Nashville area grows as city population dips

Davidson County's population declined slightly during the pandemic, but the broader metro area grew to more than 2 million residents.

• New U.S. Census data shows Nashville suburbs surging from 2020 to 2021.

Context: The pandemic increased mortality, resulting in a "natural decrease" — when a population's number of deaths outweighs the number of births in a set period.

By the numbers: Nashville's population declined by 1.7%, dropping to 703,953 people.

• But most of Middle Tennessee grew: Williamson, Rutherford, Montgomery and Maury counties saw their population growth exceed 3%.

The big picture: The University of Tennessee released a report this week predicting the state's population would expand by about a million residents by 2040, with growth concentrated in Middle Tennessee.