Referred to as the “capital of the South” and now a finalist for Amazon’s second headquarters, Atlanta is an industrial behemoth and is home to several Fortune 500 companies. Home to the world’s busiest international airport and with lower costs in rent and investment compared to its northern and west coast counterparts, Atlanta has seen increasing industrial gains. Here are some of Atlanta’s top industries and where they are today.

Finance

Atlanta is the global leader in the financial technology, or FinTech, sector. Payment processing leaders headquartered in Atlanta include First Data, WorldPay, Global Payments, and TSYS. With rising popularity of cryptocurrency and initiatives to improve and secure back-end business transactions, FinTech looks to be a growing field globally with Atlanta at the hub. Approximately 70 percent of world money transactions move through Georgia.

Technology

Along with the amount of finance moving through Atlanta, the city is home to one of the largest medical systems in the country, Emory Medical System, and the prestigious Georgia Institute, making it rife with opportunity and support for the IT sector. From 2010 to 2017, the number of tech jobs in Atlanta increased by nearly 50 percent. Atlanta is one of the top three cities listed by Forbes as future tech hubs.

TV and Film

Atlanta is becoming known worldwide as one of the most popular film locations. In 2017 alone, over 320 productions were shot in Georgia. Many may have first come to recognize Atlanta as from AMC’s The Walking Dead, but now other major TV shows like Netflix’s Stranger Things, and record-breaking Marvel movies are filmed here, including the much-anticipated Black Panther. Georgia is a welcoming environment for the film industry, offering tax incentives and many opportunities for free scouting.


Whether or not Jeff Bezos selects Atlanta for Amazon’s second headquarters, the city’s place in the race is just another sign of its growing industrial clout.