Tennessee is the fifteenth most populous state in the United States with a population of 7,051,339 as of 2022, and has the twentieth-highest population density.[1] The 2020 United States census reported its population to be 6,916,897.

Population

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note
179035,691
1800105,602195.9%
1810261,727147.8%
1820422,82361.6%
1830681,90461.3%
1840829,21021.6%
18501,002,71720.9%
18601,109,80110.7%
18701,258,52013.4%
18801,542,35922.6%
18901,767,51814.6%
19002,020,61614.3%
19102,184,7898.1%
19202,337,8857.0%
19302,616,55611.9%
19402,915,84111.4%
19503,291,71812.9%
19603,567,0898.4%
19703,923,68710.0%
19804,591,12017.0%
19904,877,1856.2%
20005,689,28316.7%
20106,346,10511.5%
20206,910,8408.9%
2022 (est.)7,051,3392.0%
Source: 1910–2020; 2022[2][1]

The 2020 United States census reported Tennessee's population at 6,910,840, an increase of 564,735 since the 2010 United States census, or 8.90%.[3] Between 2010 and 2019, the state received a natural increase of 124,385 (584,236 births minus 459,851 deaths), and an increase from net migration of 244,537 people into the state. Immigration from outside the U.S. resulted in a net increase of 66,412, and migration within the country produced a net increase of 178,125.[4]

According to the 2010 census, 6.4% of Tennessee's population were under age 5, 23.6% under 18, and 13.4% 65 or older.[5] In recent years, Tennessee has been a top source of domestic migration, receiving an influx of people relocating from California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, and New England due to the low cost of living, booming healthcare and automotive industries, and politically conservative governance and culture.[6][7] Metropolitan Nashville is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country due in part to these factors.[8] In 2010, about 4.4% of Tennessee's population was foreign-born, an increase of about 118.5% since 2000. Of the foreign-born population, approximately 31.0% were naturalized citizens and 69.0% non-citizens. The foreign-born population consisted of approximately 49.9% from Latin America, 27.1% from Asia, 11.9% from Europe, 7.7% from Africa, 2.7% from Northern America, and 0.6% from Oceania.[9]

Tennessee's center of population is in Murfreesboro in Rutherford County.[10]

Race and ethnicity

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Racial composition 1940[11] 1970[11] 1990[11] 2000[12] 2010[12] 2019 est.[13]
White 82.5% 83.9% 83.0% 80.2% 77.6% 77.6%
Black 17.4% 15.8% 16.0% 16.4% 16.7% 16.8%
Asian - 0.1% 0.7% 1.0% 1.4% 1.8%
Native - 0.1% 0.2% 0.3% 0.3% 0.3%
Native Hawaiian and
other Pacific Islander
- - 0.1% 0.1%
Other race - - 0.2% 1.0% 2.2% 1.4%
Two or more races - - 1.1% 1.7% 2.2%
 
Ethnic origins in Tennessee

In 2010, 4.6% of the total population was of Hispanic or Latino origin (they may be of any race), up from 2.2% in 2000. Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population in Tennessee grew by 134.2%, the third-highest rate of any state.[14] That same year Non-Hispanic whites were 75.6% of the population, compared to 63.7% of the population nationwide.[15]

 
Population density as of 2010

In 2010, the five most common self-reported ethnic groups in the state were: American (26.5%), English (8.2%), Irish (6.6%), German (5.5%), and Scotch-Irish (2.7%).[16] Most Tennesseans who self-identify as having American ancestry are of English and Scotch-Irish ancestry. An estimated 21–24% of Tennesseans are of predominantly English ancestry.[17][18] In the 1980 census 1,435,147 Tennesseans claimed "English" or "mostly English" ancestry out of a state population of 3,221,354 making them 45% of the state at the time.[19]

On June 19, 2010, the Tennessee Commission of Indian Affairs granted state recognition to six Native American tribes, which was later repealed by the state's Attorney General because the action by the commission was illegal. The tribes were as follows:[20]

  • The Cherokee Wolf Clan in western Tennessee, with members in Carroll County, Benton, Decatur, Henderson, Henry, Weakley, Gibson and Madison counties.
  • The Chikamaka Band, based historically on the South Cumberland Plateau, said to have members in Franklin, Grundy, Marion, Sequatchie, Warren and Coffee counties.
  • Central Band of Cherokee, also known as the Cherokee of Lawrence County.
  • United Eastern Lenape Nation of Winfield.
  • The Tanasi Council, said to have members in Shelby, Dyer, Gibson, Humphreys and Perry counties; and
  • Remnant Yuchi Nation, with members in Sullivan, Carter, Greene, Hawkins, Unicoi, Johnson and Washington counties.

