The Mid-State | |
|---|---|
| Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TNMSA | |
 Nashville skyline | |
 Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin Metropolitan Statistical Area | |
| Country |  United States |
| State | Tennessee |
| Largest city | Nashville |
| Principal cities | -Murfreesboro -Franklin |
| Area | |
• Total | 7,484 sq mi (19,380 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 2,093 ft (638 m) |
| Population (2022) | |
• Total | 2,072,283[1] (35th) |
| • Density | 258/sq mi (100/km2) |
| GDP | |
| • MSA | $187.8 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central Time Zone (CST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area codes | 615,629,931 |
| Website | www |
TheNashville metropolitan area (officially theNashville–Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TNMetropolitan Statistical Area) is ametropolitan statistical area in north-centralTennessee. Itsprincipal city isNashville, the capital of and largest city in Tennessee. With a population of over 2 million, it is the most populous metropolitan area in Tennessee. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Tennessee in terms of land area.
TheOffice of Management and Budget defines the metro area for statistical use by theUnited States Census Bureau and other agencies. The area is the35th largest metropolitan area in the United States.[3] The metropolitan statistical area was first designated in 1950 and initially included onlyDavidson County. As surrounding counties increased in population and densities and in the number of their residents employed in Davidson County, the OMB added new counties to the MSA. Today, the metro area includes Davidson and 13 other counties.[4]
The Nashville metropolitan area is located in the central part of the state of Tennessee, entirely within theGrand Division ofMiddle Tennessee, as defined by state law. Both the geographical center and population center of Tennessee are found inMurfreesboro, the second-largest city in the metropolitan area. Geologically, the metropolitan area covers most of theNashville Basin, ageological dome. Parts of the region extend onto theHighland Rim, an elevated plain which completely surrounds the Nashville Basin. Both of these physiographic provinces are part of theInterior Low Plateaus of theInterior Plains. The highest point in the metropolitan area isCannon County'sShort Mountain, amonadnock that is an outlier of theCumberland Plateau. The region is characterized by a combination of uneven rolling hills and relatively level plains, and is underlain with poroussedimentary bedrock such aslimestone,sandstone, andshale, which formkarst. As a result, the region contains manycaves, underground streams, and depressions, andsinkholes are a common problem in the region.[5] There are many abandoned tunnels in Nashville.
Nashville is located in the northwestern corner of the basin, and most of Nashville's suburban growth has occurred to the south, southeast, east, and northeast of the city, due to the more level terrain of the basin. Much of the metro area contains extremely fertile soils, and crops such ascorn andtobacco are commonly grown in the more rural parts of the metropolitan area. TheCumberland River passes through central part of the region, and is served by several tributaries, including theStones,Harpeth,Caney Fork, andRed rivers.[6] A small portion of the southern part of the metropolitan area, including most ofMaury County, is within thedrainage basin of theTennessee River.[7] A small part of the northern part of the region is within theGreen River watershed.[8] The Nashville metropolitan area is one of the mostbiodiverse inland regions in the United States, and is home to extremely rare ecosystems known ascedar glades, which are found in areas with shallow limestone bedrock that is largely barren of overlying soil, and are also one of the most endangered ecosystems in the nation, due to the rapid growth of the region.[9]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 584,367 | — | |
| 1960 | 676,251 | 15.7% | |
| 1970 | 780,966 | 15.5% | |
| 1980 | 948,606 | 21.5% | |
| 1990 | 1,086,274 | 14.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,358,992 | 25.1% | |
| 2010 | 1,646,200 | 21.1% | |
| 2020 | 2,014,444 | 22.4% | |
| 2023 (est.) | 2,102,573 | 4.4% | |
| Sources:[10] | |||
| County | 2020 census | 2010 census | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davidson | 715,884 | 626,681 | +14.23% |
| Rutherford | 341,486 | 262,604 | +30.04% |
| Williamson | 247,726 | 183,182 | +35.23% |
| Sumner | 196,281 | 160,634 | +22.19% |
| Wilson | 147,737 | 113,993 | +29.60% |
| Maury | 100,974 | 80,956 | +24.73% |
| Robertson | 72,803 | 66,283 | +9.84% |
| Dickson | 54,315 | 49,666 | +9.36% |
| Cheatham | 41,072 | 39,105 | +5.03% |
| Macon | 25,216 | 22,248 | +13.34% |
| Hickman | 24,925 | 24,690 | +0.95% |
| Smith | 19,904 | 19,166 | +3.85% |
| Cannon | 14,506 | 13,801 | +5.11% |
| Trousdale | 11,615 | 7,864 | +47.70% |
| Total | 2,014,444 | 1,646,200 | +22.37% |
Hickman County was removed in 2018,[11] but was restored in 2023.[4]
The Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro, TN,Combined Statistical Area (CSA) is the result of the addition of the Micropolitan Statistical Areas ofShelbyville (Bedford County),Lawrenceburg (Lawrence County) andLewisburg (Marshall County) to the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population of the CSA as of the2020 United States census was 2,143,158.[12]
Politically, the Nashville metropolitan area leansRepublican compared to many other large metropolitan regions in the United States. AlthoughDavidson County, which contains the city ofNashville, is aDemocratic stronghold and has trended increasingly blue in recent election cycles, it is significantly outvoted by the surroundingsuburban andexurban counties, which are overwhelmingly Republican.
