Middle Tennessee has landed on another list of fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S. This time, it’s all about the suburbs.
Spring Hill and Lebanon, both outside Nashville, are among the 50 fastest growing suburbs in the U.S., according to MoneyLion’s analysis of U.S. Census data from 2019 to 2024. They were the only Tennessee cities that made the list, which was dominated by suburbs of major Texas cities. Florida and Utah followed Texas with seven suburbs each included.
MoneyLion’s “America’s Fastest-Growing Suburbs and the Salaries Needed to Afford them” report compared the average yearly household income and cost of living in these communities. It identified Lebanon as one of four suburbs on the list where residents can “live comfortably” for less than $75,000 a year.
The ranking comes as the populations of suburbs and exurbs across the U.S. continues to grow faster than many major cities. In popular suburbs, some workers may still commute to the city center several times per week, but they enjoy the ample space, relative affordability, quiet lifestyle and small-town characteristics of their home communities. The trend was amplified immediately after the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to some extent, analysts said.
Migration from other states has boosted population growth in Tennessee overall. According to a 2026 U-Haul report, Tennessee has ranked in the top ten for net gain of U-Haul customers for six years in a row. Last year it took the No. 4 spot.
Spring Hill was listed No. 28 and Lebanon was ranked No. 37 in MoneyLion’s recent report. Texas, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Utah, Idaho, California, Arkansas, Arizona, Iowa, Tennessee, Indiana, Alabama, Minnesota and North Carolina were represented in the list.
According to the report, Spring Hill grew from 39,711 people in 2019 to 55,765 people in 2024, a 40% increase in population. The median household income in the suburb is $112,013 and the average home value is $521,839. The annual cost of living is $60,847, according to the report, which relied on data from Sperling’s BestPlaces and the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey.
In Lebanon, the population grew from 33,159 people in 2019 to 44,788 people in 2024, a 35% change. The median household income is $72,848 and the average home value is $439,729. The annual cost of living is $54,063.
These stats make Lebanon one of the most affordable communities on the entire list.
Bill Allen and his family’s barn cat Mickey wandered Hidden Gem Farm among over 60 chickens behind their home on March 28, 2022 in Spring Hill, Tenn.
Jason Demuth, the Nashville division president for national home building company PulteGroup, said Nashville suburbs continue to be popular with home buyers for reasons beyond their proximity to the trendy and touristy parts of Music City.
“What makes Middle Tennessee unique compared to other metro areas is that each of the towns that make up the region has its own charming sense of place,” Demuth said. “These towns are not simply suburbs of Nashville, but destinations in their own right.”
Demuth has years of experience building homes in the suburbs and exurbs of Nashville, and his company remains bullish on the Middle Tennessee area. He sees the suburbs as key growth spots.
“You can live in a safe, historic Southern town with neighbors you know and locally sourced food, while at the same time being 20 to 30 minutes from one of the premier entertainment destinations in the world in Music City,” he said. “This creates a truly unique, best-of-both-worlds environment.”
Homes under construction at Hardins Landing in Spring Hill , Tenn., Monday, June 7, 2021.
Seven out of top 10 fastest growing suburbs in Texas
According to the report, the majority of the top 10 fastest growing suburban communities in the U.S. are located just outside major Texas cities Houston, Dallas and Austin. The Lone Star State has also benefited from a high rate of in-migration over the past decade, similar to Tennessee.
Fulshear, Texas; near Houston; grew by 252%
Celina, Texas; near Dallas; grew by 208%
Wildwood, Florida; near Orlando; grew by 157%
Princeton, Texas; near Dallas; grew by 133%
Melissa, Texas; near Dallas; grew by 112%
Mableton, Georgia; near Atlanta; grew by 87%
Manor, Texas; near Austin; grew by 86%
Anna, Texas; near Dallas; grew by 86%
Hardeeville, South Carolina; near Savannah, Georgia and Hilton Head, South Carolina; grew by 79%
Fate, Texas; near Dallas; grew by 79%
Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville. You can email her with comments, questions and tips at mmdavis@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: What two fastest growing US suburbs outside Nashville cost