The Nashville metro area: Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson counties · Population 2,079,596 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Median age by neighborhoodHistory and comparison ↓︎
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Population and households in the Nashville area
Household size in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.57 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.63 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.64 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.56 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.01 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Households in the Nashville area run a little small, averaging 2.56 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The figure for Tennessee is much the same. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the east.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 36.6 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 37.3 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 37.9 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 38.0 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.5 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
The Nashville area is a little younger than the country as a whole: its median age is 38.0, against 40.1 nationally. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 36.6, as it has nationally. The youngest areas are in the center, the oldest in the west.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.7% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.6% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 10.7% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.7% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.0 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head just over one in ten households in the Nashville area (10.7%), close to the national share of 11.6%. Single parents are less common here than in Tennessee overall (11.8%). The single-parent share is down 1.0 points from 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in the Nashville area
Renters in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 31.5% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 34.2% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 34.2% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 34.8% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +3.3 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over a third of households in the Nashville area rent their homes (34.8%), the same as the national share. Among owners, 33.2% have paid off their mortgages, below the national share of 39.8%. Renting is most common in the center and least common in the southwest. Since 2006–10, the renter share has risen 3.3 points, as it has nationally.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 8.8% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.5% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.2% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.9 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacancy in the Nashville area is close to the national rate: 8.2% of homes are empty, against 9.6%. The rate is lower than in Tennessee overall (10.1%). Since 2006–10, vacancy has edged down 0.9 points, in line with the national trend.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1984 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1988 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1992 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +9 | +6 | +6 |
The Nashville area has newer housing than the country as a whole: the median home was built in 1992, versus 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1984 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the east, while the north has the oldest housing.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $905 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $986 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $1,212 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,653 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$749 | +$526 | +$606 |
The median renter in the Nashville area pays $1,653 a month for rent and utilities, above the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $749 a month since 2006–10, up 83%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 30.7% of the typical renter's income, just over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the center; the most affordable are in the northeast.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in the Nashville area
Bachelor's degrees in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 30.1% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 32.0% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 36.3% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 41.0% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +10.9 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are a bit more common in the Nashville area than nationally: 41.0% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. The share with a degree has risen 10.9 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the northeast.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 86.5% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 88.0% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 90.0% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 91.7% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +5.1 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in the Nashville area have finished high school (91.7%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%. The share with a diploma has risen 5.1 points since 2006–10, in line with the national trend.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in the Nashville area
| Period | Nashville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.2% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 7.8% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.9% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.6 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been easier to find in the Nashville area than nationally: unemployment was 3.6%, against 5.4%. Only six of the 100 large U.S. metro areas have lower unemployment. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 3.6 points, as it has nationally.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Largest cities in the Nashville area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville area (all) | 2.56 | 38.0 | 10.7% | 34.8% | 8.2% | 1992 | $1,653 | 41.0% | 91.7% | 3.6% |
| Murfreesboro | 2.73 | 34.4 | 11.1% | 39.4% | 8.4% | 2000 | $1,664 | 40.6% | 94.4% | 3.6% |
| Franklin | 2.76 | 41.5 | 5.5% | 28.6% | 6.4% | 1999 | $2,144 | 65.5% | 95.7% | 2.4% |
| Antioch | 2.71 | 33.2 | 16.8% | 45.6% | 7.7% | 1996 | $1,762 | 30.5% | 84.9% | 7.1% |
| Hendersonville | 2.64 | 42.1 | 7.7% | 26.5% | 5.2% | 1993 | $1,946 | 44.9% | 95.3% | 3.9% |
| Smyrna | 2.95 | 35.3 | 17.4% | 35.4% | 5.0% | 1998 | $1,639 | 28.8% | 88.9% | 4.1% |
| Brentwood | 2.80 | 44.6 | 3.9% | 19.2% | 5.6% | 1997 | $2,446 | 73.2% | 97.6% | 2.4% |
| Lebanon | 2.60 | 39.9 | 10.7% | 28.2% | 7.1% | 1996 | $1,350 | 30.8% | 91.0% | 2.4% |
| Mount Juliet | 2.70 | 41.2 | 9.3% | 22.3% | 8.9% | 2001 | $2,097 | 47.2% | 96.1% | 3.8% |
| Columbia | 2.52 | 37.7 | 12.6% | 30.4% | 9.6% | 1985 | $1,346 | 25.0% | 92.0% | 2.5% |
| Gallatin | 2.50 | 39.1 | 12.1% | 38.1% | 6.0% | 1997 | $1,495 | 33.3% | 91.7% | 3.0% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Milwaukee area · Jacksonville area · Providence area · Virginia Beach area · San Jose area · Indianapolis area · Columbus area · Cleveland area · Kansas City area · Cincinnati area
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up the Nashville area. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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