Population  Profile

Tennessee’s population increased by 812,000 people, or 17 percent, between 1990 and 2000.

Tennessee’s foreign-born population increased 169 percent during the 1990s. Between 1990 and 2000, Tennessee gained 100,000 immigrants.

Foreign-Born Population 

Tennessee’s foreign-born population increased by 32.5 percent between 2000 and 2006. During that period Tennessee gained over 51,000 immigrants, bringing the total number of foreign-born residents in the state to over 210,000.

Environmental and Quality of Life Profile

Water: Between 2000 and 2006, South Dakota’s immigrant population had a net increase of one-fourth (24.9%).⁴ This compares with a 3.2 percent increase in the native-born population and that included the children born to immigrants. When the U.S.-born children of these immigrants are included, immigrants account for 23 percent of the state’s net growth. South Dakota has a per-capita, public-supply, water demand of 123.2 gallons per day.⁵ If current growth trends continue, by 2050 the state’s population is expected increase by well over 100,000, a net increase of 14.4 since 2006. This means that in 2050, human demand for water in South Dakota could increase by 13.8 million gallons per day.

Prone to drought, South Dakota may find extra demand detrimental when dry times inevitably strike. South Dakota is currently emerging from a drought that covered much of the state, and still plagues the southwestern corner. However, even in areas no longer under the drought status, reservoirs are still well below historical averages.⁶  Mike Gillispie, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Sioux Falls, noted the precarious nature of South Dakota. In as little as two dry weeks he said the state could be reemerged in a serious drought.⁷ 

Additionally, southern South Dakota gets groundwater from the High Plains/Ogallala aquifer. Aquifer depletion has caused increased pumping costs and decreased land values, forcing some farmers into bankruptcy.⁸ In some areas water levels of the Ogallala have declined in excess of 150 feet.⁹ Although the Ogallala Aquifer is an enormous water source, even it is not inexhaustible as long as pumping exceeds replenishment.

The Ogallala is critical to farming in the center of the nation. However, it is replenished slowly because of the relatively dry area. At least 12 billion cubic meters are being drawn from it every year. It's drying up.¹⁰ When this happens, the High Plains Region may become little more than desert

Traffic: As population growth put more traffic on the roads, the average commute for Tennessee residents increased from 22 minutes in 1990 to  23.6 minutes in 2005. 12/, 13/  32% of Tennessee's major urban roads are congested and vehicle travel on Tennessee's highways increased 48% from 1990 to 2003. Driving on roads in need of repair costs Tennessee motorists $636 million a year in extra vehicle repairs and operating costs --- $152 per motorist. Congestion in the Memphis area costs commuters $547 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time, and congestion in the Nashville area costs commuters $730 per person per year in excess fuel and lost time. 14/

In the Memphis-Mississippi-Arkansas area, travelers experience an annual delay of 33 hours, and in the Nashville-Davidson area commuters experience an annual delay of 37 hours. 15 12 percent of commuters in Tennessee have a commute time that is 45 minutes or more. 16/

Vehicles in and around Knox County drive nearly 13 million miles a day—and the figure is growing about 400,000 miles annually. 17/

Disappearing open space: Urban sprawl is devouring 3,000 Shelby County acres—the equivalent of about ten Overton Parks—each year. 18/ Knox County and its contiguous counties have lost more than 143,300 acres of farmland in the last 15 years—land that is roughly one-fourth the size of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. In Knox County alone, 221 farms and more than 20,000 acres have been turned into home sites, shopping malls, and parking lots. More than 7,000 acres of cropland have been entirely removed from production. 19/

Crowded Housing: In 2005 over 42,000 Tennessee households were defined as crowded or severely crowded housing by housing authorities. 14/ Studies show that a rise in crowded housing often correlates with an increase in the number of foreign-born. 15/, 16/

Sprawl: Population growth and urban sprawl are the greatest threats facing Southern forests, according to the federal Southern Forest Resources Assessment. Tennessee’s Cumberland Plateau and ridge-and-valley section between the plateau and the high mountains along the state’s eastern border are especially susceptible to forest fragmentation. 17/  Tennessee ranks 8^th in the nation for prime farmland acreage loss to urbanization. 18/

A study of urban sprawl between 1970 and 1990 that calculated the impact of population increase and per capita land use found that 145.5 square miles of additional land were consumed by urban sprawl in the Memphis metropolitan area, and 39.1 percent of that sprawl was attributable to population increase. In the Chattanooga metro area, which crosses into Georgia, sprawl consumed an additional 140 square miles and population increase accounted for 36 percent of the increase, and population increase was attributable to 71.8 percent of 140.0 acres of sprawl in the Nashville area. 19/

Air Pollution: As population increases, pollution usually rises along with it. Residents of all four major metropolitan areas in Tennessee are breathing unhealthy amounts of air pollution according to the American Lung Association. 20/ The Great Smoky Mountains is the nation’s most polluted national park, with air quality rivaling that of Los Angeles. Ozone levels in the Smokies have violated federal health standards more than 175 times since 1998. 21/

12 of Tennessee’s 95 counties received a grade of “F” from the American Lung Association in their “State of the Air 2005” report. Three other counties received a grade of “D”, and two counties received a grade a “C”. 22/

In Chattanooga, an EPA-funded study found that 17 toxic chemicals are present at levels that could cause cancer. 23/

