Nashville is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data. (Thomas Hawk/Flickr)
“Rocky Top” is “home sweet home” for an increasing number of people, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data released this week. The growth is apparent particularly in metro areas like Nashville, says Ben Bolender, chief of the bureau’s Populations Estimates branch. “Nashville was amongst the top 20 fastest-gaining, in terms of numeric change, between 2014 and 2015,” says Bolender. “In general across the country, we do see the metro areas account for a large amount of the growth.” Between 2014 and 2015, Nashville gained 36,000 residents, accounting for more than half the people who moved to Tennessee. Bolender says the information can be invaluable to city planners and state government as they determine where to allocate resources. But while the additional population contributes to the economy, it also puts greater demand on infrastructure and school systems. He and other economic experts believe much of the population growth can be attributed to quality of life, with the state’s mild climate, abundant recreation and promising employment picture. “There are a lot of factors that cause people to move from place to place within the U.S.,” he says. “A lot of times, those are economic factors, but also depending on the age group, you might see draws due to better weather, better amenities in the area – a variety of factors.” According to the census figures, Tennessee’s population has grown every year since 2000. The Census Bureau compiled the new data from death, birth and other public records.
