The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday published new population estimates and ranked Tennessee as being one of the top 10 states for numeric growth between 2020 and 2021.
The Census Bureau also reported that the Volunteer State grew in population, however slightly, between April 2020 and July 2021.
Tennessee, in April 2020, had 6,910,840 residents, but by July of this year that number had increased to 6,975,218.
“According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2021 national and state population estimates and components of change released today, the population of the United States grew in the past year by 392,665, or 0.1 percent, the lowest since the nation’s founding,” according to that agency’s report.
Since April 1, 2020, the nation’s population increased from 331,449,281 to 331,893,745, a gain of 444,464, or 0.13 percent, the report said.
“The South, with a population of 127,225,329, was the most populous of the four regions (encompassing 38.3 percent of the total national population) and was the only region that had positive net domestic migration of 657,682 (the movement of people from one area to another within the United States) between 2020 and 2021,” the U.S. Census Bureau reported.
“The Northeast region, the least populous of the four regions with a population of 57,159,838 in 2021, experienced a population decrease of -365,795 residents due to natural decrease (-31,052) and negative net domestic migration (-389,638). The West saw a gain in population (35,868) despite losing residents via negative net domestic migration (-144,941).”
The U.S. Census Bureau also reported the following:
• With a population of 29,527,941 in 2021, Texas had the largest annual and cumulative numeric gain, increasing by 310,288 (1.1 percent) and 382,436 (1.3 percent), respectively.
• Idaho had the fastest annual and cumulative population increase, growing by 2.9 percent (53,151) in the last year, and by 3.4 percent (61,817) since April 1, 2020.
• New York had the largest annual and cumulative numeric population decline, decreasing by 319,020 (1.6 percent) and 365,336 (1.8 percent), respectively.
• Over the past year, the District of Columbia’s population declined by 2.9 percent, or 20,043 residents, to a population of 670,050 in 2021. This was the largest annual percent decrease in the nation.
• The largest net domestic migration gains were in Florida (220,890), Texas (170,307) and Arizona (93,026).
“Three states had populations above 20 million in 2021: California (39,237,836), Texas (29,527,941) and Florida (21,781,128),” according to the report.
“New York dropped below 20 million people in the last year, decreasing from 20,154,933 to 19,835,913.”
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Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
