Cookeville Named One of America’s Highest-Gaining Micropolitan Areas

The United States Census Bureau has named Cookeville as one of the country’s highest-gaining micropolitan areas for the second year in a row.

Cookeville Mayor Ricky Shelton said the ranking indicates more people are becoming interested in what the city has to offer.

“It just shows that people have recognized how great our entire area is,” Shelton said. “We have a lot of folks moving here from all across the country… We’ve been adding a lot of jobs and we’ve got an awesome place to live.”

Census Bureau data indicates Cookeville saw a population growth of 1,636 people in 2018, down slightly from 1,660 the year before. 2018’s growth puts Cookeville at ninth overall among the nation’s top-10 growing micropolitan areas.

Mark Farley serves as the Upper Cumberland Development District’s executive director. He said new career opportunities have attracted younger workers to the area.

“The workers that are just starting out in their careers, they’re looking for a smaller community… and they still want a lot of the amenities that come with the larger cities,” Farley said. “Being a fast growing community, there are a lot of opportunities for the younger people to experience, have fun, and raise their kids. Obviously, that makes us more attractive to recruit workers into our region.”

Shelton said city officials will continue looking for more opportunities and resources to provide citizens to keep up with demands.

“We’ll continue to look for strategic job opportunities to come to our area… especially in the technology sector and those types with really good wages,” Shelton said, “so people can move here, live, work, and raise a family, and have a great place to be.”

Farley said the recent growth of Tennessee’s metropolitan areas has also contributed to Cookeville’s growth.

“When you see what all is going on around Nashville and that metropolitan area, it’s growing to the east. It’s coming towards us,” Farley said. “People are looking to locate in an area that’s attractive. We view ourselves as the ‘backyard fun zone’ for Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga and you see the growth coming not only from Nashville but also Knoxville. We’re a prime location to benefit from the growth of the whole state.”

Montana micropolitan areas took two of the top three spots with Bozeman ranking first for the second year in a row, while Kalispell ranked third.

Cookeville was the only Tennessee micropolitan area to rank in the nation’s top-10 highest-gaining areas.