Union City (30291) Leads Atlanta Yields at 8.9%, Nearly Double the City Median

Yields across 38 suburbs in Atlanta (Fulton County) range from 8.9% in Union City (30291) down to under 2% in the premium inner-north suburbs. That spread is wider than the gap between short-term rental and long-term rental at the city level, which means WHERE you buy matters more than HOW you rent it out. This ranking shows which suburbs lead on gross yield and explains why the pattern exists.

The Fulton County median 3-bed house sits at $497,915 and rents for $1,966, producing a city-wide long-term rental yield of 4.7%. But that single figure hides enormous variation. The top-ranked suburbs clear 8% on long-term rental alone, while Alpharetta and Roswell postcodes north of the perimeter sit closer to 3%. The short-term rental lens widens the spread further: Atlanta averages 8.9% gross on short-term rental, but suburb-level performance swings sharply with tourism draw, event proximity, and regulatory treatment.

Union City (30291) Tops the Ranking at 8.9%, Nearly Double the City Median

Gross yields = annual income / sale price. Based on 3-bed house medians. The dashboard shows every property type and bedroom count.

Why the Top Suburbs Lead: Cheap Entry, Stable Rent

Union City (30291) leads the ranking because entry prices sit at $261,000 while rents hold at $1,937. That combination is the signature pattern of every high-yield Atlanta suburb: houses trade at a discount relative to the Fulton County median of $497,915, but rents do not fall nearly as fast. Rent demand in south Fulton and south-west Atlanta is driven by proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson airport employment, MARTA access, and steady family-tenant pools. Sale prices reflect historic under-investment and slower capital growth, which is exactly what produces a high income yield.

Atlanta (30310) and Atlanta (30315) follow the same pattern inside the city limits. These are intown southwest and south-east Atlanta postcodes where houses sell for roughly half the Fulton County median but achieve rents comparable to middle-ring suburbs. Atlanta (30310) in particular benefits from regeneration along the BeltLine and proximity to downtown employment. On short-term rental, these intown postcodes also tend to outperform on a gross basis because they sit within the Atlanta permit zone and attract event-driven demand (conferences, sporting events, college games). Union City (30291), by contrast, is more of a long-term rental market where stable family tenants and lower turnover matter more than nightly rates.

Atlanta (30349) and Atlanta (30354) round out the top five with similar economics: entry prices between $254,400 and $280,000, rents near $1,947, and yields holding above 8%. These postcodes sit south of I-285 where land values have been slower to rerate despite steady rental demand.

The Yield-Price Trade-Off: Cheaper Suburbs Yield More Because Rent Holds

An investor entering at $261,000 in Union City (30291) versus $497,915 at the Fulton County median faces a very different capital-risk profile. The top-yielding suburb requires roughly half the capital outlay to acquire a comparable 3-bed house, and the rent achieved is within striking distance of the county median. That asymmetry is not a market inefficiency waiting to be arbitraged; it reflects real differences in school quality, perceived neighbourhood desirability, and long-run price appreciation expectations.

Premium suburbs yield less because buyers pay for amenity and growth, not income. The Alpharetta and Roswell postcodes north of the perimeter routinely trade above $700,000 for a 3-bed house but achieve rents of roughly $2,000 to $2,500, producing yields closer to 3% to 3.5%. That is not a bad investment; it is a different investment. The return thesis is dominated by capital appreciation rather than monthly cash flow.

Premium Suburbs: Recognisable Names, Lower Yields

For context, here is how some of Atlanta's most in-demand suburbs compare. These are established areas where investors typically accept lower yields in exchange for capital growth and liquidity.

High-demand suburbs for context. Same methodology as the yield ranking above.

These premium suburbs yield less on long-term rental because the entry price embeds expectations of future capital growth, better schools, and amenity access that tenants will not fully pay for in monthly rent. The short-term rental lens does not rescue the yield picture: while nightly rates are higher in premium areas, occupancy in residential northern suburbs tends to lag the intown Atlanta postcodes where tourism and event demand concentrate. Some of these suburbs also fall outside Atlanta's city limits and therefore operate under different local short-term rental rules.

What the Ranking Doesn't Show: Growth, Vacancy, and Data Lag

Gross yield is rent divided by price, so a high yield can mean depressed prices rather than strong rents. Several of the top-ranked Atlanta postcodes have seen slower sale price appreciation over the past decade than the Alpharetta and Roswell corridors, which means total return (income plus capital growth) can look very different from the yield ranking alone. Investors optimising for long-run wealth rather than monthly cash flow often accept a 3% yield in a high-growth corridor over a 8.9% yield in a flatter market.

Vacancy risk is the other missing variable. High-yield suburbs typically have thinner rental pools and more tenant churn, which compresses the realised yield once void periods and re-letting costs are counted. Data age also matters: the medians shown here reflect market conditions as of April 2026, and individual suburbs can move quickly when new employers announce, school catchments rezone, or the state legislature revisits short-term rental rules. Treat the ranking as a directional guide, not a live quote.

View Atlanta in the dashboard → Free preview · every bedroom count and property type

Atlanta's Top Suburb Beats the National Median by Nearly Four Points

Union City (30291)'s yield of 8.9% sits well above the national median of 5.3% and the Georgia state median of 5.2%. That is the headline most yield-focused investors care about: Atlanta's best long-term rental postcodes genuinely outperform the national benchmark on income. The city median of 4.7% sits closer to the national average, which is why selecting the right suburb matters so much. An investor who buys the Fulton County median earns roughly national returns; an investor who buys the top-yielding postcode earns substantially more. For regulatory context, Georgia has no statewide short-term rental ban, but local municipalities may regulate through zoning and licensing, a hotel/motel tax applies, and Atlanta and Savannah have permit requirements. This matters because the short-term rental yields shown above assume legally compliant operation.

These are city and county medians based on 3-bed house data across 38 postcodes. Individual suburbs diverge significantly, and within each postcode the numbers shift again by property type and bedroom count. The dashboard shows suburb-level data for every bedroom count and property type, plus the cost breakdown that turns gross yield into net yield. You can explore rental data in the dashboard or review the market score methodology and data sources to understand how these figures are built. For comparable analysis in other markets, covers a similar question elsewhere, and goes deeper on cost assumptions.

Data reflects market conditions as of April 2026.

This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or legal advice. Regulations and market conditions change frequently. Verify current rules with local authorities before making investment decisions.