Tennessee Surpasses Estimated 7 Million Residents in 2022 Census Estimates

by Jon Styf

Tennessee saw its largest population increase since 2007 and was one of the 10 fastest growing states in the country in population data released Thursday by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Tennessee State Data Center said there was a nearly 83,000 gain from 2021 to 2022, a 1.2% population increase.

That means that Tennessee surpassed an estimated seven million residents at 7,051,339.

Big numbers for Tennessee in the just released 2022 Population Estimates. Largest single-year population increase since 2007. Nearly 83K gain (1.2 percent)! pic.twitter.com/OjDh4WPjNy

— TN State Data Center (@TN_SDC) December 22, 2022

Tennessee ranked seventh in the country in numerical population growth, with Texas and Florida leading the way, followed by North Carolina and Georgia. New York, California and Illinois lost the most residents.

As a percentage population increase, Tennessee ranked 11th in the country.

Overall, the U.S. population increased by 0.4% or 1,256,003.

“There was a sizeable uptick in population growth last year compared to the prior year’s historically low increase,” said Kristie Wilder, a demographer in the Population Division at the Census Bureau. “A rebound in net international migration, coupled with the largest year-over-year increase in total births since 2007, is behind this increase.”

The South was credited as being the fastest-growing region in the country with a 1.1% increase.

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Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies. Styf is a reporter for The Center Square.