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Across most of America, the African American and Hispanic communities comprise "most of the minority". We're not totally sure that's a term, but it's an accurate reflection of the state of race in America.
Asians are a "minority of the minority", generally. But not everywhere.
There are now over 17 million people who identify as Asian living in America, making up 5.6% of the total population. According to the most recent American Community Survey, the Asian population in Tennessee is 124,495 - at 1.8% of the total population of Tennessee.
And, unlike African Americans that fall under one group in the Census, Asian Americans have many sub-groups -- Chinese, Filipino, and Indian being the three largest sub-groups.
So, what how does the Asian population stratify across Tennessee? Which cities and towns in Tennessee have seen the greatest increase in their Asian population?
Here are the cities in Tennessee with the largest Asian population in 2023:
Which city in Tennessee had the largest Asian population? Collierville took the number one over all spot for the largest Asian in Tennessee for 2023. 11.22% of Collierville identify as Asian.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked.
To see where Tennessee ranked as a state on diversity, we have a ranking of the most diverse states in America.
And if you already knew these places were Asian, check out the best places to live in Tennessee or the most diverse places in Tennessee.
The 10 Most Asian Cities In Tennessee For 2023
/10
Population: 50,669
% Asian: 11.22%
# Of Asian Residents: 5,683
Percent Change Since 2010: 109.94%
More on Collierville: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 81,531
% Asian: 8.91%
# Of Asian Residents: 7,266
Percent Change Since 2010: 213.32%
More on Franklin: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 44,354
% Asian: 7.67%
# Of Asian Residents: 3,401
Percent Change Since 2010: 177.41%
More on Brentwood: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 40,955
% Asian: 5.8%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,375
Percent Change Since 2010: -16.17%
More on Germantown: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 23,388
% Asian: 5.24%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,226
Percent Change Since 2010: 29.87%
More on Farragut: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 52,401
% Asian: 5.03%
# Of Asian Residents: 2,634
Percent Change Since 2010: 83.68%
More on Smyrna: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 10,973
% Asian: 4.91%
# Of Asian Residents: 539
Percent Change Since 2010: 59.47%
More on Collegedale: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 13,693
% Asian: 4.87%
# Of Asian Residents: 667
Percent Change Since 2010: 67.17%
More on Lakeland: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 38,059
% Asian: 3.94%
# Of Asian Residents: 1,499
Percent Change Since 2010: 277.58%
More on Mount Juliet: Real Estate | Data | Photos
/10
Population: 17,522
% Asian: 3.74%
# Of Asian Residents: 656
Percent Change Since 2010: -8.76%
More on Goodlettsville: Real Estate | Data
Methodology: How We Determined The Cities In Tennessee With The Largest Asian Population For 2023
We still believe in the accuracy of data -- especially from the census. So that's where we went to get the breakdown of race across Tennessee.
That lead us to the Census's most recently available data, the 2017-2021 American Community Survey data from the US Census.
Specifically, we looked at table B03002: Hispanic OR LATINO ORIGIN BY RACE. Here are the category names as defined by the Census:
- Hispanic or Latino
- White alone*
- Black or African American alone*
- American Indian and Alaska Native alone*
- Asian alone*
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone*
- Some other race alone*
- Two or more races*
Our particular column of interest here was the number of people who identified as Asian alone.
We limited our analysis to non-CDPs with a population greater than 5,000 people. That left us with 93 cities.
We then calculated the percent of residents that are Asian. The percentages ranked from 11.2% to 0.0%.
Finally, we ranked each city based on the percent of Asian population with a higher score being more Asian than a lower score. Collierville took the distinction of being the most Asian, while Erwin was the least Asian city. You can download the data here.
Read on for more information on how the cities in Tennessee ranked by population of Asian residents or, for a more general take on diversity in America, head over to our ranking of the most diverse cities in America.
