Georgia and Tennessee — the overview

You plant churches where people are moving to.

Where Georgia and Tennessee’s population actually grew over the last five years, where the official county projections say it will grow next, and where the Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) already has a church on the ground.

Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) churches
840

Congregations in the church locator

Population, 2018→2023 windows
+865,551

The two states now 17,792,252

Forecast, next 5 years
+1,152,957

From the official county projections

People per church
21,181

Across both states

Growth is not spread evenly

91%

of Georgia and Tennessee’s population growth over the last five years (2018→2023 ACS windows) landed in just 180 of 1,274 ZIP areas.

Share of growth+791,074 of +865,551
91%
Share of ZIP areas180 of 1,274
14%

That gap between the two bars is the whole argument: a small number of places are absorbing most of the growth in the two states.

Added in growth corridors, 5 years
+791,074

New people in growth-corridor ZIP areas between the 2018 and 2023 ACS windows. That is the mission field moving.

No Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church within 6.2 mi
655,672

People in a fast-growing ZIP area more than a 6.2 mi drive from the nearest Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church.

No Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church within 3.1 mi
2,752,676

The same growth ZIP areas at a closer range — no Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church inside 3.1 mi, the distance most people actually treat as their own neighborhood.

Both states, at once

Black crosses are Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) churches. Shaded circles are growth corridors — ZIP areas absorbing serious growth; bigger means more people arriving, darker means higher planting priority. A green ring marks a volume growth corridor: fast growth and a large influx together — the best places to plant.

Explore by state →
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Where the two states are growing fastest

People forecast to arrive over the next five years, by county — from the official countyprojections (Georgia’s OPB, Tennessee’s Boyd Center at UT).

All counties →

How thinly the Church of God is spread

People per Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church, by state. Darker is thinner on the ground.

GA has one Church of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) church for every 21,809 people. TN has one for every 20,575.

Who is arriving in Georgia and Tennessee

Foreign-born residents by country of birth, and who moved in from another state or from abroad in the past year (ACS 2019–23). Where a community has settled before is the best available guide to where the next arrivals go.

See where they settle →

Highest-priority plant sites

Most people arriving. The Church of God’s coverage is shown alongside, as context.

Full ranking →
#ZIP areacountyStatePopulationGrowth 5 yr%Nearest churchScore
1Murfreesboro 37128Rutherford CountyTN77,016+25,995+51.0%12 mi96
2Spring Hill 37174Williamson CountyTN50,778+15,905+45.6%9.4 mi92
3Cumming 30028Forsyth CountyGA36,631+11,653+46.6%3.7 mi90
4Nolensville 37135Williamson CountyTN23,231+10,851+87.7%6.4 mi89
5Fairburn 30213Fulton CountyGA48,541+15,812+48.3%6.9 mi89
6Canton 30115Cherokee CountyGA53,299+12,194+29.7%2.6 mi88
7Clarksville 37040Montgomery CountyTN62,137+11,184+21.9%3.2 mi88
8Richmond Hill 31324Bryan CountyGA35,668+10,025+39.1%2.1 mi88
9Loganville 30052Gwinnett CountyGA79,020+13,061+19.8%1.3 mi88
10Franklin 37064Williamson CountyTN66,641+10,000+17.7%2.8 mi87

State by state

StatePopulationGrowth 5 yr%Forecast 5 yrChurch of God (Cleveland, Tennessee) churchesPeople per churchGrowth ZIP areasUnserved growth-corridor pop.
Georgia10,817,475+528,198+5.1%+696,82949621,809124229,738
Tennessee6,974,777+337,353+5.1%+456,12833920,57556425,934