Gwinnett population growth slows dramatically

ATLANTA - There was a dramatic slowing in the population growth in Gwinnett County during the 12 months ending April 1st.

Gwinnett had been adding an average of 18,800 people each year this decade but that dropped to 4,500 during the period in question, according to an Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) report.

The ARC's Mike Alexander says it was much the same in the nine other ARC counties... and that while there's no doubt it won't be a lasting thing, the big question is whether the growth rates will return to the boom levels in the early part of the decade.

The ARC report shows the ten-county ARC area recorded the smallest one-year population increase since 1990. From April 2008 to April 2009, the region added only 24,700. The average population growth in recent years is about 70,000 people.

Alexander, chief of the commission's research division, said the slower growth is likely due to the recession.

(The Georgia News Network and Associated Press contributed to this report.)