Tag: census
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What Does the Poverty Rate Really Tell Us?
The Census Bureau recently released its annual update on poverty in the United States. But before drawing conclusions from a poverty rate, it helps to ask a basic question: How is poverty being measured? The federal government uses two main measures, and they can tell somewhat different stories. The Official Poverty Measure, or OPM, compares…
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Kingsport’s Fastest-Growing Age Group Isn’t Seniors. It’s Younger Adults.
Recent Census Bureau data tell an important story about where America is headed — and where Kingsport may be headed with it. Between 2020 and 2025, the South grew 6%, almost twice the national rate. More important, it was the only region to gain population in every major age group. Children under 18 increased 1.1%.…
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Where America Is Moving — and What Makes Kingsport Different
Migration numbers can look like mind-numbing spreadsheet trivia—until you realize they’re quietly revealing who’s voting with their feet, and why Kingsport keeps showing up in the story. The Census Bureau just released its state-to-state migration data for 2024. We’re already into 2026, so it’s a lagging indicator. To keep the comparison fair, this analysis uses…
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Biscuits & Builders: Moving to Kingsport and the New South
The South. Just reading those words probably evokes imagery. For natives, it might be sweet tea, biscuits, and “home sweet home to me.” For others, it might be The Beverly Hillbillies, The Dukes of Hazzard, or The Andy Griffith Show. I follow a TikTok account of a former New Yorker now living in Charleston. She…
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The Very First Census Provides Shocking Insights
On a recent visit to the Kingsport Public Library, I came across a stack of books slated for removal. Most were duplicates of old census records for various Tennessee counties and surrounding states. Since these records are now readily available online, it makes sense that Kingsport wouldn’t need to store documents for counties in Middle…
