re: Everyone is moving to SEC Country

Nashville seems to get by far the most press about their growth over the past couple decades, and it for sure has boomed. But there are many other metros in the South growing at much faster rates.

Of these 31 Southern metros with at least 750,000 people, here are the Top 10 in numerical growth 2020-2022:

1. Dallas: +306,000
2. Houston: +219,000
3. Austin: +138,000
4. Atlanta: +133,000
5. Tampa: +116,000
6. San Antonio: +97,000
7. Charlotte: +96,000
8. Orlando: +91,000
9. Raleigh: +70,000
10. Jacksonville: +70,000

Nashville is 12th on this list.

Here are the Top 10 in %Growth 2020-2022:

1. Lakeland, FL (+8.60%)
2. Fort Myers, FL (+8.10%)
3. Sarasota, FL (+6.92%)
4. Austin (+6.03%)
5. Raleigh (+4.98%)
6. Jacksonville (+4.35%)
7. Dallas (+4.01%)
8. Charleston (+3.86%)
9. San Antonio (+3.80%)
10. Tampa (+3.64%)

Nashville is actually just 16th on this list.

Bottomline, most of the Southeast is absolutely booming economically and in terms of population growth.

Of these 31 large metros, only three have seen their populations decline since 2020: Memphis (-5,600), St. Louis (-19,000), and New Orleans (-34,000).