The population of the state, each of the 95 counties and incorporated cities and towns are captured in the federal decennial census on April 1st every 10 years. Between those periods, estimates of population and housing units are produced annually.
The US Census Bureau releases annual estimates of the resident population for the state, counties and municipalities. Through the Federal State Cooperative for Population Estimates (FSCPE), the State Data Center provides data for Tennessee and reviews the projections.
State-level population
Estimates of U.S. residents and state populations are released each December. The totals represent the population on July 1st of each year. These U.S. Census Bureau files are in Microsoft Excel format.
- Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for the U.S. and States: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (NST-EST2019-01)
- Rankings of state size and cumulative Estimates of Resident Population Change for the U.S. and States: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (NST-EST2019-02)
- Cumulative Estimates of the Components of Resident Population Change for the U.S. and States: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019 (NST-EST2019-04)
Other state-level data, including characteristics such race, Hispanic ethnicity and age can be found on the Population and Housing Units section of the Census Bureau website.
County-level population
County-level data made available through Population Estimates Program includes characteristic totals for age, gender, race and Hispanic ethnicity. It also has detailed data on births, deaths and migration – known as the components of population change. The data are in Microsoft Excel formats.
- County Population by Characteristics: 2010-2019
- County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2010-2019
2018 Vintage Interactive County Dashboard
To help better illustrate population trends and drivers of population change in the state, we created an interactive dashboard with data for each of Tennessee’s 95 counties. The 2018 vintage population estimates are shown. A dashboard with 2019 vintage estimates is under development.