Nashville has been one of the fastest-growing major cities in the United States for over a decade, and the growth is not slowing down. The metro area added 136,000 people between 2020 and 2024, a 6.4% increase, more than double the national growth rate of 3% over the same period. By 2060, the metro is projected to reach 3.18 million people, up from 2.15 million today.
The Numbers
- City proper (Davidson County): 704,963 in 2024, up from 689,447 in the 2020 census
- Metro area: 2.15 million (2024), up from approximately 1.93 million in 2020
- Daily population gain at peak: Roughly 36–100 people per day (depending on the measurement period)
- Projected metro by 2060: 3.18 million (Woods & Poole Economics)
Between 2010 and 2020, the Nashville metro gained 343,319 residents, the largest single-decade gain in the city’s history. Forbes called Nashville a “southern boomtown.” The Zillow real estate platform rated it the hottest housing market in America during that period.
What’s Driving the Growth
The growth comes from three sources working simultaneously: domestic migration from high-cost coastal cities, international immigration, and natural increase from births.
The domestic migration story gets the most press. Californians, New Yorkers, and Chicagoans arriving in Nashville for the lower cost of living, no state income tax, and strong job market are visible in the real estate prices, the coffee shop conversations, and the license plates on the highway. Nashville’s unemployment rate sits near 2.9% versus a national average of 4.4%.
International migration is a less-told but significant part of the story. Nashville’s foreign-born population has tripled since 1990. The city is home to the largest Kurdish community in the United States and has substantial Somali, Bhutanese, Vietnamese, and Latin American populations. About 28% of metro growth from 2020 to 2024 came from international migration.
Corporate relocations have accelerated the economic pull. Oracle announced in 2024 that its Nashville campus will become its world headquarters when the $1.2 billion riverfront complex opens, projected by 2030. Amazon operates over one million square feet of office space here. HCA Healthcare, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Bridgestone Americas are all headquartered in the metro and growing.
Where the Growth Is Actually Landing
The irony of Nashville’s growth story is that the city proper (Davidson County) has been slightly losing population relative to its own 2020 peak, while the surrounding suburban counties are growing even faster. Williamson County (Franklin, Brentwood), Rutherford County (Murfreesboro, Smyrna), and Wilson County (Lebanon, Mt. Juliet) are all growing faster than Davidson County. Lebanon, Tennessee grew 23.7% from 2020 to 2023.
This means the Nashville metro is expanding outward faster than it’s densifying. The ring of fast-growing suburbs is what’s pulling housing prices up throughout the region, not just in the urban core.
The Costs of Growth
Housing prices have roughly doubled since 2015. The median home price in Nashville sits around $425,000–$455,000 (early 2026), slightly above the national median. Rent for a one-bedroom apartment averages around $1,400–$1,779 depending on the neighborhood. By 2020, 99% of Nashville’s neighborhoods were considered unaffordable for Black and Hispanic families earning median incomes, a statistic that reflects who the growth has benefited and who it has displaced.
Traffic has worsened faster than infrastructure improvements have kept pace. Nashville regularly ranks among the worst cities in the US for commute time relative to its size.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, population estimates 2024
- Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce, Regional Economic Report 2024
- Woods & Poole Economics, Nashville metro population projections
- Tennessee State Data Center, University of Tennessee, 2024 population report
- Urban Institute, Nashville housing affordability study, 2020
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, local area unemployment statistics, 2024