Atlanta declared third fastest-growing metro area in the nation

If it feels like Atlanta is getting more crowded, it is.

Between 2016 and 2017, metro Atlanta packed on nearly 90,000 new residents, bringing the total population in the region to an estimated 5,884,736 people.

The statistics, published by the U.S. Census Bureau, mean Atlanta saw the third highest population gain of any metro in the country, behind Dallas and Houston respectively—cities with larger overall populations.

The numbers put Atlanta’s growth well ahead of Washington, D.C., which has a larger overall population than Atlanta, too. For now.

US Census Bureau

Overall, Atlanta ranks as the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country, just 200,000 residents behind Philadelphia and 275,000 behind Miami, per the Census numbers.

The only other Georgia location to make the list of fastest-growing cities in the country is Jefferson, northwest of Athens. The small city ranked second by both numeric growth and percentage growth for micropolitain areas.

• New Census Bureau Population Estimates Show Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Has Largest Growth in the United States [US Census Bureau]