The Atlanta economy is the 10th largest in the country and 18th in the world with an estimated 2014 GDP of over $324 billion. Atlanta is one of ten U.S. cities classified as an "alpha-world city" by a 2010 study at Loughborough University, and has ranked fourth in the number of Fortune 500 companies headquartered within city boundaries, behind New York City, Houston, and Dallas. Several major national and international companies are headquartered in metro Atlanta, including seven Fortune 100 companies: The Coca-Cola Company, Home Depot, United Parcel Service, Delta Air Lines, AT&T Mobility, and Newell Rubbermaid. Other headquarters for some major companies in Atlanta and around the metro area include Arby's, Chick-fil-A, Earthlink, Equifax, First Data, Foundation Financial Group, Gentiva Health Services, Georgia-Pacific, NCR, Oxford Industries, RaceTrac Petroleum, Rheem Manufacturing Company, Southern Company, Mirant, and Waffle House. Over 75% of the Fortune 1000 companies have a presence in the Atlanta area, and the region hosts offices of about 1,250 multinational corporations. As of 2006 Atlanta Metropolitan Area ranks as the 10th largest cybercity (high-tech center) in the US, with 126,700 high-tech jobs.
Dominant sectors The top employment sectors in Metro Atlanta are (November 2011, excludes agriculture): Sector Employees (thousands)Trade, transportation, and utilities 530.3 Professional and business services 391.4Government 311.9Education and health services 282.3Leisure and hospitality 218.3Manufacturing 146.5Financial activities 128.5Other services 90.5Construction 83.9Information 73.7Mining and logging 1.4
Finance
Atlanta has a sizable financial sector. The Federal Reserve System has a district headquarters in Atlanta; the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, which oversees much of the deep South, relocated from downtown to Midtown in 2001. Wachovia announced plans in August 2006 to place its new credit-card division in Atlanta, and city, state and civic leaders harbor long-term hopes of having the city serve as the home of the secretariat of a future Free Trade Area of the Americas. Before being acquired by BB&T in 2019, SunTrust Banks, the seventh largest bank by asset holdings in the United States, had its home office on Peachtree Street in downtown.
Invesco, an investment management company, has its principal executive offices at Midtown Union in Atlanta, and has branch offices in 20 countries.
Healthcare and biomedical Atlanta has a growing hi-tech community and is also home to a growing Biotechnology sector, gaining recognition through such events as the 2009 BIO International Convention. Atlanta is also the headquarters of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region II.
Adjacent to Emory University, the city is also home to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with a staff of nearly 15,000 including: engineers, entomologists, epidemiologists, biologists, physicians, veterinarians, behavioral scientists, nurses, medical technologists, economists, health communicators, toxicologists, chemists, computer scientists, and statisticians. CDC has 10 other offices throughout the United States and Puerto Rico, and other staff in 45 countries around the world.
Manufacturing The auto manufacturing sector in metropolitan Atlanta has suffered setbacks recently, including the closure of the General Motors Doraville Assembly plant in 2008, and the shutdown of Ford's Atlanta Assembly plant in Hapeville in 2006. Kia, however, has opened a new assembly plant near West Point. Hyco International Inc, one of the world's largest manufacturers of hydraulic cylinders, is headquartered in Atlanta.
Kitchen decor company Appliance Art, Inc. is based in Atlanta. It was founded in 2008 by Grant T. Smith.
Media and communications
The city is a major cable television programming center. Ted Turner began the Turner Broadcasting System media empire in Atlanta, where he bought a UHF station that eventually became WTBS. Turner established the headquarters of the Cable News Network at CNN Center, adjacent today to Centennial Olympic Park. As his company grew, its other channels—the Cartoon Network, Boomerang, TNT, Turner South, Turner Classic Movies, CNN International, CNN en Español, HLN, and CNN Airport Network—centered their operations in Atlanta as well (Turner South has since been sold). Turner Broadcasting is a division of WarnerMedia. In 2008 Tyler Perry established his studios in Southwest Atlanta; and in 2010 EUE/Screen Gems opened soundstages in Lakewood Heights, south Atlanta. (See also: Film industry in Georgia) The Weather Channel, owned by a consortium of NBC Universal, Blackstone Group, and Bain Capital, has its offices in the Cumberland district northwest of downtown Atlanta.
Cox Enterprises, a privately held company controlled by James C. Kennedy, his sister Blair Parry-Okeden and their aunt Anne Cox Chambers, has substantial media holdings in and beyond Atlanta; it is headquartered in the city of Sandy Springs."Cox Enterprises, Inc. Reaches Agreement to Acquire Public Minority Stake in Cox Communications, Inc. " Cox Enterprises. October 19, 2004. Retrieved on July 4, 2009. Its Cox Communications division, headquartered in unincorporated DeKalb County,"Atlanta Headquarters ." Cox Communications. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. is the third-largest cable television service provider in the United States.
Film and television
Atlanta has gained recognition as being a center of TV and film production, it being determined by Gocompare.com to be in the top 10 of the most popular cities in the world where films and TV shows have been filmed. Atlanta is a major center of television production and is the hub of the nation's third-largest film industry. Atlanta counts the presence of Techwood Studios, which produces content for the Turner Broadcasting family of stations; since 2008 the Tyler Perry Studios in Southwest Atlanta; and since 2010 the Cinespace Film Studios soundstages in Lakewood Heights, south Atlanta. Atlanta is the setting for popular TV shows such as the Real Housewives of Atlanta and Tyler Perry's series. Due to Perry, the "Housewives", and others, Atlanta is also known as a center of black entertainment in the U.S.
