The 36th-largest State in the country is the southeastern State of Tennessee, which covers 42,144 square miles (the 15th-smallest in the US) and has an average density of 172 people per square mile (mi²), the 20th-highest in the US. Tennessee's 2023 population is estimated to be the 16th-highest in the US at 7,080,262, equivalent to 2.1% of the country's total population.
Nashville is Tennessee's largest city and capital, with 715,913 residents and a greater metropolitan area of approximately two million people. The next largest city is Memphis, with 628,970 residents and more than 1.3 million in its greater metro area.
Tennessee joined the Union as the 16th State in June 1796; it would be the last State admitted during the 18th century. Tennessee seceded from the Union during the Civil War and did not participate in the 1864 election. Like many southern states, Tennessee voted almost exclusively Democratic from Reconstruction until after World War II. Since the 1950s, Republicans have usually won here, although there have been a few exceptions, most recently Bill Clinton (with home-state Senator Al Gore as vice president) in 1992 and 1996. Interestingly, Gore lost the State in 2000 when he headed the Democratic ticket. In 2020, Donald Trump defeated Joe Biden by 23%, marking the fifth consecutive double-digit GOP win in a deep red state.
The median age in Tennessee is approximately 38.5 years of age. When examining the ratio of females to males, the current statistics show females at 51.3% and males at 48.7%.
In terms of religious preferences across the State's population, 81% are affiliated with a Christian-based faith, 3% are affiliated with non-Christian-based faiths, and 14% are unaffiliated with any particular faith, reflecting the diverse religious landscape of Tennessee.
Tennessee Boundary, Census, and Statehood History
The Territory South of the Ohio River, formerly part of North Carolina and sometimes known as the Southwest Territory, was created in 1790. It was admitted as the State of Tennessee on June 1, 1796, making it the last State admitted during the 18th century. Both Territory and State generally had the exact boundaries of the present State, except that because of erroneous surveys, much of the Tennessee-Kentucky boundary was disputed for some time; it was not finally resurveyed until 1859. Details of the Tennessee-Virginia boundary were not settled until 1901.
Census coverage in 1790 and 1800 was limited to the northeastern part of Tennessee and the region around Nashville, and coverage did not include the whole State until 1830. The 1790 census of the Southwest Territory began at the end of July 1791.
Tennessee Demographics
According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Tennessee was:
White: 75.78%
Black or African American: 16.48%
Two or more races: 3.81%
Asian: 1.83%
Other race: 1.81%
Native American: 0.22%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.06%
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