UPPER CUMBERLAND – The Upper Cumberland has added more than 5,000 new residents since 2010, according to the latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau – and it seems that Cumberland County, above others, is leading that growth.
Cumberland, which includes cities and communities like Crossville, Crab Orchard, Pleasant Hill and Fairfield Glade, grew by 3.4 percent and 1,932 people from 2010-2014. Putnam County, which has an estimated population of 74,165, followed by adding 1,844 people, a growth of 2.5 percent during that same timespan.
The population estimates, released in recent days, are used in various ways, like for federal funding allocations, but Henry Bowman, an analyst with the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD), stressed that the figures are just that – estimates. “Similar estimates from previous decades have sometimes proved to be inconsistent with later censuses – especially for smaller counties (in the region),” Bowman said in a memo. The last official census was in 2010.
Besides Cumberland and Putnam, growth gains were estimated in Macon, DeKalb, Van Buren, Pickett, Warren and White. Cannon, Clay, Fentress, Jackson, Overton, Smith showed estimated losses. Overall from 2010-2014, the region added approximately 5,272 residents, a growth of 1.6 percent. The state of Tennessee, meanwhile, grew 3.2 percent.
