TENNESSEE, USA — The state population of Tennessee could reach nearly 8 million people by 2040, according to recent projections from the Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee.
According to the Boyd Center, the population is expected to reach 7.94 million in the coming decades, with a projected influx of nearly 900,00 people. This new population is expected to include a surge of adults aged 65 and over.
By 2040, nearly 20% of the state's population is expected to be aged 65 and older. A 25% spike in adults aged 65+, a 36% spike in adults aged 75-84 and a 72% surge in adults aged 85 and above is expected to occur in Tennessee, UT said.
From 2020 to 2030, the state population is projected to increase annually by 0.82%. This will be followed by a slowed annual projection rate of 0.55% between 2030 and 2070, according to UT.
The youth and young adult populations are projected to grow as well. Increases of more than 237,00 youth under the age of 20 and 296,000 people between the ages of 25 and 54 are expected by 2040, UT said.
"At the state level, the amount of population growth during the 2020s will feel similar to the gains we saw last decade,” said Matt Harris, Boyd Distinguished Professor of Health Economics and co-author of the new projections. “But as the baby boom generation reaches the later stages of life, a rising number of deaths will begin to slow Tennessee’s population increases.”
For more information about Tennessee's projected population, click here.