Most immigrants in Tennessee were born in Mexico.[21]

Birth data

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Live births by single race/ethnicity of mother
Race 2013[22] 2014[23] 2015[24] 2016[25] 2017[26] 2018[27] 2019[28] 2020[29] 2021[30] 2022[31]
White: 59,804 (74.7%) 61,391 (75.2%) 61,814 (75.7%) ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
> Non-Hispanic White 54,377 (68.0%) 55,499 (68.0%) 55,420 (67.8%) 53,866 (66.7%) 53,721 (66.3%) 53,256 (66.0%) 52,187 (64.9%) 50,668 (64.4%) 53,340 (65.3%) 52,818 (64.2%)
Black 17,860 (22.3%) 17,791 (21.8%) 17,507 (21.4%) 15,889 (19.7%) 16,050 (19.8%) 15,921 (19.7%) 15,972 (19.9%) 15,413 (19.6%) 15,204 (18.6%) 14,514 (17.6%)
Asian 2,097 (2.6%) 2,180 (2.7%) 2,153 (2.6%) 1,875 (2.3%) 1,905 (2.4%) 1,877 (2.3%) 1,811 (2.3%) 1,767 (2.2%) 1,760 (2.1%) 1,877 (2.3%)
American Indian 231 (0.3%) 240 (0.3%) 211 (0.2%) 77 (0.1%) 150 (0.2%) 148 (0.2%) 161 (0.2%) 85 (0.1%) 65 (>0.1%) 159 (0.2%)
Hispanic (of any race) 6,854 (8.6%) 6,986 (8.6%) 7,264 (8.9%) 7,631 (9.4%) 7,684 (9.5%) 7,824 (9.7%) 8,437 (10.5%) 8,928 (11.3%) 9,451 (11.6%) 11,048 (13.4%)
Total Tennessee 79,992 (100%) 81,602 (100%) 81,685 (100%) 80,807 (100%) 81,016 (100%) 80,751 (100%) 80,450 (100%) 78,689 (100%) 81,717 (100%) 82,265 (100%)

Notes

  • Births in table do not add up, because Hispanics are counted both by their ethnicity and by their race, giving a higher overall number.
  • Since 2016, data for births of White Hispanic origin are not collected, but included in one Hispanic group; persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.

Religion

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Religious affiliation (2014)[32]
Evangelical Protestantism
52%
Unaffiliated
14%
Mainline Protestantism
13%
Historically Black Protestantism
8%
Catholic
8%
Other Christianity
3%
Other faiths
3%
Judaism
1%
Islam
1%

Tennessee has always been, and remains, predominantly Christian. About 81% of the population identifies as Christian, with Protestants making up 73% of the population. Of the Protestants in the state, Evangelical Protestants compose 52% of the population, Mainline Protestants 13%, and Historically Black Protestants 8%. Roman Catholics make up 8%,[33] Latter-day Saints 1%, and Orthodox Christians less than 1%.[32] The largest churches by number of adherents are the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Churches of Christ.[34] Muslims and Jews each make up about 1% of the population, and adherents of other religions make up about 3% of the population. About 14% of Tennesseans are non-religious, with 11% identifying as "Nothing in particular", 3% as agnostics, and 1% as atheists.[32]

