As Tennessee experiences a massive influx of new residents from across the country, a study found that one state in particular is a popular feeder for the Volunteer State.
“Our 2022 data shows that California is the largest contributor to Tennessee’s population increase,” according to a MoveBuddha study. “Nearly a quarter (22.14%) of all search queries for moves into Tennessee are from the Golden State.”
California makes up the highest percentage of searches for potential movers-in.
“The next largest contributors are Florida (8.12%), Texas (5.40%), Illinois (5.34%), and Colorado (4.03%),” according to the report.
Home prices in Tennessee are about half that of California, and Tennessee’s property taxes are about half the cost of the property taxes in California. Tennessee also does not have an individual income tax.
Overall, Tennessee is a popular destination for movers from all across the country.
U.S. Census data shows that Tennessee’s population has grown by nine percent over the past decade, with more than a half a million new residents moving in.
“And that upward trend is continuing, with the latest Census population estimates showing that the state added another 55,099 residents from 2020 to 2021,” according to MoveBuddha.
Data for moves into Tennessee during that period is not yet available.
“We also found in our State-to-State Migration Report that Tennessee had the eighth-highest percentage change of inbound to outbound moves (+14.2%) from 2020 to 2021,” the study found.
Chattanooga, Johnson City and Knoxville had the most inbound moves compared to outbound moves, meaning their populations are growing the fastest out of Tennessee’s cities.
In 2022, 306 people are moving into Chattanooga for every 100 people who move out.
In Johnson City, 273 newcomers arrive for every 100 residents who leave. Those figures in Knoxville are 181 new residents for every 100 who move out.
The only major city in Tennessee that is shrinking in population is Memphis, where 83 people move in for every 100 people who move out.
MoveBuddha explained its methodology.
“This report primarily uses a combination of U.S. Census Bureau data and MoveBuddha proprietary data,” it said. “For understanding the cost of area homes we use Zillow’s Home Value Index and for rent data, we referred to FY 2022 Fair Market Rent.”
“Data [was] collected from January 1, 2022 through May 4, 2022Â capturing searches by individuals who were either planning to move or hire a moving company. We only included cities with a minimum of 25 inbound queries and 25 outbound queries for city-level analysis. More information about our move data can be found in our Migration Report.”
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Pete D’Abrosca is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].Â
