Still lowest in metro Atlanta

Fayette County had the highest median household income in the 10-county metro Atlanta area in 2003, up 1.3 percent from 2000. With statistics like that, Fayette enjoys a reputation in the area as the home of corporate executives and other well-salaried employees.

Yet during the same time frame, Fayette saw a huge uptick in the percentage of persons who were defined as living in poverty by U.S. Census standards. That figure increased by 46.4 percent, as 5,237 persons (a total of 5.3 percent of the population) are now living in poverty here, up from 3,576 in 2000.

In 2003, an average household of four people is considered to live in poverty if the combined income is less than $18,810 per year.

The figures were reported in a recent publication from the Atlanta Regional Commission, which took its data from the U.S. Census.

Fayette had the lowest overall total number of persons living in poverty in the 10-county metro Atlanta region. Fayette also was only one of three counties in the metro area to report increases in the median income.

At $74,320, Fayette’s median income is easily tops in the Atlanta area, with Cherokee County coming in second at $63,616 and Henry County at $61,105.