James March-April 2025 web - Flipbook - Page 39
CO UN T Y
winnett County has a
plethora of pluses going
for it, says Nicole Love
Hendrickson, the optimistic chair of the Gwinnett Board of
Commissioners. She underscores that
it is the second most populous county in Georgia and the largest service
provider outside of the state.
At the same time, like any other
county, there are challenges and opportunities. “We are providing services
to a growing population with different
needs,” Hendrickson told this writer.
“We also have the most cities, 17, and
we are also the most diverse county
with 25 percent of our population born
outside the country. Consider that over
100 languages are spoken, and we
have a very large population that has
another set of needs.”
According to the U.S. Census
Bureau’s website, Gwinnett County
has grown from 595,584 residents in
2000 to an estimated 983,526 in 2023.
It trails only Fulton County’s 1.1 mil-
lion residents. Gwinnett’s population
increase from 2000 to 2022 was 63.8
percent, much higher than the U.S.
population (18.1 percent) and Georgia’s population (32.6 percent) during
that period.
“Probably the most difficult part
is since the 1980s we’ve been one of
the fastest-growing counties in the
nation,” said Nick Masino, president
and CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber
and Partnership Gwinnett. “We’re still
outpacing the region. We’re dealing
with all the things growing counties
deal with, especially infrastructure.
For people moving here, our population is getting older, and we have
social service needs.”
Hendrickson adds: “Given that we
are the second most populous county, we are one of the best counties to
raise a family, to work in, live in and
go to school. We have such amazing
quality-of-life amenities, so it makes us
very attractive to families, individuals,
young people and couples to live here.”
Economic Base & Transportation
Gwinnett has a AAA bond rating,
the highest. As of August, the county’s median household income was
$89,595, 13 percent more than the
national average and 16 percent higher
than the state rate, according to a
county spokeswoman.
Gwinnett had a total of 66,522
businesses, with the leading industries being manufacturing, professional, scientific and technical retail, along
with health care and social services.
Its total industry earnings were an
impressive $13.9 billion in 2001 and
$22.4 billion in 2022.
The population growth spurs
diversity, with non-white residents
NICOLE LOVE HENDRICKSON
