Planners: Cobb will keep growing but slower; housing diversity and affordability are key challenges

Cobb County planners said population and employment are expected to continue rising through 2050 but at a slower pace than mid-century boom years. "Cobb's going to continue to grow just not at the same pace that it has in the past," Donald Wells said when reviewing projections from the Atlanta Regional Commission.

Wells summarized household trends: the number of households 65 and older is increasing, households with children are trending down, and roughly three-quarters of households are married-couple or family households. On employment, he cited a labor force of about 425,000 and an unemployment rate near 3.1% as of March 2026.

On housing supply and affordability, planners said single-family homes dominate and that housing diversity is limited. They flagged cost burden as a significant challenge: "Nearly 48% — so basically 50% — of Cobb renters are cost burden," Wells said, meaning those households spend more than 30% of income on housing. Planners pointed to the need to expand affordable housing options and said the future land-use map and policies will be open for community input during upcoming engagement series.