Memphis, Tennessee

== Demographics ==
{{US Census population
|1850= 8841
|1860= 22623
|1870= 40226
|1880= 33592
|1890= 64495
|1900= 102320
|1910= 131105
|1920= 162351
|1930= 253143
|1940= 292942
|1950= 396000
|1960= 497524
|1970= 623988
|1980= 646174
|1990= 610337
|2000= 650100
|2010= 646889
|2020= 633104
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref><br />2010–2020<ref name="QuickFacts" /><ref name="USCensusDecennial2020CenPopScriptOnly">{{cite web|url=https://api.census.gov/data/2020/dec/pl?get=P1_001N,NAME&for=place:*&in=state:47&key=5ccd0821c15d9f4520e2dcc0f8d92b2ec9336108|title=Census Population API|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=October 15, 2022}}</ref>
}}

{|class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsible mw-collapsed" " style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Historical Racial composition  !! 2020<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/memphiscitytennessee|title=Memphis city, Tennessee|author=<!--Not stated-->|website=State & County Quickfacts|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=December 14, 2020}}</ref>!! 2010<ref>{{cite web |url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4748000.html |title=Memphis (city), Tennessee |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=July 13, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207204337/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4748000.html |archive-date=February 7, 2015 }}</ref>!! 1990<ref name="census1" /> !! 1970<ref name="census1" /> !! 1950<ref name="census1" />
|-
|[[White American|White]] ||27.1% ||29.4% ||44.0% ||60.8% ||62.8%
|-
|&nbsp;—Non-Hispanic ||24.0% ||27.5% ||43.7% ||60.5%{{efn|name="fifteen"|From 15% sample}} ||n/a
|-
|[[African American|Black or African American]] ||61.2% ||63.3% ||54.8% ||38.9% ||37.2%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race) ||9.8% ||6.5% ||0.7% ||0.4%{{efn|name="fifteen"}} ||n/a
|-
|[[Asian American|Asian]] ||1.8% ||1.6% ||0.8% ||0.2% ||–
|}

[[File:Race and ethnicity 2010- Memphis (5560473024).png|thumb|left|Map of racial distribution in Memphis, 2010 U.S. Census. Each dot is 25 people: {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ff0000|White}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#0000ff|Black}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#00ffaa|Asian}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffa600|Hispanic}} {{legend inline|outline=white|white|text=⬤|textcolor=#ffff07|Other}}]]

For historical population data, see: [[History of Memphis, Tennessee]]. According to the [[2020 United States census|2020 United States Census]], the racial composition of the city of Memphis was:
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* [[African American|Black or African American]] (non-Hispanic): 387,964 (61.28%)
* [[White American|White]] (non-Hispanic): 151,581 (23.94%)
* [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (of any race): 62,167 (9.82%)
* [[Asian American|Asian]]: 11,503 (1.82%)
* Native American: 1,007 (0.16%)
* [[Pacific Islander American|Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander]]: 141 (0.02%)
* Some other race: 2,425 (0.38%)
* [[Multiracial American|Two or more races]]: 16,316 (2.58%)
{{div col end}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+'''Memphis, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition'''<br><small>{{nobold|''Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.''}}</small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(''NH = Non-Hispanic'')</small>
!Pop 2000<ref name=2000CensusP004>{{Cite web|title=P004 Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Memphis city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALSF12000.P004?g=160XX00US4748000|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!Pop 2010<ref name=2010CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Memphis city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4748000&tid=DECENNIALPL2010.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!{{partial|Pop 2020}}<ref name=2020CensusP2>{{Cite web|title=P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Memphis city, Tennessee|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=p2&g=160XX00US4748000&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
!% 2000
!% 2010
!{{partial|% 2020}}
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] alone (NH)
|216,174
|177,735
|style='background: #ffffe6; |151,581
|33.25%
|27.48%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |23.94%
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino African Americans|Black or African American]] alone (NH)
|397,732
|408,075
|style='background: #ffffe6; |387,964
|61.18%
|63.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |61.28%
|-
|[[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] or [[Alaska Native]] alone (NH)
|1,009
|1,186
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1,007
|0.16%
|0.18%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.16%
|-
|[[Asian Americans|Asian]] alone (NH)
|9,373
|10,067
|style='background: #ffffe6; |11,503
|1.44%
|1.56%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.82%
|-
|[[Pacific Islander Americans|Pacific Islander]] alone (NH)
|162
|159
|style='background: #ffffe6; |141
|0.02%
|0.02%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.02%
|-
|Some Other Race alone (NH)
|697
|742
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2,425
|0.11%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.38%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed race or Multiracial]] (NH)
|5,636
|6,931
|style='background: #ffffe6; |16,316
|0.87%
|1.07%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.58%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] (any race)
|19,317
|41,994
|style='background: #ffffe6; |62,167
|2.97%
|6.49%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |9.82%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''650,100'''
|'''646,889'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''633,104'''
|'''100.00%'''
|'''100.00%'''
|style='background: #ffffe6; |'''100.00%'''
|}

===2010===
{{As of|2010|4|1|alt=As of the [[2010 United States Census]]}}, there were 652,078 people and 245,836 households in the city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4748000.html|title=Memphis (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau|website=Quickfacts.census.gov|access-date=April 30, 2015|archive-date=February 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207204337/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/47/4748000.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> The population density was 2,327.4 people per sq&nbsp;mi (898.6/km<sup>2</sup>). There were 271,552 housing units at an average density of {{convert|972.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 63.33% [[African American]], 29.39% [[White American|White]], 1.46% [[Asian American]], 1.57% [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]], 0.04% [[Pacific Islander American|Pacific Islander]], 1.45% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]] people of any race were 6.49% of the population.

