Economic Impact of MARTA

Economic Impact of MARTA

The source evaluates the expected economic impact of MARTA from 2001-2055, detailing how it contributes to the surrounding region and furthers opportunities or jobs for Atlanta area residents and the state of Georgia.

A research investigation was conducted by the The Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a research institute at the University of Georgia, which evaluated expected Economic Impact of the Metropolitan Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) from 2001-2055. This study finds that as time progresses, MARTA is expected to have a bigger economic impact on the labor pool. If MARTA ceased to exist in fiscal year 2031, for example, we would expect a minimum of 37,141 fewer jobs in the area. In 2015, this number would jump to 45,499 fewer jobs which comprises approximately 0.8% of the Atlanta area economy. Marta’s presence in the Atlanta area in 2001 generated 2 billion dollars in sales and by 2055 this number is expected to be 10.3 billion of total Atlanta sales. The researchers make it clear that the best way to measure economic impact is by measuring disposable income. MARTA’s presence in Atlanta generated approximately $52 per Atlanta-area resident in 2001. By 2055, MARTA’s presence is expected to generate over $224 per Atlanta-area resident. This addition to real disposable income is the result, primarily, of the improved transportation system lowering labor costs—and, hence, lowering the cost of living—in the Atlanta area. By 2055, MARTA will account for approximately $427 of increased spending power for every Georgian located in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. The amounts generated are significantly greater than the sales tax payments made by Atlanta-area residents to support MARTA. The economic benefits of MARTA are also supported by other sources, such as the Atlanta Journal Constitution, who have said that MARTA is an “economic engine for the region” due to the economic activity of over 100,000 dependent workers and its support on over 80,000 additional jobs in 2011. The article recognizes that MARTA has allowed the development of business and shopping hubs across the metro Atlanta area, which also furthers the economic development in areas.

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

https://athenaeum.libs.uga.edu/bitstream/handle/10724/19008/marta.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

May 2007

Thomas C. Tanner and Adam Jones

https://www.ajc.com/news/marta-economic-engine-for-region-study-says/zs39AtIGygJQfRdUakI0oO/

English

Research Report