Creative Industries Thrive in Metro Atlanta

Source: Atlanta Regional Commission Regional Snapshot for July 2012

The latest Regional Snapshot examines creative industries in the 10-county Atlanta region, with the largest sectors including Film & Media, Literary & Publishing and Design. The industries have been on the rise ever since the tax credit was retooled in 2008.

Today film, television and digital entertainment tax credits of up to 30 percent create significant cost savings for companies producing feature films, television series, music videos and commercials, as well as interactive games and animation.

Georgia’s Entertainment Industry Investment Act provides a 20 percent tax credit for companies that spend $500,000 or more on production and post-production in Georgia, either in a single production or on multiple projects.

In an interview with Variety magazine, Broderick Johnson, producer of “The Blind Side,” said, “The magnitude of Georgia’s tax break is one of the best, if not the best in the country.” Johnson’s award-winning film was one of hundreds of projects shot in Georgia in recent years.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Because Fulton County has the largest employment base, by far, in the region, it naturally has the largest number of creative industry busi- nesses. Fulton has more than 4,000 businesses, roughly one-third of the total in the region, that are considered part of the creative industry cluster. Next is Gwinnett with 2,100 (18 percent of all creative industry businesses), DeKalb (2,050, 17 percent) and Cobb (1,900, 16 percent).

NOT ALL SECTORS ARE CREATED EQUAL

We isolated six primary sectors of the creative industry cluster – Design; Film & Media; Heritage & Museum; Literary & Publishing; Performing Arts; and Visual Arts & Crafts. Chart 2 shows that 27 percent of all creative industries fall into the Film & Media category; the sector employs 38 percent of creative industry employees.

While the Design Sector has 22 percent of all creative industry businesses, it only employs 16 percent of the workers, showing this sector to be less labor-intensive than other creative industry sectors.

Conversely, while the Literary & Publishing Sector has almost 16 percent of all creative industry businesses, it employs almost 24 percent of the workers, meaning this sector is more labor-intensive.

We also looked at the top three employer categories (based on NAICS code) for each creative industry sector. Table 2 shows that in the Design sector, the “Architectural Services” sub-industry employs the most workers – by a large margin – while the “Graphic Design” and “Interior Design” sub-industries rank second and third.

Within the Film & Media Sector, there are more than 6,600 workers in Advertising Agencies and more than 4,000 workers in both the “Software Publishers” sub-industry and the “Radio, Television, and Electronics Stores” sub-industry. The latter sub-industry is included in our definition of creative industries because such stores are the primary distribution centers of products made in these industries.

Many of these sectors have non-profits that make up the bulk of businesses and workers, including the Heritage & Museum sector and the Performing Arts sector.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as the City of Atlanta. For 60 years, ARC and its predecessor agencies have helped to focus the region’s leadership, attention and resources on key issues of regional consequence.

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Who’s Moving to Atlanta and Where are They Coming From?

Source: Atlanta Regional Commission Regional Snapshot for February 2012

Most moves are local. This is according to an analysis of data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that finds more than half of people moving into one of the 20 counties that comprise the Atlanta Regional Commission’s planning area, moved from one of the other 20 counties. It also shows how inter-related the individual counties are within the region. Upcoming Snapshots will show that this is particularly true for work flows and travel patterns.

This Snapshot presents data from the IRS concerning migration patterns from 2000 to 2009, the latest period for which this data is available. The IRS tracks movement between counties in the U.S. based on tax filings – if an address is in a different county from one year to the next, filers and their dependents are considered migrants. There are limitations to these data: The technique captures only those who file returns, so it misses a disproportionate number of seniors, the very low income and new arrivals from different countries who have never filed a U.S. tax return before. Therefore, this analysis explores only domestic migration.

Most Migrants Move to, or From, One of the other 20 Counties

More than half of those moving into one of the 20 counties between 2000 and 2009 came from one of the other 20 counties. In all cases, the most popular “origin” county (where moved from) was adjacent to the “destination” county (where moved to). This shows that the majority of moves are to nearby locales.

While 36 percent of those moving into the 20-county area came from a different state, only 31 percent of those moving out of the Atlanta region went to a different state. This shows that the Atlanta region is a net attractor of people nationwide, especially from the Northeast.

Migrants from New York, Florida and California Choose Atlanta

Table 3 shows net migration between the top 10 states (“top” meaning most net migration into the Atlanta area) and the 20 area counties. Between 2000 and 2009, the top “origin” state – where people are moving from – was New York. More than 60,247 more people moved from New York to the 20-counties than vice versa. This is also true of Florida (+55,500), California (+25,800) and New Jersey (+22,700).

Gwinnett attracted more than 63,200 new residents from different states between 2000 and 2009, including 17,800 from New York alone, tops in the region. Next are Fulton (+61,800) Cobb (+45,800), and DeKalb (+32,500).

