These Middle Tennessee cities are ranked among the most affordable, fastest-growing in the U.S. for 2024

Liz Kellar, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·2 min read

Two Middle Tennessee cities − Clarksville and Murfreesboro − have been named two of the 25 most affordable, fast-growing cities to consider in 2024.

This comes as no surprise, as the population in some of the largest cities in America has been declining as residents flee to smaller cities with more affordable living costs. Of the 10 most populous U.S. cities, four saw populations decline from July 2021 to July 2022, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Meanwhile, smaller cities have seen population booms over that same time period, as Americans move to more metros with lower costs.

GOBankingRates looked at the latest American Community Survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau released Dec. 7 to identify the most affordable, fastest-growing cities in America. All but one of the top five most affordable, fastest-growing cities are located in the South, with Clarksville coming in at No. 3.

Among the affordable cities with the largest year-over-year population growth from 2021 to 2022, all of the top five are located in the South, with two in Tennessee — Murfreesboro with a 3.03% population increase from 2021 to 2022 and Clarksville with a 2.67% population increase.

Gobankingrates

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Clarksville, which tags itself as a city where "historic meets hipster" just 50 miles north of Nashville, made No. 3 overall with a surging population and affordable living costs. The population has increased 13.61% from 2017 to 2022, and overall living costs are 89.1% of the U.S. average. The average home value in this northern Tennessee city is $295,087, according to Zillow.

Murfreesboro, which has been named the Most Livable Town in Tennessee just 35 miles from Nashville, came in at No. 15. The city showed a population growth of 21.63% from 2017 to 2022 with an average home value of $402,251.

GOBankingRate's report, including key findings and the study methodology, can be found here: http://gobankingrates.com/investing/real-estate/the-most-affordable-fastest-growing-cities-in-america

Liz Kellar is a Tennessee Connect reporter. Email liz.kellar@knoxnews.com.

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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Clarksville, TN ranked as top fastest-growing affordable city in US