Nashville among the 25 biggest US cities; Knoxville also grows
Nashville’s growing population has made it the 24th most populated city in the United States, according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
According to the new population estimates based on 2018 data, Metropolitan Nashville now is home to 669,053 people, more than 3,500 more than in 2017.
Fastest growing in the South and West
Nashville’s population growth is significant, but only adds up to approximately a 0.6% change year-over-year.
One Arizona town, Buckeye, saw an 8.5% increase, the Census Bureau reported, leading the nation in growth.
Urban areas overall seemed to see significant growth, especially in the South and the West.
Among the 15 cities or towns with the largest numeric population gains between 2017 and 2018, eight were in the South, six were in the West and one was in the Midwest.
Phoenix topped the list, reporting 25,288 newcomers from July 1, 2017, to July 1, 2018.
Rounding out the top five big cities with the largest population increases were:
- San Antonio, Texas (20,824).
- Fort Worth, Texas (19,552).
- Seattle (15,354).
- Charlotte, North Carolina (13,151).
Memphis, which from 2010-2015 reported higher population numbers than Nashville, is 26th on the list of the most populous incorporated places in the country.
Memphis’ population estimate from the Census Bureau actually decreased from year to year, from 651,562 estimated in July 2017 to 650,618 in July 2018.
Many other Tennessee cities are on the rise, even if Memphis saw a dip.
Knoxville estimates are up to 187,500 for July 1, 2018, from 186,973 the previous year.
Chattanooga also grew, gaining more than 1,600 newcomers to add up to 180,557 residents in the new estimates.
Middle Tennessee cities and towns like Clarksville, Murfreesboro and Franklin all saw population increases, while Brentwood saw a slight decrease from 2017 to 2018.
And as for where all those people are living?
On the national view, housing growth remained steady at approximately 0.8%, and the nation’s housing stock grew by 1.2 million units between 2017 and 2018.
Ranked by percent growth between 2017 and 2018, five Middle Tennessee counties made the top 100 list of fastestgrowing counties with 5,000 or more housing units:
- Wilson County (7th),
- Williamson County (10th),
- Sumner County (18th),
- Rutherford County (42nd)
- and Maury County (78th).
Source: Knoxville News Sentinel, by Mariah Timms Tennessean
The East Tennessee Economic Development Agency markets and recruits business for the 15 counties in the greater Knoxville-Oak Ridge region of East Tennessee. Visit www.eteda.org
Published May 31, 2019