Memphis Metropolitan Area | |
|---|---|
| Memphis,TN–MS–AR Combined Statistical Area | |
.jpg) Downtown Memphis skyline | |
 | |
| Coordinates:35°01′26″N89°52′09″W / 35.0239°N 89.8692°W /35.0239; -89.8692 | |
| Country | United States |
| State(s) | Tennessee Arkansas Mississippi |
| Largest city | Memphis, Tennessee (656,861) |
| Other cities | Bartlett, Tennessee (58,264) Southaven, Mississippi (51,824) Collierville, Tennessee (48,655) |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,599 sq mi (11,910 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 1,389,905[1] |
| • Rank | 41st in the U.S. |
| • Density | 426.7/sq mi (164.8/km2) |
| GDP | |
| • Total | $102.934 billion (2023) |
TheMemphis–Clarksdale–Forrest CityCombined Statistical Area, TN–MS–AR (CSA) is the commercial and cultural hub of theMid-South orArk-Miss-Tenn. The census-defined combined statistical area covers eleven counties in three states,Tennessee,Mississippi, andArkansas. As of2020 census, the Memphis metropolitan area had a population of 1,389,905[1] The Forrest City, Arkansas Micropolitan area was added to the Memphis area in 2012 to form the Memphis–Forrest City Combined Statistical area. In 2023 the Clarksdale, Mississippi Micropolitan area was also added to form the new Memphis-Clarksdale-Forrest City Combined Statistical Area which as of 2023 had a population of roughly 1.4 million people according to census estimates.[3]
The greater Mid-South area has a population of 2.4 million, according to 2013 census estimates.[4] This area is covered by Memphis local news channels and includes theMissouri Bootheel, Northeast Arkansas,West Tennessee, andNorth Mississippi.[5]
The Memphis metropolitan area is part of the Mid-South of the United States. It is culturally more associated with theDeep South and theMississippi Delta than it is theUpland South, which is the case withTennessee's other large cities.Memphis, Tennessee, is the largest city in the Deep South, the third-largest in theSoutheastern United States, and the eighth-largest in theSouthern United States as a whole. African-Americans make up nearly half the population of the metro area. The Mid-South has the highest percentage of African Americans of all large metro areas with at least a million people. It is the second-largest when metropolitan areas under a million people are factored in after theJackson-Vicksburg-Brookhaven, MS Combined Statistical Area.
The metro area is blue collar in nature and most of its growth can be attributed to its logistical infrastructure. Recently, however, more companies with technology backgrounds such as Electrolux andMitsubishi have begun making inroads in the Memphis area.[6]
TheMemphis area has a diverse and robust economy. Well positioned on America's largest river, theMississippi, and located near the population center of the United States, Memphis is a distribution hub.FedEx maintains its global headquarters in Memphis and uses theMemphis International Airport as its global superhub facility making the airport the busiest cargo airport in the United States. UPS also uses Memphis as a hub. The area is also home to one of the United States largest intermodal logistics centers. This includes being the third-largest trucking corridor, fourth-largest inland port, and third-largest in class I railroad services. The Mid-South has the largest percentage of people employed in logistics in the U.S. The Mid-South is also home to several Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, includingFedEx,AutoZone,Regions Bank,ServiceMaster,BUPERS,First Horizon Bank,International Paper, and others. Companies includingNike,Baskin Robbins,Sharp, and Hewlett Packard operate large distribution centers out of Memphis.[7]
Healthcare has begun to play a major role in the Mid-South's economy accounting for one in nine jobs. There are nineteen hospitals with over 4,100 beds in the Mid-South. The area is also home toSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital, a Nobel Prize winning hospital with over 1,200 scientists working there and theUniversity of Tennessee Health Science Center.[7]
Tourism is also a major contributor to the Mid-South's economy with the region being known as the birthplace of Rock and Roll and Blues. Over eight million people visit the Memphis metropolitan area every year for tourist related activities. Over four million people visitBeale Street every year making it the most visited attraction in Tennessee. TheMemphis Zoo is one of only four zoos in the U.S. to feature a giant panda and is routinely ranked as one of the best zoos in America. The Tunica casino resort area in Mississippi has over twelve million visitors annually and is the third largest gaming area in the U.S. after Las Vegas and Atlantic City.[7] It also contains a lake beach atSardis Lake nearBatesville, Mississippi.