Counties surrounding Davidson such asWilliamson,Rutherford,Wilson, andSumner have consistently voted Republican in both state and federal elections. Williamson County,one of the wealthiest in Tennessee, is particularly strong in its Republican support.[13] While there have been modest Democratic gains in certain precincts, the GOP maintains a wide advantage in overall turnout and margins in the suburbs.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 57.97%542,365 | 40.48%378,720 | 1.55%14,505 |
| 2020 | 54.26%500,933 | 43.48%401,381 | 2.26%20,818 |
| 2016 | 55.34%398,111 | 39.07%281,061 | 5.58%40,171 |
The Nashville metropolitan area spans multiple counties and includes a mix of incorporated municipalities and unincorporated areas. The core of the region (Nashville) is governed byDavidson County, which operates under a consolidated city–county government with the City of Nashville.[16] Surrounding counties—includingWilliamson,Rutherford,Wilson, andSumner—also contribute significantly to the metro population. Incorporated municipalities across the area each have their own local government, whether designated as a city, town, or village. Large portions of land within the metro area remain unincorporated and are administered directly by their respective county governments.
The Nashville metropolitan area contains all or part of four Congressional districts: the4th,5th,6th,7th districts.[17] As of 2025[update] (the 119th Congress), theCook Partisan Voting Index listed the four as being Republican-leaning, with the5th district being the most competitive.[18]
In 2022,Tennessee's Legislature passed a new map forTennessee's congressional districts to account for the new2020 census data. TheRepublican Party had total control of the Tennessee government at the time, giving it full control of the redistricting process. The new map that was passedgerrymandered Davidson County into three congressional districts, resulting in Republicans winning them all in2022.[19][20]
Three majorinterstate highways serve the Nashville metropolitan area, converging in downtown Nashville as a contiguous freeway loop. Most of the rapid growth of the Nashville metropolitan area has occurred along three major interstate highway corridors.Interstate 40 runs in an east-to-west direction, and connecting the region toMemphis to the west andKnoxville to the east.Interstate 65 runs north to south, and connects toHuntsville, Alabama to the south andLouisville, Kentucky to the north.Interstate 24, while technically an east-west interstate, runs in a northwest-to-southeast orientation, connecting the region toClarksville to the northwest andChattanooga to the southeast. Within the metro area, I-40 serves a suburban corridor that consists of the eastern neighborhoods of Nashville, includingDonelson andHermitage, and the cities ofMount Juliet andLebanon. I-24 serves the suburban areas ofAntioch,La Vergne,Smyrna, andMurfreesboro to the southeast, which is both the most populated and, in general, is the most congested corridor in the region. The I-65 corridor to the south consists of the suburban cities ofOak Hill,Berry Hill,Brentwood, andFranklin, and I-65 also serves the Nashville suburbs ofGoodlettsville,Hendersonville, andMillersville to the north.Interstate 440 serves as a southern bypass around downtown Nashville, andInterstate 840 is an outer southern bypass around Nashville.State Route 155 (SR 155, Briley Parkway) is a freeway that bypasses downtown Nashville to the north and provides access to a number of tourist attractions including theGrand Ole Opry.SR 386 (Vietnam Veterans Boulevard) is a freeway that serves the suburbs of Hendersonville andGallatin, andSR 396 connectsSpring Hill to I-65.[21]
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36°09′44″N86°46′28″W / 36.16222°N 86.77444°W /36.16222; -86.77444
