By Michelle Price
Special to the UCBJ
WASHINGTON – The population of the state of Tennessee increased by over 560,000 to 6,910,840 according to 2020 Census numbers released this week. The increase helped the state move up one position to become the 16th most populated state in the union. The total population of the U.S. is now 331,449,281, an increase of 22,703,743 over the 2010 count.
The most populous state was California (39,538,223); the least populous was Wyoming (576,851).
Tennessee’s increase in population of 564,735 people was the 11th biggest increase among the states. Texas had the largest increase with 3,999,944, followed by Florida adding 2,736,877.
Three states had a decrease in total population. West Virginia had the largest decrease counting 59,278 fewer residents in 2020 than in 2010. Illinois’ population decreased 18,124 and Mississippi’s population dropped by 6,018.
It’s interesting to note that the flyover states of Utah and Idaho increased their populations by the biggest percentage compared to 2010. Utah’s population increased by 18.4%, while Idaho gained 17%.
The District of Columbia’s population is now 689,545, an increase of 87,822 since 2010, while the population of Puerto Rico decreased by 439,915 (11.8%) to 3,285,874.
The new Tennessee population number does not include the 6,057 Tennessee U.S. military and federal civilian employees that are currently living abroad, but they are calculated for apportionment to determine the number of House of Representatives seats that the state is allocated.
Individual county numbers have not been released yet but are expected to be sent to the states in time for redistricting in the early fall.