Increasing the population within Memphis is a major priority of the Strickland Administration and economic development leaders, but it is becoming more of a problem for the entire region which is recording population loss  in recent Census reports. 

Here are some key metrics for how the Memphis MSA stacks up in the rankings of the 50 largest MSAs in the country. 

Population Change – 2010-2017:

#1 – Austin (23.3%)
#2 – Raleigh (18.1%)
#8 – Nashville (13.9%)
#13 – Jacksonville (11.8%)
#14 – Atlanta (11.3%)
#18 – Oklahoma City (10.4%)
#30 – Richmond (7.1%)
#33 – Louisville (4.7%)
#40 – Birmingham (1.9%)
#41 – Memphis (1.8%)
#50 – Pittsburgh (minus 1.0%)

Net Migration as Percent of Population, 2016-2017:

#1 – Austin (1.9%)
#5 – Raleigh (1.7%)
#6 – Jacksonville (1.6%)
#9 – Nashville (1.3%)
#14 – Atlanta (0.9%)
#21 – Richmond (0.6%)
#26 – Louisville (0.4%)
#29 – Oklahoma City (0.3%)
#35 – Birmingham (0.1%)
#42 – Pittsburgh (minus 0.2%)
#42 – Memphis (minus 0.2%)

Net Domestic Migration – Percent of 2016 Population – 2016-2017:

#1 – Austin (1.5%)
#4 – Raleigh (1.3%)
#5 – Jacksonville (1.3%)
#9 – Nashville (1.0%)
#13 – Atlanta (0.6%)
#21 – Richmond (0.3%)
#23 – Louisville (0.2%)
#26 – Oklahoma City (0.0%)
#27 – Birmingham (0.0%)
#34 – Memphis (minus 0.4%)
#34 – Pittsburgh (minus 0.4%)

Natural Change – Births minus Deaths as Percent of 2016 Population:

#1 – Salt Lake City (1.0%)
#3 – Austin (0.8%)
#12 – Atlanta (0.6%)
#16 – Oklahoma City (0.5%)
#16 – Nashville (0.5%)
#16 – Memphis
#33 – Jacksonville (0.4%)
#35 – Richmond (0.3%)
#35 – Louisville (0.3%)
#41 – Birmingham (0.2%)

White Isolation – White population in the community of the average white resident, 2011-2015:

#1 – Pittsburgh (89.9%)
#6 – Louisville (84%)
#15 – Nashville (80.1%)
#17 – Birmingham (76.8%)
#25 – Jacksonville (73.0%)
#26 – Oklahoma City (71.9%)
#30 – Richmond (70.0%)
#32 – Raleigh (69.0%)
#35 – Memphis (66.1%)
#36 – Atlanta (65.9%)
#39 – Austin (62.6%)

African American Isolation – Black population in the community of the average black resident, 2011-2015:

#1 – Detroit (68.1%)
#2 – Memphis (67.9%)
#7 – Birmingham (61.8%)
#10 – Atlanta (57.5%)
#14 – Richmond (51.2%)
#18 – Jacksonville (46.6%)
#20 – Louisville (44.1%)
#25 – Pittsburgh (39.7%)
#26 – Nashville (37.6%)
#31 – Raleigh (33.8%)
#34 – Oklahoma City (30.7%)
#42 – Austin (14.1%)

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates