A report published in November found more than 30,000 Tennesseans left Memphis between 2017 and 2022, causing the city to shrink by almost 5 percent, even as Tennessee’s other major cities grew over the same period. The exodus coincides with a years-long struggle with crime in Memphis that has subsisted despite repeated attempts to render aid by the state and federal governments.
The 2023 study of population decline in United States cities by SmartAsset found that Memphis declined from 652,231 residents in 2017 to 621,050 residents in 2022, marking a 4.78 percent decrease in the city’s population. Memphis had the 27th worst decline in population in the country, according to the study.
Over the same time period, every other Tennessee city tracked for the report showed population growth, with one Nashville suburb experiencing nearly a 20 percent surge in population.
Nashville experienced a 2.65 percent growth in population, with the number of citizens in the city increasing from 665,967 to 683,693. Chattanooga saw a similar increase, growing by 2.76 percent over the five-year span to hold 184,071 residents in 2022.
The fastest-growing city tracked for the report was Murfreesboro, which grew by 19.09 percent from 136,372 residents in 2017 to 162,402 in 2022. Clarksville was the second fastest growing city, with a population increase of 15.51 percent, while Knoxville’s rate of growth was the third fastest at 4.55 percent.
News of Memphis’ population decline comes as the city continues to struggle with crime, which was up 9.6 percent last year in Shelby County, according to the latest data from 2023.
In a bid to confront rising lawlessness, Governor Bill Lee (R) last year ordered a “surge” of up to 60 additional Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to begin patrolling state highways and roads in the city, where the governor said they will be stationed “for the foreseeable future” after he received a letter from State Senator Brent Taylor (R-Memphis) warning that the city was “under siege.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ) also offered a new suite of resources for Memphis law enforcement and prosecutors after previously supporting the city with federal resources in 2019 and with two initiatives in 2020.
Memphis recorded its first murder of 2024 on January 1, as Mayor Paul Young was being inaugurated into his new role. In remarks that indirectly addressed the crime, Young acknowledged, “We certainly want to make sure the [Memphis Police Department] is strong and that they are doing all the things they need to do,” but claimed bringing down Memphis crime will involve “prevention and intervention activities.”
Young previously promised to release “a multi-pronged, hard hitting, and focused effort” to confront crime in Memphis within his first 100 days in office.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Virginia Star, and the Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
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