The 20-county region sees a net outflow of people to very few states. Colorado leads the way with net outflow of more than 1,300 people between 2000 and 2009. Other states include Maine (-500) Arizona (-475) and Nevada (-350). Washington D.C. attracted a net outflow of 540 former Atlanta residents between 2000 and 2009.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as the City of Atlanta. For 60 years, ARC and its predecessor agencies have helped to focus the region’s leadership, attention and resources on key issues of regional consequence.

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State of the Atlanta Region in 2011

The Atlanta Regional Commission recently released its Regional Snapshot for November/December 2011. This special Regional Snapshot tells the story of the Atlanta region through the eyes of the 2010 Census, the most comprehensive and reliable information released about the nation in the last 10 years. The story line is familiar – metro Atlanta is one of the fastest-growing places in the nation, while getting older and more diverse. And the magnitude of change is dramatic. Simply put, the Atlanta region isn’t the same place it was 10 years ago. And it won’t be the same place in 30 years. Change will continue to transform our region.

BE NICE TO THE MILLENNIALS – THEY’LL BE RUNNING THIS PLACE SOON

For decades, demographers and other data followers have been warning of the coming tide of aging Baby Boomers. Well, they have arrived. The next tide are the Millennials, and if history is any guide, they too will demand new things from society, much the same way their parents and grandparents (Boomers) did.

While the Baby Boom generation (those ages 45-64 today) continues to put its stamp on society by adding the most population between 2000-2010, it’s the Millennials (those ages 10-29) who have the largest 2010 population. As of 2010, the Millennials are 1.5 million strong in the 20-county Atlanta region, a population almost 200,000 greater than the Baby Boomers. And they have completely different living preferences than the Boomers. They are much more likely to live in-town, or in areas with a college (as they are of college-age, of course).

BUT THOSE OVER 45 ARE RUNNING THIS PLACE TODAY

The areas with the highest median age tend to be outside the I-285 perimeter, with the exception of the Buckhead and Sandy Springs areas in Fulton, and the Toco Hills/Emory area in DeKalb. The urban core is dominated by the young, as are areas with heavy concentra- tions of Hispanic populations.

While the Millennials are the most populous age cohort in the 20- county Atlanta region, the greatest population gains occurred in the oldest age cohorts – the 45-64 (today known as the Baby Boomers) and the 65 and older groups. Every jurisdiction in the 20-county region had larger percent increases in the older age cohorts than in the younger ones, especially in the outer counties. That doesn’t mean that no jurisdictions are adding kids, however. Forsyth’s under-30 population increased 78 percent, Henry’s increased 67 percent and Paulding’s increased 64 percent.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) is the regional planning and intergovernmental coordination agency for the 10-county area including Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale counties, as well as the City of Atlanta. For 60 years, ARC and its predecessor agencies have helped to focus the region’s leadership, attention and resources on key issues of regional consequence.

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Atlanta Regional Commission Forecasts for Population and Job Growth

TWO COUNTIES WILL BE HOME TO MORE THAN ONE MILLION PEOPLE BY 2040

Of the three million more people expected in the region by 2040, nearly 800,000 of them will call either Fulton or Gwinnett home, accounting for 26 percent of the 20-county region’s forecast population growth, which actually represents a decline from a 32 percent share today.

Both counties will have more than one million people by 2040. Gwinnett is forecast to add almost 413,000 people, tops in the region. Next are Fulton (+373,000), Henry (+239,000) and Forsyth (+202,000). The City of Atlanta is forecast to add more than 250,000 people.

Five counties will more than double their populations between now and 2040, and another five counties will see their populations almost double. Henry County will see the largest percentage increase (124 percent) between now and 2040. Next are Paulding (119 percent), Forsyth (114 percent), Coweta (107 percent) and Newton (106 percent).

Finally, the growth that ARC forecasts for the next 30 years is remarkably similar to the growth the region experienced between 1980 and 2010. While the overall numbers are similar, the type of growth over the next 30 years will look different than the growth of the previous 30 years. Metro Atlanta, and the nation as a whole, is getting older and more diverse.

FULTON TO HAVE MORE THAN ONE MILLION JOBS BY 2040

Fulton County is forecast to add more than 360,000 jobs over the next 30 years, tops in the region. This growth will give Fulton more than one million jobs, or roughly 28 percent of all jobs in the region.

Gwinnett will add 220,000 jobs, ranking second in forecast job growth. Next are Cobb (+154,000) and DeKalb (+135,000). The City of Atlanta will add more than 200,000 jobs.

In percentage terms, Cherokee will lead the region with a 166 percent increase in jobs over the next 30 years. Next are Henry (+141 percent), Barrow (+133 percent) and Forsyth (+124 percent). Note that 10 counties are expected to at least double their job base between now and 2040.

Similar to the trend noted in population, the “Big Four” counties of Fulton, Gwinnett, Cobb and DeKalb account for the vast majority of all jobs in the region today, almost 72 percent. By 2040, those four counties’ share of the region’s jobs will drop to 66 percent.

Please click here for the entire article on the growth for population and jobs in metro Atlanta.

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