Poverty: In 2005 17.7 percent of immigrants in Tennessee had incomes below the poverty level, an increase of 27.6 percent since 2000. Among non-citizens, the poverty rate climbs to 21.1 percent. 24/

 Solid Waste: Tennessee generates 1.27 tons of solid waste per capita. 25/

Schools: Between 2000 and 2006 Tennessee’s K-12 student enrollment increased by over 37,000 students, 26/, 27/ and is projected to increase by an additional 59,000 students by the year 2015. 28/  Tennessee’s student-teacher ration of 16 ranks 37th in the U.S. 29/

In Polk County, student enrollment increases have pinched the school budget, requiring additional bus drivers, teachers, and equipment. In Bradley County, schools are adding temporary classrooms. 30/ Enrollment projections for Shelby County schools, where schools are already well over capacity, show steady growth. 31/ “In the southeast, all we see is all this development. No one cares whether or not we have the space to put the kids,” says one school board member .32/

Illegal Immigration in Tennessee

Tennessee has some of the nation’s leading meat processors, several of which are owned by Tyson Foods, which has been charged with conspiring to smuggle illegal aliens to work at poultry plants. A 36-count indictment in Chattanooga charged Tyson Foods with violation of immigration laws in the hiring of illegal aliens. Fifteen plants in nine states, including ones in Shelbyville and Union City, have been implicated in the conspiracy. 33/

While Immigration and Naturalization Services arrests of illegal aliens have risen since September 11, 2001, the agency says it is unlikely to arrest “the average individual with no arrest record and no prior run-ins with INS,” due to lack of manpower. The INS has only 20 agents to cover Tennessee, the east half of Arkansas, and the top half of Mississippi. 34/

A flood of illegal aliens took advantage of a law passed in 2001 that allows anyone who can prove Tennessee residency, whether they are in the country legally or not, to get a driver’s license. A new state plan now requires that immigrants in Tennessee applying for driver’s licenses must provide a Social Security number or proper immigration documents; if they cannot, they will receive a license stating “for driving purposes only” on the front. 35/

Endnotes:

1. FAIR estimate based on the 2006 Current Population Survey.
2. "Estimates of the Unauthorized Migrant Population for
3. States based on the March 2005 CPS", Pew Hispanic Center.
4.  
5.  
6. “Study Predicts Sequatchie Valley Water Shortage,” Associated Press, November 12, 2001.
7. Duane W. Gang, “Urban Sprawl Threatens Clean Water, Officials Say,” Chattanooga Times, September 5, 2002.
8. “Table DP-1-4, Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000,” Census 2000, U.S. Census Bureau.
9. Selected Economic Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
10. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
11. "The 2005 Urban Mobility Report", Texas Transportation Institute.
12. Fred Brown, “Emissions Limit to Have Big Effect on Counties,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 18, 2002.
13. David Waters, “Land Should be Treasured, Not Squandered by Developers,” Commercial Appeal, July 28, 2002.
14. Fred Brown, “Keeping the Farms,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 4, 2001.
15. Selected Housing Characteristics: 2005 Data Set - 2005 American Community Survey, American Fact Finder, U.S. Census Bureau.
16. “Tennessee State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
17. Haya El Nasser, “U.S. Neighborhoods Grow More Crowded,” USA Today, July 7, 2002.
18. Randy Capps, “Hardship Among Children of Immigrants: Findings from the 1999 National Survey of America’s Families,” Urban Institute, 2001.
19. Morgan Simmons, “Development Looms as Biggest Threat to Southern Forests,” Knoxville News-Sentinel, November 27, 2001.
20. American Farmland Trust, “Farming on the Edge”
21. Beck, Roy and Leon Kolankiewicz, “Weighing Sprawl Factors in Large U.S. Cities,” NumbersUSA, March 2001.
22. Stephanie Gaskell, “Study Ranks Tennessee Cities Among Those With Most Polluted Air,” Associated Press, May 1, 2002.
23. Duncan Mansfield, “Smoky Mountains Air as Bad as L.A. Smog,” Chicago Sun-Times, September 24, 2002.
24.  “State of the Air 2005: Tennessee”, American Lung Association.
25. Kathy Gilbert and Dave Flessner, “City’s Pollution Comes from Cars,” Chattanooga Times, January 16, 2002.
26. “Tennessee State Factsheet,” Migration Information Source, Migration Policy Institute.
27. Report Card for America's Infrastructure 2005," American Society of Civil Engineers.
28. "Overview of Public Elementary and Secondary Schools and Districts: School Year 1999-2000," National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
29. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
30. Projections of Education Statistics to 2015, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
31. "Public Elementary and Secondary School Student Enrollment, High School Completions, and Staff From the Common Core of Data: School Year 2005-06', National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, June 2007.
32. “Higher School Enrollments Concern Some Area Officials,” Chattanooga Times, August 21, 2002.
33. Katherine Cromer, “Projections Show Steady Growth for County Schools in 2002-2003,” The Commercial Appeal, March 1, 2002.
34. Katherine Cromer, “New School Urged for Southeast Shelby,” Commercial Appeal, May 26, 2002.
35. Katherine Cromer, “New School Urged for Southeast Shelby,” Commercial Appeal, May 26, 2002.
36. Linday Riddell, “INS Arresting More Illegals,” Chattanooga Times, January 13, 2002.
37. “Governor Announces Tighter Driver License Requirements,” Associated Press, July 19, 2002.