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Memphis Population 2024

Memphis is a city on the Mississippi River in southwest Tennessee. Memphis population in 2024 is estimated to be 634,763, It has a covered area of 304.62 sq. mi (788.97 sq.km). Memphis is named for its Egyptian sister on the Nile, the location has been a natural location for human settlement by varying cultures over thousands of years due to the presence of Mississippi River Valley and its tributaries. Memphis's central location has helped make it one of the largest distribution centres in the United States. the city experienced even faster growth into the 20th century as it became among the largest world markets for cotton. Memphis is the largest spot cotton market in the world, with nearly half of the U.S. cotton crop going through Memphis. The city of Memphis was founded on May 22, 1819, by John Overton, James Winchester and Andrew Jackson. They named it after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River. The city serves an agricultural area noted for livestock, cotton, soybeans, corn (maize), feed grains, and forest products and has agricultural research and food processing industries. Memphis is a regional center for commerce, education, media, art, and entertainment. Known worldwide as the Home of the Blues & Birthplace of Rock n Roll - not to mention gospel, jazz, R&B, rap and soul. Close to 20 percent of the earliest inductees (24 of the 97) in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame have come from within a 100-mile radius of Memphis. Sun Studio, birthplace of Rock 'n' Roll, is located at 706 Union Avenue, just outside of downtown Memphis. The Memphis Zoo was founded in 1905 when Natch, a black bear mascot for a Memphis baseball team, was kept chained to a tree in Overton Park. Memphis was founded in 1819 on land previously inhabited by Chickasaw Indians. Andrew Jackson, later U.S. president, was one of its founders. Memphis was named for the ancient Egyptian city meaning Place of Good Abode. According to FBI, Memphis is third most dangerous cities in Tennessee in 2022.

Below is the Memphis population by year:

YearPopulationChange %
2010652,309
2011655,5900.50
2012659,0890.53
2013657,877-0.18
2014655,936-0.30
2015654,876-0.16
2016653,184-0.26
2017651,562-0.25
2018650,618-0.14
2019651,0730.07
2020633,104-2.76
2021 *628,115-0.788
2022 *632,0400.62
2023 *634,3200.36
2024 *634,7630.07
Source : Annual Estimates of the Resident Population: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2019, 2020 US Census & 2021 estimates updated

Memphis city UN Urban Agglomeration Population Prospects - 1950 to 2035

YearMemphis Population
1950409,015
1955459,943
1960532,612
1965592,395
1970654,160
1975708,881
1980765,624
1985795,680
1990821,278
1995884,675
2000960,179
20051,008,545
20101,053,188
20111,062,354
20151,099,820
2020*1,143,920
2025*1,179,100
2035*1,284,621
Source: population.un.org/wpp/, 1950 to 2035 Memphis city Population(UA)


Memphis Population Ranking & Density

According to US Population Census, April 1, 2020, Memphis population in 2020 is 633,104. It is twenty-sixth largest city by population in USA, Memphis population in 2023 is estimated to be 633,686, population in 2022 is estimated to be 632,040, population of Memphis in 2021 is estimated to be 628,115. Memphis Metropolitan area, Memphis, TN-MS-AR, is the forty-third largest city in Metropolitan statistical area with 1.3 million in 2022.


Memphis Population by Age

According to 2019 US population estimates, population of Memphis by age is 651,088, out of these 309,115 are male, 341,973 are female, The sex ratio of Memphis is 90. The median age of the Memphis population is 34.6, Memphis population by age are, under 18 years is 156,472, 16 years and over is 511,878, 18 years and over is 494,616, 21 years and over is 469,740, 65 years and over is 115519. 47.5% are male, 52.5% are female, 24.0% are under 18 years old, 78.6% are 16 years and over, 76.0% are 18 years and over, 72.1% are 21 years and over, 14.1% are 65 years and over. There are total 301,473 housing units, The voting population of Memphis are 473,864, out of these 217,170 are male voters, 256,694 are female voters, 45.8% are male, 54.2% are female.

Age GroupPopulationPercent
0 -546,3417.1%
5 - 943,0986.6%
10 - 1443,0586.6%
15 - 1939,9186.1%
20 - 2448,0417.4%
25 - 34109,72616.9%
35 - 4476,99311.8%
45 - 5473,82611.3%
55 - 5938,9186.0%
60 - 6439,0426.0%
65 - 7456,8358.7%
75 - 8425,8434.0%
85 and over9,4491.5%
Source: 2019 US population by age estimates


Memphis Population by Race

According to 2019 population of Memphis by race are:

White Population

White population in Memphis, Tennessee are 197,650, percentage wise 30.4 percent are whites.

