New data: Nashville region still growing by 100 people a day

Nashville is still booming, and the pace hasn't slowed.

New population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show the Nashville metro statistical area added 36,337 people during the one-year stretch that ended July 1, 2016, meaning the region grew by an average of 100 people a day over those 12 months.

The overall population of the 14-county Nashville region grew from 1,828,961 to 1,865,298, a 2 percent increase.

That closely matches the 36,435 net population increase that the Nashville area had from 2014 and 2015 — also an average of 100 people a day — and the 34,072 net population increase from 2013 to 2014, an average of 93 people a day.

From 2010 to 2016, the Nashville area grew an average 32,403 people a year, a pace of about 89 people daily. The overall population jumped by 11.6 percent during those six years.

Suburbs have absorbed the majority of the growth since 2015, with Rutherford County's population jumping by 9,828 people from 2015 to 2016, followed by Williamson County, which grew by 7,433. Davidson County, home of Nashville, grew by 6,087, and Wilson County grew by 4,009.

The population increases are not the same as the number of new people who have moved here.

Breaking down the region's growth of 36,337 people, approximately 28 percent (10,101 people) were the result of births and deaths, while 72 percent (25,358 people) were people who moved to the Nashville area.

“That’s not 100 people a day moving here,” said Nicholas J. Lindeman, economic and systems data analyst with Nashville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. “That’s total growth. So that’s both births and deaths, and people moving in it out.”

►Read more: How many people are really moving to Nashville every day?

Lindeman noted that if Nashville maintains this pace, the region would approach a population of around 2 million by the next census in 2020.

“The story for me, looking at the numbers, is that the region is doing really, really well.”

►Related: Even experts didn’t expect Middle Tennessee to grow this fast

►Read more: Why The Nations neighborhood is now a symbol of Nashville's rapid growth

The Nashville metro area's population ranks 36th overall among the 382 metropolitan statistical areas. Nashville saw the 19th largest population increase from 2015 to 2016, and the 38th largest population increase by percentage.

While Nashville’s population has steadily grown, the population of the Memphis metro area — the second largest in Tennessee — grew by just 888 people, or .1 percent, from 2015 to 2016. That means the Memphis area has gained between two and three people a day.

Nashville gained more people a day from 2015 to 2016 than some of its other sister cities, including Raleigh, N.C. (86 people a day; 2.5 percent growth), Indianapolis (48 people a day; .9 percent growth), Louisville (16 people a day; .5 percent growth) and Cincinnati (27 people a day; .5 percent growth).

But Nashville is still trailing others comparable cities in year-to-year growth from 2015 to 2016: Austin, Texas (160 people a day; 2.9 percent growth); Charlotte, N.C. (136 people a day; 2 percent growth). Denver (121 people a day; 1.6 percent growth); and Portland, Ore (110 people a day, 1.7 percent growth).

Elsewhere in Tennessee, the Knoxville metro grew from 861,169 people to 868,546 people, a .9 percent increase; Chattanooga grew from 547,007 to 551,632, a .01 percent increase; Clarksville grew from 280,988 to 282,349; and Jackson slightly decreased from 129,588 to 129,527.

For the fourth consecutive year, The Villages, Fla., a metro area west of the Orlando, Fla. metro area, was the nation's fastest-growing metro area from year-to-year, with a 4.3 percent population increase. Four metro areas are in both the top 25 in overall population and growth from 2015 to 2016:  Austin, Texas; Raleigh, N.C.; Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.; and Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.

►Related: Memphis barely growing, census figures show

How Nashville's stacks up:

Percentage growth in population, 2015-2016, select cities:

Austin 2.9%

Raleigh 2.5%

Nashville 2%

Charlotte 2%

Denver 1.6%

Atlanta 1.6%

Indianapolis 0.9%

Louisville 0.5%

Memphis 0.1%

United States 0.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau estimates

Growth in the Nashville region by county:

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236 and on Twitter @joeygarriso