Tennessee is included in most definitions of the Bible Belt, and is ranked as one of the nation's most religious states.[35] It is home to several Protestant denominations, including the National Baptist Convention (headquartered in Nashville); the Church of God in Christ and the Cumberland Presbyterian Church (both headquartered in Memphis); and the Church of God and The Church of God of Prophecy (both headquartered in Cleveland). The Free Will Baptist denomination is headquartered in Antioch; its main Bible college is in Nashville. The Southern Baptist Convention maintains its general headquarters in Nashville. Nashville has publishing houses of several denominations.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b "US Census Quickfacts, Population Estimates, July 1 2022". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved July 18, 2023.
  2. ^ "Historical Population Change Data (1910–2020)". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 29, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  3. ^ "QuickFacts Tennessee; UNITED STATES". quickfacts.census.gov. United States Census Bureau, Population Division. February 6, 2019. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. ^ "Table 4. Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Resident Population Change for the United States, Regions, States, and Puerto Rico: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2017 (NST-EST2017-04)" (XLS). U.S. Census Bureau. December 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
  5. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data, Tennessee". U.S. Census Bureau. 2010. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  6. ^ "Welcome to the Volunteer State! Study finds more people moved to Tennessee in 2020". WBIR-TV. Knoxville. February 6, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Chang, Brittany (January 19, 2021). "More people moved to Tennessee, Texas, and Florida than any other states in 2020, according to data from U-Haul — see the full ranking". Business Insider. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  8. ^ "ArcGIS Dashboards". myutk.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  9. ^ "Selected Characteristics of the Foreign-born Population by Period of Entry into the United States". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  10. ^ "Population and Population Centers by State: 2000". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 23, 2010. Retrieved December 6, 2008.
  11. ^ a b c "Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals By Race, 1790 to 1990, and By Hispanic Origin, 1970 to 1990, For The United States, Regions, Divisions, and States". U.S. Census Bureau. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014.
  12. ^ a b "Population of Tennessee: Census 2010 and 2000 Interactive Map, Demographics, Statistics, Quick Facts". Census Viewer. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  13. ^ "ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  14. ^ "The Hispanic Population: 2010" (PDF). census.gov. United States Census Bureau. May 2011. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  15. ^ "2010 U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  16. ^ "People Reporting Single Ancestry". data.census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  17. ^ Fischer, David Hackett (1989). Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 633–639. ISBN 978-0-19-503794-4.
  18. ^ Pulera, Dominic J. (2004). Sharing the Dream: White Males in a Multicultural America. New York: Continuum. p. 57. ISBN 978-0-8264-1643-8. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  19. ^ "Ancestry of the Population by State: 1980—Table 3" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
  20. ^ Humphrey, Tom (June 21, 2010). "State grants six Indian tribes recognition". Knoxville News Sentinel. Archived from the original on June 27, 2010.
  21. ^ Immigrants in Tennessee
  22. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; et al. (January 15, 2015). "Births: Final Data for 2013" (PDF). National Vital Statistic Reports. 64 (1). National Center for Health Statistics: 1–65. PMID 25603115. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  23. ^ Hamilton, Brady E.; et al. (December 23, 2015). "Births: Final Data for 2014" (PDF). National Vital Statistic Reports. 64 (12). National Center for Health Statistics: 1–64. PMID 26727629. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  24. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; et al. (January 5, 2017). "Births: Final Data for 2015" (PDF). National Vital Statistic Reports. 66 (1). National Center for Health Statistics: 1. PMID 28135188. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved June 16, 2017.
  25. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; et al. (January 31, 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2016" (PDF). National Vital Statistic Reports. 67 (1). National Center for Health Statistics: 1–55. PMID 29775434. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 3, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  26. ^ Martin, Joyce A.; et al. (November 7, 2018). "Births: Final Data for 2017" (PDF). National Vital Statistic Reports. 67 (8). National Center for Health Statistics: 1–50. PMID 30707672. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 21, 2019.
  27. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  28. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  29. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
  30. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2022-02-03.
  31. ^ "Data" (PDF). www.cdc.gov. Retrieved 2024-04-05.
  32. ^ a b c "Religious Landscape Study". Pew Forum. May 11, 2015. Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  33. ^ "Tennessee Catholicism on the rise". 14 June 2014.
  34. ^ "The Association of Religion Data Archives | State Membership Report". www.thearda.com. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
  35. ^ Lipka, Michael; Wormald, Benjamin (February 29, 2016). "How religious is your state?". Pew Research Center. Retrieved May 15, 2021.