Tennessee population: rural share, Black residents and growth

With 7,315,076 residents on July 1, 2025, Tennessee is larger than Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri; smaller than Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. It holds 2.14%¹ of the US population and sends 9⁹ members to the House of Representatives. This site reports statewide figures only, so it has no separate numbers for Memphis, Nashville or towns like Pittman Center.

A third of Tennesseans live in rural areas

The 2020 Census classified 66.2% of Tennessee residents as urban and 33.8% as rural, meaning they lived outside the Census Bureau's urban areas. The rural share is 13.8 percentage points above the US figure (20.0%) and the 16th highest among the 50 states and DC. It is also the 7th highest in the South¹⁰.

Vermont64.9%

Maine61.4%

West Virginia55.4%

Mississippi53.7%

Montana46.6%

Arkansas44.5%

South Dakota42.8%

Alabama42.3%

New Hampshire41.7%

Kentucky41.3%

North Dakota39.0%

Wyoming38.0%

Iowa36.9%

Oklahoma35.4%

Alaska35.1%

Tennessee33.8%

North Carolina33.3%

Wisconsin32.9%

South Carolina32.1%

Idaho30.8%

Source: Census Bureau, 2020 Census urban and rural population by state. Period: April 1, 2020.

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State	Rural population (%)
Vermont	64.9%
Maine	61.4%
West Virginia	55.4%
Mississippi	53.7%
Montana	46.6%
Arkansas	44.5%
South Dakota	42.8%
Alabama	42.3%
New Hampshire	41.7%
Kentucky	41.3%
North Dakota	39.0%
Wyoming	38.0%
Iowa	36.9%
Oklahoma	35.4%
Alaska	35.1%
Tennessee	33.8%
North Carolina	33.3%
Wisconsin	32.9%
South Carolina	32.1%
Idaho	30.8%

The neighbors split evenly. Tennessee's rural share is higher than Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia; lower than Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi. Nationally the most rural states are Vermont (64.9%), Maine (61.4%) and West Virginia (55.4%¹⁰).

Tennessee is still more densely settled than the country as a whole. With 177.4 people per square mile, it is the 21st most densely populated state, 83% above the US figure (96.7 people per square mile)¹¹. Housing and travel differ from the national pattern. Single-family detached homes make up 67.9% of housing units, 7.0 percentage points above the US figure (60.9%), and mobile homes 7.5%, 2.2 percentage points above the US figure (5.3%). Only 6.9%¹² of units are in buildings with 20 or more apartments. Of workers, 75.4% drive to work alone and 0.5% take public transit, against 3.8%¹³ nationally.

What percent of Tennessee is Black

The Census Bureau's population estimates put the Black share at 15.7% on July 1, 2025, counting people of any ethnicity who report Black as their only race. That is 2.1 percentage points above the US figure (13.5%) and the 14th highest¹⁴ share among the states. In the 2025 American Community Survey, 1.1 million Tennesseans (1,090,333, ±11,634) were Black alone; the survey and the estimates use different methods, so the survey share, 14.9%¹⁵, is a little lower. Adding people who are Black and another race brings the share to 17.1% (±0.1 percentage points), 2.6 percentage points above the US figure (14.5%)¹⁶.

Regionally the share is modest: it is the 6th lowest in the South, and higher than Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri; lower than Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia. The share has also been edging down. Non-Hispanic Black residents were 14.8%² of the population in 2025, down from 16.4% in 2005¹⁷, and the population estimates show the Black alone share down from 16.2% in 2020¹⁴.

TennesseeUnited States

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2005-2019 and 2021-2025. ACS 1-year estimates; no standard 1-year release for 2020. Shaded band: 90% margin of error.

