A new study for the U.S. Conference of Mayors predicts Atlantic County—which includes Atlantic City—will be among the slowest growing of 363 large U.S. metro areas with only a growth rate of 1.4 percent through 2020.
That would make the county the fifth-slowest among those areas studied.
Atlantic County’s economy has suffered for nearly a decade as Atlantic City’s casino industry has declined in the face of new casino competition in neighboring states.
However, some analysts responding to the study point out that Atlantic City is trying to diversify as a resort destination after being dominated for decades by casino gambling. New attractions such as non-casino hotels, retail and recreation may help spur the city’s status as a “getaway” resort rather than just a casino town marketing to a local customer base and lead to more growth than expected.
