Size and Growth of SEC Metros

New census estimates were released today. Here are how the SEC Metros rank in terms of size:

1. Nashville- 1,865,000
2. Knoxville- 869,000
3. Baton Rouge- 835,000
4. Columbia (SC)- 817,00
5. Fayetteville- 525,000
6. Lexington- 507,000
7. Gainesville- 281,700
8. College Station- 254,900
9. Tuscaloosa- 241,400
10. Athens- 205,300
11. Columbia (MO)- 176,600
12. Auburn- 159,000
13. Oxford- 53,800
14. Starkville- 49,900

Here is how they rank in terms of estimated % growth during the last year (2015-2016):

1. Fayetteville- 2.26%
2. Nashville- 1.99%
3. College Station- 1.95%
4. Gainsville- 1.49%
5. Oxford- 1.48%
6. Auburn- 1.42%
7. Athens- 1.22%
8. Lexington- 1.22%
9. Columbia (MO)- 1.17%
10. Columbia (SC)- 0.95%
11. Knoxville- 0.86%
12. Baton Rouge- 0.65%
13. Tuscaloosa- 0.48%
14. Starkville- 0.21%

And here is how they rank in nominal growth (actual people) over the last year (2015-2016):

1. Nashville: +36,337
2. Fayetteville: +11,583
3. Columbia (SC): +7,717
4. Knoxville: +7,377
5. Lexington: +6,088
6. Baton Rouge: +5,434
7. College Station: +4,888
8. Gainesville: +4,125
9. Athens: +2,468
10. Auburn: +2,224
11. Columbia (MO): +2,048
12. Tuscaloosa: +1,155
13. Oxford: +782
14. Starkville: +104

If you look at actual Net Migration, 13 of the 14 SEC Metros saw more people move in than move out in the past year. Only Starkville saw more people flee (a net of -73 total).

Eleven of the 14 SEC Metros actually have such strong Net Migration that they actually saw more people move in than they actually had gains by natural population (births - deaths). Columbia (M)), Tuscaloosa, and Starkville had stronger Natural Increases to their population (Births - Deaths) than they did actual net migration.