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Year	Tennessee	United States
2005	16.4% ±0.1	11.9% ±0.0
2006	16.7% ±0.1	12.2% ±0.0
2007	16.6% ±0.1	12.2% ±0.0
2008	16.3% ±0.1	12.1% ±0.0
2009	16.4% ±0.1	12.1% ±0.0
2010	16.6% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2011	16.7% ±0.1	12.2% ±0.0
2012	16.8% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2013	16.9% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2014	16.8% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2015	16.7% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2016	16.6% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2017	16.6% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2018	16.6% ±0.1	12.3% ±0.0
2019	16.6% ±0.1	12.4% ±0.0
2021	15.4% ±0.2	11.8% ±0.0
2022	15.5% ±0.1	11.9% ±0.0
2023	15.2% ±0.2	11.8% ±0.0
2024	14.9% ±0.2	11.8% ±0.0
2025	14.8% ±0.2	11.7% ±0.0

White, Hispanic, Asian and Native residents

Non-Hispanic white residents are 69.1% of Tennesseans, 14.1 percentage points above the US figure (55.0%). The share was down from 70.5% in 2024², and down from 78.0% in 2005¹⁷.

Single group (adds to 100%)Alone or in combination with other races

White, not Hispanic69.1% 78.8%

Black, not Hispanic14.8% 17.1%

Hispanic or Latino (any race)8.5%

Two or more races, not Hispanic4.9%

Asian, not Hispanic2.2% 3.0%

Some other race, not Hispanic0.3%

American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic0.2% 2.5%

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic0.0% 0.2%

Source: Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B03002; Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2025, table B02009. The dark bars are mutually exclusive and add to 100%. The light bars count everyone who reported the race, alone or with another race and of any ethnicity, so they overlap and add to more than 100%.

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Group	Share (single group)	MOE	Alone or in combination
White, not Hispanic	69.1%	±0.1	78.8%
Black, not Hispanic	14.8%	±0.1	17.1%
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	8.5%	±0.1	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	4.9%	±0.2	–
Asian, not Hispanic	2.2%	±0.1	3.0%
Some other race, not Hispanic	0.3%	±0.1	–
American Indian and Alaska Native, not Hispanic	0.2%		2.5%
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, not Hispanic	0.0%		0.2%

The Hispanic or Latino population, of any race, grew to 8.5% in 2025, up from 7.8% in 2024, and still 12.0 percentage points below the US figure (20.5%). People of Mexican origin are the largest part: 3.8% of all residents, with Central Americans at 1.5%¹⁸. Non-Hispanic Asian residents make up 2.2%, up from 2.0% in 2024, and non-Hispanic residents of two or more races 4.9%, up from 4.3% in 2024².

On the diversity index, the probability that two residents picked at random belong to different race or ethnic groups, Tennessee scores 49.0, the 22nd least diverse¹⁹ state. At the 2020 Census the most-reported American Indian group was Cherokee, named by 59,725²⁰ people alone or with another group.

Growth from other states, with births barely ahead of deaths

Between April 2020 and June 2025, Tennessee gained 292,727 more residents from other states than it lost, the 5th highest net gain in the country. Among its neighbors only North Carolina gained more. Net international migration added 115,541. Natural change subtracted: Tennessee is one of 20 states that recorded more deaths than births between April 2020 and June 2025, a natural decrease of −9,876¹.

The deficit came from the first two years: natural change was −9,791 in the year to June 2021 and −9,392 in the year to June 2022. Since then births have led, but narrowly: 84,408 births against 80,811 deaths in the year to June 2025, a natural increase of 3,597¹.

Migration from other states peaked at 82,316 in the year to June 2022 and has eased each year since, to 42,389 in 2025. Even so, that last figure was the 4th highest in the country, and it supplied 66% of the year's population growth. International migration provided 28% and natural increase 6%. Relative to population, net migration from all sources was 8.3 per 1,000 residents, 124% above the US figure (3.7 per 1,000 residents)¹.

Who moves to Tennessee, and from where

The Census Bureau's survey of movers counted 191,844 people who moved to Tennessee from another state in 2024 and 156,435 who left for one. The largest groups of arrivals came from California (19,670) and Florida (18,526); the first is not statistically different from the flow from Florida. Texas, North Carolina and Illinois followed. The leading destinations of people leaving were Florida, Kentucky and Alabama²¹.

