U.S. Census Bureau Stats Show East Point’s Poverty Rate At 19.9%, Nearly Double The Metro Atlanta Average + Rising Living Costs Lead To Increasing Number Of Evictions Across The Area

U.S. Census Bureau Quick Facts data from 2025 highlights a widening economic rift in the metro area, placing the city of East Point at the center of a regional conversation about poverty and wealth distribution.

According to the latest federal figures, East Point’s poverty rate has reached 19.9%, a number that stands at nearly double the metro Atlanta average of roughly 10% to 11%, and significantly outpaces Georgia’s statewide average of 13.4%. The data exposes a stark reality for this historic city: one in five residents currently lives below the federal poverty line.

Local economists point out that East Point’s financial landscape is deeply intertwined with its geography and industrial history. The city shares an almost identical economic profile with its immediate southern neighbor, College Park, which reports a 20.7% poverty rate. Both municipalities have historically anchored the working-class corridor surrounding Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

However, the census data reveals that geography alone does not dictate destiny. The newly formed city of South Fulton, which wraps around East Point, maintains a poverty rate of just 9.1% and boasts a median household income of $82,324. Experts attribute this gap to South Fulton’s newer, suburban developments and higher rates of single-family homeownership compared to East Point’s older housing stock and higher density of rental properties.

The contrast turns extreme when comparing the southern suburbs to the affluent tech corridors north of Atlanta. In Alpharetta, the poverty rate sits at a mere 5.6%, while the median household income skyrockets to $147,612. Residents in East Point, where the median household income is $68,598, earn less than half of what their northern suburban counterparts bring home.

Per capita, or per person, East Point residents earned on average $37,846 annually in 2024.

When compared to the urban core of Atlanta proper, which has grappled with its own severe income inequality and a 16.9% poverty rate, East Point residents face an even steeper economic climb.

In 2024, renters in East Point paid an average of $1,364 per Month–a figure that has increased as inflation and housing costs have gone up gradually year-over-year. Mortgage holders paid out an average of $1,648 per month.

As the cost of living has not kept pace with wages for many across Metro Atlanta, the number of evictions have also risen–and East Point has not been spared the agony of it: Metro Atlanta, including East Point, now has almost 4 times the average of filed evictions compared to other cities tracked by researchers at Princeton University’s Eviction Lab.

And according to the research group, roughly 1 in 4 renters in Fulton, DeKalb, Cobb, Clayton and Gwinnett counties received an eviction notice during the last 12 months.

The numbers underscore the ongoing challenge for South Fulton County leadership, who are tasked with attracting new commercial investment and higher-paying jobs to the area without displacing the vulnerable populations currently struggling to make ends meet.