Summary: Asian Populations Across Tennessee
If you're looking for a breakdown of Asian populations across Tennessee according to the most recent data, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the least Asian places in Tennessee:
- Erwin
- Covington
- Humboldt
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In Tennessee
- Best Places To Live In Tennessee
- Best Places To Raise A Family In Tennessee
Table: Asian Population By City In Tennessee
Rank | City | % Asian |
---|---|---|
1 | Collierville | 11.22% |
2 | Franklin | 8.91% |
3 | Brentwood | 7.67% |
4 | Germantown | 5.8% |
5 | Farragut | 5.24% |
6 | Smyrna | 5.03% |
7 | Collegedale | 4.91% |
8 | Lakeland | 4.87% |
9 | Mount Juliet | 3.94% |
10 | Goodlettsville | 3.74% |
11 | La Vergne | 3.6% |
12 | Bartlett | 3.59% |
13 | Nashville | 3.54% |
14 | Murfreesboro | 3.22% |
15 | Nolensville | 2.87% |
16 | Oak Ridge | 2.85% |
17 | Gallatin | 2.84% |
18 | Chattanooga | 2.68% |
19 | Sevierville | 2.65% |
20 | Clarksville | 2.59% |
21 | Johnson City | 2.59% |
22 | Newport | 2.5% |
23 | Millington | 2.44% |
24 | Dayton | 2.39% |
25 | Cleveland | 2.19% |
26 | Greenbrier | 2.1% |
27 | Martin | 1.88% |
28 | Mckenzie | 1.86% |
29 | Cookeville | 1.84% |
30 | Pigeon Forge | 1.82% |
31 | Manchester | 1.71% |
32 | Lebanon | 1.7% |
33 | Knoxville | 1.68% |
34 | Memphis | 1.65% |
35 | Tullahoma | 1.63% |
36 | Maryville | 1.56% |
37 | Hendersonville | 1.53% |
38 | Red Bank | 1.37% |
39 | Kingston | 1.35% |
40 | Alcoa | 1.35% |
41 | White House | 1.31% |
42 | Jackson | 1.28% |
43 | Spring Hill | 1.27% |
44 | Rockwood | 1.22% |
45 | Henderson | 1.17% |
46 | Athens | 1.12% |
47 | Lawrenceburg | 1.1% |
48 | Kingsport | 1.07% |
49 | Morristown | 1.01% |
50 | Mcminnville | 0.99% |
51 | East Ridge | 0.86% |
52 | Millersville | 0.79% |
53 | Springfield | 0.74% |
54 | Greeneville | 0.66% |
55 | Oakland | 0.62% |
56 | Elizabethton | 0.62% |
57 | Winchester | 0.6% |
58 | Dyersburg | 0.59% |
59 | Lenoir City | 0.56% |
60 | Dickson | 0.56% |
61 | Atoka | 0.53% |
62 | Bristol | 0.46% |
63 | Munford | 0.46% |
64 | Ripley | 0.43% |
65 | Jefferson City | 0.4% |
66 | Lewisburg | 0.39% |
67 | Arlington | 0.38% |
68 | Savannah | 0.36% |
69 | Bolivar | 0.31% |
70 | Columbia | 0.3% |
71 | Signal Mountain | 0.3% |
72 | Lexington | 0.28% |
73 | Portland | 0.24% |
74 | Union City | 0.23% |
75 | Crossville | 0.23% |
76 | Milan | 0.22% |
77 | Harriman | 0.2% |
78 | Hartsville/trousdale County | 0.2% |
79 | Clinton | 0.19% |
80 | Fairview | 0.18% |
81 | Pulaski | 0.17% |
82 | Church Hill | 0.13% |
83 | Soddy-Daisy | 0.1% |
84 | La Follette | 0.07% |
85 | Paris | 0.01% |
86 | Shelbyville | 0.0% |
87 | Fayetteville | 0.0% |
88 | Brownsville | 0.0% |
89 | Mount Carmel | 0.0% |
90 | Sweetwater | 0.0% |
91 | Humboldt | 0.0% |
92 | Covington | 0.0% |
93 | Erwin | 0.0% |