Moved to Tennessee from

California19,670 ±4,848

Florida18,526 ±3,217

Texas12,798 ±2,792

North Carolina11,741 ±3,542

Illinois10,866 ±3,232

Georgia10,786 ±2,605

Alabama9,789 ±2,113

Kentucky7,819 ±1,873

Left Tennessee for

Florida16,211 ±4,653

Kentucky14,181 ±4,150

Alabama11,339 ±2,639

Georgia10,017 ±2,556

North Carolina8,763 ±3,119

Mississippi8,457 ±2,868

California7,972 ±3,477

Texas7,588 ±2,431

Source: Census Bureau, State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024. People aged 1 and over who lived in another state a year earlier (and the reverse). Survey estimates: whiskers show the 90% margin of error.

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State	Moved in from	Moved out to
California	19,670 ±4,848	7,972 ±3,477
Florida	18,526 ±3,217	16,211 ±4,653
Texas	12,798 ±2,792	7,588 ±2,431
North Carolina	11,741 ±3,542	8,763 ±3,119
Illinois	10,866 ±3,232	–
Georgia	10,786 ±2,605	10,017 ±2,556
Alabama	9,789 ±2,113	11,339 ±2,639
Kentucky	7,819 ±1,873	14,181 ±4,150
Mississippi	–	8,457 ±2,868

Tax records give a second view. Between the 2022 and 2023 tax years, Tennessee gained 42,899 more people on tax returns (filers and dependents) than it lost, the 5th highest net gain, and arriving households reported $2.8 billion²² more income than departing ones.

In 2025, 55.7% of residents had been born in Tennessee and 36.5% in another state, 9.5 percentage points above the US figure (27.0%). The Midwest stands out as a birthplace: 10.1% of Tennesseans were born there, 3.2 percentage points above the US figure (6.9%)²³.

Census counts since 1790

The first census, in 1790, counted 35,691 people in the area that became Tennessee, which ranked 18th of 18 among the areas counted. The state climbed quickly in the rankings: by 1840 Tennessee had 829,210 residents and ranked 5th of 31, a place it still held in 1850 with 1,002,717²⁴.

Source: Census Bureau, Historical Census Statistics on Population Totals by Race, 1790 to 1990; Census Bureau, 2020 Census apportionment results and historical resident population 1910-2020; Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025. Census counts every ten years (April 1); estimates for July 1 after 2020.

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Year	Tennessee
1790	35,691
1800	105,602
1810	261,727
1820	422,823
1830	681,904
1840	829,210
1850	1,002,717
1860	1,109,801
1870	1,258,520
1880	1,542,359
1890	1,767,518
1900	2,020,616
1910	2,184,789
1920	2,337,885
1930	2,616,556
1940	2,915,841
1950	3,291,718
1960	3,567,089
1970	3,923,687
1980	4,591,120
1990	4,877,185
2000	5,689,283
2010	6,346,105
2020	6,910,840
2021	6,966,687
2022	7,063,325
2023	7,153,029
2024	7,251,291
2025	7,315,076

Other states then grew faster. Tennessee ranked 14th of 51 in 1900 and 16th of 51²⁴ in 1950, and has stayed within a few places of that since. The population is 2.2 times its 1950 size and 1.3 times¹ its size in 2000. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses it grew 8.9%, 1.5 percentage points above the US figure (7.4%)⁶.

Shorter lives and a high death rate

Life expectancy at birth in Tennessee was 73.8 years in 2022, 3.7 years below the US figure (77.5 years) and tied for 4th shortest among the states. For men it was 70.9 years (5th shortest) and for women 76.9 years (6th shortest). Life expectancy was longer than Kentucky and Mississippi; shorter than Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia; the same as Alabama²⁵.

Virginia77.5

United States77.5

Georgia75.9

North Carolina75.9

Missouri75.2

Arkansas73.9

Tennessee73.8

Alabama73.8

Kentucky73.6

Mississippi72.6

Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. State Life Tables, 2022. Period: 2022.