Films set in Atlanta include two pictures that were awarded the Oscar for Best Picture:, Gone with the Wind (1939) and Driving Miss Daisy (1989). Other films set in Atlanta include Little Darlings (1980), Sharky's Machine (1981), Outbreak (1995), Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns (2008), Life as We Know It (2010), Contagion (2011), and Baby Driver (2017).
Well-known television shows set in Atlanta include House of Payne and Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns from Tyler Perry Studios, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, the CBS sitcom Designing Women, and numerous HGTV original productions. Since moving to BET for the 2011 season, The Game - the highest rated ad-supported sitcom ever on cable - has been shot in Atlanta. Williams Street Productions has produced multiple Adult Swim series as well as Freaknik: The Musical at their Midtown Atlanta studios.
Horror and zombie themes Atlanta is the filming location for many horror-themed productions, including the TV series Goosebumps and its sequel Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Teen Wolf, The Walking Dead, Vampire Diaries, and the 2009 comedy Zombieland. In addition, the Atlanta Horror Fest is held yearly in October, and features the Buried Alive Film Fest, bands, and a zombie walk. These factors prompted Atlanta magazine to dub the city the "Zombie Capital of the World", and The New York Times to recognize Atlanta's stature in the genre.
Logistics
Delta Air Lines is the largest employer in the Atlanta metro area. Their 34,500 Atlanta-based employees include airport staff, flight crews, and those who work at the headquarters adjacent to the airport. Delta operates the world's largest airline hub at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and, together with the hub of competing carrier Southwest Airlines, has helped make Hartsfield-Jackson the world's busiest airport, both in terms of passenger traffic and aircraft operations. The airport, since its construction in the 1950s, has served as a key engine of Atlanta's economic growth.
Top employers in Metro Atlanta Employer Number of employeesDelta Air Lines 34,500Emory University / Emory Healthcare 32,095The Home Depot 16,510Northside Hospital 16,000+Piedmont Healthcare 15,900Publix 14,753Wellstar Health System 15,353Kroger 15,000+ AT&T 15,000United Parcel Service 14,594Marriott International 12,000+Children's Healthcare of Atlanta 9,000Cox Enterprises 8,894Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 8,403The Coca-Cola Company 8,000Southern Company 7,753Grady Health System 7,600SunTrust Banks 7,478Georgia Tech 7,139State Farm 6,000Turner Broadcasting System 6,000 Source: Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Top 25 Metro Atlanta Employers (2018–2019)
List of companies headquartered in Metro Atlanta
The following is a list of the most notable companies that were founded or have their corporate headquarters in Atlanta or the surrounding metro area.
Aaron's, Inc. Acuity Brands Adecco (USA) AGCO Corporation (Duluth) AGL Resources AirWatch"Software firm AirWatch announces 800 New Jobs in Atlanta." Retrieved on January 25, 2013. Alston & Bird American Cancer Society American Megatrends (unincorporated Gwinnett County"Contact Us ." American Megatrends. Retrieved on May 6, 2009.) Apollo Vredestein (USA) Arby's Arden's Garden Arcapita Asbury Automotive Group AT&T Mobility in Lenox Park (Brookhaven, Georgia)"At&T Mobility Llc." Manta. Retrieved on May 19, 2009. The Athlete's Foot Atlanta Bread Company Atlantis Plastics Axiall (formerly Georgia Gulf)"Axiall Company Page ." Retrieved on September 2, 2013. Beazer Homes USA Boys & Girls Clubs of America BlueLinx Holdings Carter's Chick-fil-A (unincorporated Fulton County"Company Fact Sheet." Chick-fil-A. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.) Comcast Church's Chicken CNN Circa of America The Coca-Cola Company Coca-Cola Enterprises Colonial Pipeline (Alpharetta) Cox Automotive Cox Communications (Dunwoody)"Atlanta Headquarters ." Cox Communications. Retrieved on April 22, 2009. Cox Enterprises (Sandy Springs)"City Council Districts ." City of Sandy Springs. Retrieved on July 4, 2009."Cox Enterprises, Inc. Reaches Agreement to Acquire Public Minority Stake in Cox Communications, Inc. " Cox Enterprises. October 19, 2004. Retrieved on July 4, 2009. Cox Media Group (Sandy Springs)"Contact Us ." Cox Radio. Retrieved on April 24, 2009. Crawford & Company Dell SecureWorks Delta Air Lines"Contact Corporate." Delta Air Lines. Retrieved October 17, 2008."Zoning Ordinance of Atlanta, Georgia Sheet No. 14-128 ." City of Atlanta. Retrieved October 17, 2008. Dunkin' Donuts (Part of Inspire Brands) Double Up Digital EarthLink Elavon Equifax Exide Floor & Decor First Data (Sandy Springs) Focus Brands Foundation Financial Group Galaxy Gas Gas South GCP Technologies"" Gentiva Health Services Genuine Parts Georgia-Pacific Global Franchise Group Global Payments Glock, Inc Gray Television Great Wraps GreyOrange AI (Roswell) Hapag Lloyd Havertys Honeywell (software center) HD Supply The Home Depot (unincorporated Cobb County)"Corporate and Financial Overview ." The Home Depot. Retrieved on April 24, 2009. Hooters of America, Inc Insight Global Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) InterContinental Hotels Group (Americas Headquarters) Internap Invesco Jamba Juice Kabbage King & Spalding Krystal Lockheed Martin Aeronautics (in Marietta, a manufacturing plant) MaggieMoo's Ice Cream and Treatery MailChimp"About MailChimp." MailChimp Website. Retrieved on May 9, 2016. Marble Slab Creamery Mellow Mushroom Mercedes-Benz (USA) Merial Mirant NAPA Auto Parts NCR Newell Rubbermaid New Vision Television Norfolk Southern