge migration of Americans to the Sun Belt in the post-World War II period. From 1990, when the population was 394,017, Atlanta has grown by roughly 30%, reaching a population of 510,823 in 2023. Interestingly, Atlanta’s population actually peaked with the 1970 Census, at 495,039, before dropping to 394,017 in 1990.
In conjunction with the population boom, there has been a secular economic boom that has transformed the face of Atlanta, the Atlanta metro area, as well as the state of Georgia overall. This economic boom in turn led to a substantial growth in wealth, with signs of it everywhere, from rising incomes to soaring home values to increased income inequality.
The Atlanta metro area has seen home values and rents rise significantly over the years, but especially since the pandemic hit in 2020. There are ZIP codes in Atlanta proper and the surrounding suburbs that saw their median home values go from the $400,000s to the $700,00s in the span of three to four years. Recently, we’ve been analyzing ZIP codes in terms of their home values, and going state by state identifying the most expensive ones. This time around the focus is on the Atlanta metro area rather than on the state level. Read on to find out the most expensive ZIP codes in the Atlanta area in 2024.
The Most Expensive ZIP Codes in the Atlanta Area
Using data from Zillow’s home value index, we analyzed thousands of ZIP codes across the U.S. and zero-in on the top 20 most expensive ZIP codes in the Atlanta area. As part of our analysis, we took into consideration the latest monthly home values Zillow has — September 2024 — as well as the average of 12 months of median home values from October 2023 to September 2024, in order to gain a fuller picture. We included communities within the metro area but separate from Atlanta proper, as long as they were within a certain radius; especially, considering some of the most expensive ZIP codes in Atlanta proper have farther commutes than the outlying suburban towns. We tried to stay within the I-285 perimeter.
Below are the 20 most expensive ZIP codes in Atlanta.
Many of the most expensive ZIP codes in the Atlanta area tend to be north of the city center, some as separate communities, others still within Atlanta city limits. There’s only one ZIP code in Atlanta with a median home value in excess of $1 million.
The Top 5 Most Expensive ZIP Codes in the Atlanta Area
The No. 1 most expensive ZIP code in the Atlanta metro area is 30327, which is north of the Atlanta city center. It covers places like Paces, Whitewater Creek, Margaret Mitchell, on up north to I-285. This Fulton County ZIP code had a median home value of $939,506 back in September 2019. Five years later, the median had reached over $1.373 million by September 2024. That represents a five-year growth rate of 46.2%, which is substantial for a ZIP code that was already so expensive. The median household income in 30327 is a whopping $173,761, and the mean household income is $322,047.
The No. 2 most expensive ZIP code in the Atlanta area is 30306. It is northeast of downtown Atlanta, a covers portions of places like Druid Hills and Morningside-Lenox Park. The growth rate here in home values is less than that of the No. 1 ZIP code 30327. But it is still impressive 36.9% over five years, from $644,471 in September 2019 to $882,419 in September 2024.
The second most expensive ZIP code in Atlanta covers a large area northeast of the city center, but … [+]
The third most expensive ZIP code in the Atlanta area is 30342, which is north of Atlanta, covering areas like East Chastain Park, Windsor at Peachtree, right up to I-285 in the north. The rate of home value appreciation here is very close to No. 2 ZIP code 30306: 33.4% from September 2019 — $585,624 median — to September 2024 — $781,440 median. Incomes here are definitely high, with the median household income being $115,779. The average household income is $205,054. Nearly 15% of households in 30342 earn $200,000 or more per year.
The fourth most expensive ZIP code in the Atlanta metro area is 30319, centered mainly on Brookhaven, an affluent suburb north of Atlanta. Here again, the five-year home value appreciation rate is similar to the No. 2 and No. 3 ZIP codes: 31.8%, from a median home value of $543,816 in September 2019, $716,873 in September 2024. Incomes in ZIP code 30319 are just as high as they are in No. 3 30342. The median household income in 30319 is $127,776, while the mean household income is $196,043. The income distribution in this ZIP code is very uneven: Nearly one-third of households earn $200,000 or more a year.
ZIP code 30307, the fifth most expensive ZIP code in Atlanta, includes much of the area south of … [+]
The fifth most expensive ZIP code in Atlanta is 30307, which is a smaller ZIP code than the other top five most expensive ones. This ZIP code covers places like Inman Park, Candler Park, Lake Claire, Emory Village, Emory Highlands, but not Emory University. Home values experienced strong growth here, 30.2% over the five years from September 2019 — median of $537,294 — to September 2024, when the median home value reached just below $700,000. The median household income in 30307 is an impressive $140,417 and the mean household income of $190,023.