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State	Life expectancy
Virginia	77.5
United States	77.5
Georgia	75.9
North Carolina	75.9
Missouri	75.2
Arkansas	73.9
Tennessee	73.8
Alabama	73.8
Kentucky	73.6
Mississippi	72.6

The death rate tells the same story from the other side. Deaths occurred at a rate of 11.1 per 1,000 residents in the year to June 2025, 22% above the US figure (9.1 per 1,000 residents) and the 8th highest¹ rate. The state's age profile, by contrast, is close to the nation's: residents aged 65 and older make up 18.6%, 0.3 percentage points below the US figure (18.9%)¹⁴. The drug overdose death rate was 35.2 per 100,000, age-adjusted in 2024, 52% above the US figure (23.1 per 100,000, age-adjusted). Infant mortality in 2024 was 6.4 per 1,000 live births, 16% above the US figure (5.5 per 1,000 live births)²⁶.

More residents lack health insurance than nationally. In 2025, 10.0% of residents had no health insurance, 1.6 percentage points above the US figure (8.4%)²⁷. The CDC's 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System published no Tennessee estimate, so adult obesity and smoking rates are not shown here.

Births, marriages and young children

Births occurred at a rate of 11.6 per 1,000 residents in the year to June 2025, 9% above the US figure (10.6 per 1,000 residents) and higher than every bordering state (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia)¹. The total fertility rate, the number of children a woman would have at current rates, was 1.72 in 2024, 8% above the US figure (1.60). Births come earlier in life than nationally. In 2024 the birth rate for women aged 25 to 29 was 13% above the US figure (89.5 per 1,000 women aged 25 to 29), while the rate for women aged 30 to 34 was 5% below the US figure (93.7 per 1,000 women aged 30 to 34). The teen birth rate, 19.9 per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19, was the 5th highest²⁸ in the country.

Marriage follows a similar pattern. Marriages took place at a rate of 7.6 per 1,000 residents in 2024, 21% above the US figure (6.3 per 1,000 residents)²⁹, and only 31.5% of residents aged 15 and older have never married, 3.3 percentage points below the US figure (34.8%)³⁰. Children under 5 make up 5.8% of the population, 0.4 percentage points above the US figure (5.4%). Yet the median age, 39.5 years, is not statistically different from the US figure (39.5 years)³, and the share aged 65 and older has risen, up from 17.1% in 2020¹⁴.

One household pattern stands out. Among grandparents who live with their grandchildren, 40.9% are responsible for the children's basic needs, 10.9 percentage points above the US figure (30.0%)³¹.

Lower incomes, lower prices

The median household income was $75,875 in 2025 (±$816), $8,905 (11%) below the US figure ($84,780), and ranked between 36th and 40th among the states. It was up from $73,891 in 2024 (in 2025 dollars), a statistically significant gain after inflation, and is higher than Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi; lower than Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia; not statistically different from Missouri⁴.

Lower prices make up most of the difference. The Bureau of Economic Analysis puts Tennessee's overall price level at 91.9 for 2024 (US = 100), 8% below the US figure (100.0). Utilities are where the difference is largest: their price level, 72.1, is the 3rd least expensive in the country and less expensive than every bordering state (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina and Virginia). The price level for housing is 21% below the US figure (100.6). Personal income per person was $69,274 in 2025, $7,754 (10%) below the US figure ($77,028)³³. Adjusted for state prices, it was $58,582 in 2024, only $613 (1%) below the US figure ($59,195), and higher than Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and North Carolina; lower than Virginia³².

Poverty fell in 2025. The official rate was 12.6% (±0.4 percentage points), down from 13.5% in 2024 but still 0.8 percentage points above the US figure (11.8%). Child poverty was 16.5%, down from 19.1% in 2024⁵. The Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for local housing costs and benefits such as food assistance, puts the rate at 11.1% on average over 2023–2025, 1.9 percentage points below the US figure (13.0%)³⁴. In the Agriculture Department's count for fiscal 2025, 9.5% of residents received SNAP food benefits, 2.8 percentage points below the US figure (12.3%)³⁵. In the 2025 survey, 53.7% of households below the poverty line reported receiving SNAP, 11.7 percentage points above the US figure (42.0%)³⁶.