Black Population

Black population in Memphis, Tennessee are 409,998, percentage wise 63.0 percent are blacks. African American refers to black population in Memphis, They are Black racial groups of Africa, includes Sub-Saharan African people, Kenyan, Nigerian, Carribbean such as Haitian and Jamaican.

Asian Population

Asian population in Memphis are 13,563, percentage wise 2.1 percent are asians, out of these 3,021 are Asian Indians, 1,767 are Chinese, 1,216 are Filipinos, 231 are Japanese, 525 are Korean, 4,768 are Vietnamese and 2,035 are other Asian nationals.

Hispanic Population

Hispanic population in Memphis, Tennessee are 50,050. Percentage wise 7.7 percent are hispanics, out of these 35,821 are Mexican people, 1,008 are Puerto Ricans, 2,091 are Cubans, and 11,130 are other Hispanic or Latinos.

Population by Race651,088Percent
White197,65030.4%
Black or African American409,99863.0%
American Indian and Alaska Native8890.1%
Asian Population13,5632.1%
Asian Indian3,0210.5%
Chinese1,7670.3%
Filipino1,2160.2%
Japanese2310.0%
Other Asian Population2,035
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander950.0%
Hispanic or Latino50,0507.7%
Mexican35,8215.5%
Puerto Rican1,0080.2%
Cuban2,0910.3%
Other Hispanic or Latino11,130
Source: US Census population estimates(2019)


Nativity by Place of Birth

Total Memphis native population is 611,583, out of these 428,630 born in the Tennessee state and 180,213 born in other state in the United States. Foreign born or Population born outside the US are 39,505, out of these 16,887 are Naturalised US citizen, 1,195 are in Europe, 5,625 in Asia, 2,643 in Africa, 7,424 in Latin America and 0 in Northern America. Total Foreigners who are non US citizens living in Memphis are 22,618, out of these 1,033 are from Europe, 4,236 are from Asia, 1,255 from Africa, 15,676 are from Latin America and 418 are from Northern America.

Nativity by Place of BirthPopulation
Native611,583
Born in state of residence428,630
Born in other state in the United States180,213
Northeast12,172
Midwest40,581
South111,558
West15,902
Born outside the United States2,740
Puerto Rico112
U.S. Island Areas0
Born abroad of American parent(s)2,628
Foreign born
Born outside of United States39,505
Naturalized U.S. citizen16,887
Europe1,195
Asia5,625
Africa2,643
Oceania0
Latin America7,424
Northern America0
Foreigner
Not a U.S. citizen22,618
Europe1,033
Asia4,236
Africa1,255
Oceania0
Latin America15,676
Northern America418
Source: US Census 2019 estimates


Memphis History

The Chickasaw Indian tribe believed to the descendants of the Memphis site and later inhabited the site. Memphis was founded in 1819 by John Overton, Andrew Jackson and James Winchester. Prior to its official founding, the Bluffs of Memphis were occupied by a succession of Native Americans, traders and forts. It is situated on the edge of the widest part of the Mississippi River. The city demographics changed dramatically in the 1850s and 1860s under waves of immigration and domestic migration. Due to increased immigration since the 1840s and the Great Famine, ethnic Irish made up 9.9% of the population in 1850, but 23.2% in 1860, when the total population was 22,623. The city went bankrupt, declined in population, and in 1879 surrendered its charter. Their population fell to about 15,000 by 1870, 37.4% of the total population of 40,226. By 1870, Memphis's population of 40,000 was almost double that of Nashville and Atlanta, and it was the second-largest city in the South after New Orleans. Its population continued to grow after 1870, even when the Panic of 1873 hit the US hard, particularly in the South. German immigrants also made this city a destination after the 1848 revolutions; both the Irish and German immigrants were mostly Catholic, adding another element to demographic change in this formerly Protestant city, from 1900 to 1950 the city increased nearly fourfold in population, from 102,350 to 396,000 residents. In 1970, the Census Bureau reported Memphis's population as 60.8% white and 38.9% black accounting to 623,988 people. Sub-urbanization was attracting wealthier residents to newer housing outside the city. By 1980 the population reached 3.6% growth with the total population of Memphis is 646,174. Then the population started declining there by 5.5% to 610,337 and then increased to 650,000 by 2000.

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