Four Year Colleges and Graduate Schools
Two Year Colleges
 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Memphis metropolitan area" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Airports:
Freeways:
The area includes the following counties:
| County | Largest City | 2020 Census | 2010 Census | Change | Area | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County, Tennessee | Memphis | 929,744 | 927,644 | +0.23% | 785 sq mi (2,030 km2) | 1,184/sq mi (457/km2) |
| Desoto County, Mississippi | Southaven | 185,314 | 161,252 | +14.92% | 497 sq mi (1,290 km2) | 373/sq mi (144/km2) |
| Tipton County, Tennessee | Atoka | 60,970 | 61,081 | −0.18% | 473 sq mi (1,230 km2) | 129/sq mi (50/km2) |
| Crittenden County, Arkansas | West Memphis | 48,163 | 50,902 | −5.38% | 636 sq mi (1,650 km2) | 76/sq mi (29/km2) |
| Fayette County, Tennessee | Oakland | 41,990 | 38,413 | +9.31% | 706 sq mi (1,830 km2) | 59/sq mi (23/km2) |
| Marshall County, Mississippi | Holly Springs | 33,752 | 37,144 | −9.13% | 710 sq mi (1,800 km2) | 703/sq mi (271/km2) |
| Tate County, Mississippi | Senatobia | 28,064 | 28,886 | −2.85% | 411 sq mi (1,060 km2) | 68/sq mi (26/km2) |
| St. Francis County, Arkansas | Forrest City | 23,090 | 28,258 | −18.29% | 643 sq mi (1,670 km2) | 36/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Coahoma County, Mississippi | Clarksdale | 21,390 | 26,151 | −18.21% | 583 sq mi (1,510 km2) | 37/sq mi (14/km2) |
| Tunica County, Mississippi | Tunica | 9,782 | 10,778 | −9.24% | 481 sq mi (1,250 km2) | 20/sq mi (8/km2) |
| Benton County, Mississippi | Hickory Flat | 7,646 | 8,729 | −12.41% | 409 sq mi (1,060 km2) | 19/sq mi (7/km2) |
| Total | 1,389,905 | 1,379,238 | +0.77% | 3,989 sq mi (10,330 km2) | 335/sq mi (129/km2) |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 153,557 | — | |
| 1910 | 191,439 | 24.7% | |
| 1920 | 223,216 | 16.6% | |
| 1930 | 306,482 | 37.3% | |
| 1940 | 358,250 | 16.9% | |
| 1950 | 482,393 | 34.7% | |
| 1960 | 811,082 | 68.1% | |
| 1970 | 911,123 | 12.3% | |
| 1980 | 997,844 | 9.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,067,263 | 7.0% | |
| 2000 | 1,205,204 | 12.9% | |
| 2010 | 1,316,100 | 9.2% | |
| 2020 | 1,346,172 | 2.3% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 1,335,674 | −0.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] | |||
According to U.S.census estimates for 2013,[11] there were 1,371,110 people residing within the CSA. The racial makeup of the CSA was 45.2% non-HispanicWhite, 47.3%African American, 0.5%Native American, 2.2%Asian, <0.1%Pacific Islander, andHispanic orLatino of any race were 5.1% of the population.[11] Memphis is the only metropolitan/combined statistical area in the United States with over a million people to have a plurality/majority African American population.[12] TheJackson, Mississippimetropolitan area also has this distinction but only has around half a million people.
Themedian income for a household in the MSA was $47,344 and the mean was $65,463. The median income for a family was $57,780 and the mean was $76,126. The per capita income for the MSA was $24,675.[13]
Nashville (capital) | |
| Topics | |
| Culture | |
| Grand Divisions | |
| Regions | |
| Largest cities | |
| Metropolitan areas | |
| Combined statistical areas | |
| Micropolitan areas | |
| Counties |
|
Jackson (capital) | |
| Topics | |
| Society | |
| Regions | |
| Metros | |
| Larger cities | |
| Smaller cities |
|
| Counties |
|
Little Rock (capital) | |
| Topics |
|
| Society | |
| Regions | |
| Metros | |
| Largest cities | |
| Counties |
|
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