Southern Baptists, non-denominational churches and Churches of Christ

Tennessee's congregations counted 55.6% of residents in the 2020 U.S. Religion Census, the 8th highest share. The Southern Baptist Convention is the largest body (19.0%, in 3,151 churches), and non-denominational churches the second (9.6%). The Churches of Christ are smaller in members but have 1,404³⁷ congregations, more than The United Methodist Church.

Answering common questions: Christian congregations counted 54.5% of Tennesseans; Catholic parishes counted 4.0%, the 2nd lowest share; and the mosque study estimated 39,745³⁷ people taking part in mosques. Every figure is a congregation's own count, not a survey answer (about the source).

A newer housing stock

Tennessee's homes are younger than the nation's. Of all housing units, 20.1% were built in 2010 or later, 5.2 percentage points above the US figure (14.9%), and only 5.2%³⁸ before 1940. The median home was built in 1989³⁹.

The median home value was $341,200, $29,900 (8%) below the US figure ($371,100)⁴⁰, and the median gross rent $1,356 a month, $201 (13%) below the US figure ($1,557)⁴¹. Homeownership rose to 67.7%, up from 66.8% in 2024 and 2.4 percentage points above the US figure (65.3%)⁴². Among renters, 50.3% spend 30 percent or more of their income on rent, 1.5 percentage points below the US figure (51.8%)⁴³.

High school graduation near the top, degrees below average

Tennessee's public high schools graduated 90% of students within four years in the 2021–22 school year, tied for 2nd highest among the 48 states and DC with published rates (rank range between 2nd and 8th) behind West Virginia at 91%. The rate is higher than Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina and Virginia; the same as Kentucky and Missouri⁴⁴.

West Virginia91%

Iowa90%

Kentucky90%

Massachusetts90%

Missouri90%

Tennessee90%

Texas90%

Wisconsin90%

Connecticut89%

Kansas89%

Source: Department of Education, NCES, Digest of Education Statistics 2023, Table 219.46. Period: 2021-22.

Show the numbers

State	Graduation rate
West Virginia	91%
Iowa	90%
Kentucky	90%
Massachusetts	90%
Missouri	90%
Tennessee	90%
Texas	90%
Wisconsin	90%
Connecticut	89%
Kansas	89%

Among adults, the picture differs. The share of residents aged 25 and older with at least a high school diploma, 91.0%, is not statistically different from the US figure (90.6%). The share with a bachelor's degree or higher is 32.8% (±0.6 percentage points), 4.6 percentage points below the US figure (37.4%), a rank between 35th and 41st⁴⁵. It has risen steadily, up from 21.8% in 2005¹⁷.

Immigrants, ancestry, work and veterans

Tennessee has 494,649 residents born abroad, 6.8% of the population and 7.9 percentage points below the US figure (14.7%). Of them, 50.5% were born in Latin America and 28.4% in Asia, up from 24.5% in 2024. Africa accounts for 9.2%, 3.3 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%). Fewer of them are US citizens than nationally: 42.7% have naturalized, 11.2 percentage points below the US figure (53.9%)²³. At home, 9.6% of residents aged 5 and older speak a language other than English, most often Spanish (5.8%⁴⁶).

The most common ancestries reported in 2020–2024 were English (13.3%), American (11.3%), Irish (9.3%) and German (9.1%⁴⁷).

Unemployment averaged 3.5% in 2025, 0.8 percentage points below the US figure (4.3%), but a smaller share of adults is in the labor force: 60.6%, 1.8 percentage points below the US figure (62.4%)⁴⁸. The state's 375,004 veterans make up 6.5% of civilian adults, 0.6 percentage points above the US figure (5.9%)⁴⁹.