The median income for a household in the city was $32,285, and the median income for a family was $37,767. Males had a median income of $31,236 versus $25,183 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,838. About 17.2% of families and 20.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 30.1% of those under age 18, and 15.4% of those age 65 or over. In 2011, the U.S. Census Bureau ranked the Memphis area as the poorest large metro area in the country.<ref name=WMCTV>{{cite web|title=Census data: Memphis ranks as poorest city in United States|url=http://www.wmctv.com/story/15536366/census-data-memphis-ranks-as-poorest-city-in-united-states|access-date=|archive-date=September 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926170822/http://www.wmctv.com/story/15536366/census-data-memphis-ranks-as-poorest-city-in-united-states |url-status=dead|first=Anna Marie |last=Hartman|date = September 23, 2011}}</ref> Jeff Wallace of the University of Memphis noted that the problem was related to decades of segregation in government and schools. He said that it was a low-cost job market, but other places in the world could offer cheaper labor, and the workforce was undereducated for today's challenges.<ref name=WMCTV />

The [[Memphis Metropolitan Area|Memphis Metropolitan Statistical Area]] (MSA), the [[List of United States metropolitan statistical areas by population|42nd largest]] in the United States, has a 2010 population of 1,316,100 and includes the Tennessee counties of [[Shelby County, Tennessee|Shelby]], [[Tipton County, Tennessee|Tipton]] and [[Fayette County, Tennessee|Fayette]]; as well as the northern [[Mississippi]] counties of [[DeSoto County, Mississippi|DeSoto]], [[Marshall County, Mississippi|Marshall]], [[Tate County, Mississippi|Tate]], and [[Tunica County, Mississippi|Tunica]]; and [[Crittenden County, Arkansas]], all part of the [[Mississippi Delta]].

The total metropolitan area has a higher proportion of whites and a higher per capita income than the population in the city. The 2010 census shows that the Memphis metro area is close to a [[majority-minority]] population:

<blockquote>the white population is 47.9 percent of the eight-county area's 1,316,100 residents. The non-Hispanic white population, a designation frequently used in census reports, was 46.2 percent of the total. The African American percentage was 45.7. For several decades, the Memphis metro area has had the highest percentage of black population among the nation's large metropolitan areas. The area has seemed on a path to become the nation's first metro area of one million or more with a majority black population.<ref name="demo">{{cite web|url=http://www.smartcitymemphis.com/2011/06/memphis-regions-trends-advance/ |first=Jimmie|last= Covington|title=Memphis Region's Demographic Trends/ Advance|website= Smart City Memphis |date= June 9, 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

In a reverse trend of the Great Migration, numerous African Americans and other minorities have moved into DeSoto County, and blacks have followed suburban trends, moving into the suburbs of Shelby County.<ref name="demo" />

Anglo-American migrants, Irish and German immigrants contributed to Memphis's population rise.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entries/memphis/#:~:text=From%20a%20population%20of%20fewer,famines%20following%20the%20potato%20blight.|title=Memphis - Tennessee Encyclopedia}}</ref>

=== Religion ===
[[File:Elmwood-Asian.JPG|right|thumb|Asian-American tombstones in [[Elmwood Cemetery (Memphis, Tennessee)|Elmwood Cemetery]]]]
An 1870 map of Memphis shows religious buildings of the [[Baptists|Baptist]], [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal]], [[Methodism|Methodist]], [[Presbyterian]], [[Congregational church|Congregational]], and other [[Christian denomination]]s, and a Jewish congregation.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.gmd/g3964m.pm009010 |title=Bird's eye view of the city of Memphis, Tennessee 1870 |publisher=Hdl.loc.gov |access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref> In 2009, places of worship exist for [[Christians]], [[Jew]]s, [[Hindu]]s, [[Buddhist]]s, and [[Muslim]]s.

The international headquarters of the [[Church of God in Christ]], the largest [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] denomination in the United States, is located in Memphis. Its [[Mason Temple]] was named after the denomination's founder, [[Charles Harrison Mason]]. This auditorium is where Rev. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] gave his noted "[[I've Been to the Mountaintop]]" speech in April 1968, the night before he was assassinated at his motel. The [[National Civil Rights Museum]], located in Memphis at the Lorraine Motel and other buildings, has an annual ceremony at Mason's [[Temple of Deliverance Church of God in Christ|Temple of Deliverance]] where it honors people with Freedom Awards.

[[Bellevue Baptist Church]] is a [[Southern Baptist]] [[megachurch]] in Memphis that was founded in 1903. Its current membership is around 30,000.<ref>[http://tennesseeencyclopedia.net/entry.php?rec=1570 Bellevue Baptist Church |Entries]. ''Tennessee Encyclopedia'', Retrieved on August 16, 2013.</ref> For many years, it was led by [[Adrian Rogers]], a three-term president of the [[Southern Baptist Convention]].

Other notable and/or large churches in Memphis include Second Presbyterian Church ([[Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)|EPC]]), Highpoint Church<ref name="Highpoint Church">[http://www.highpointmemphis.com/ Highpoint Church]. Homepage</ref> (SBC), Hope Presbyterian Church ([[Evangelical Presbyterian Church (United States)|EPC]]), Evergreen Presbyterian Church ([[Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)|PCUSA]]), Colonial Park United Methodist Church, Christ [[United Methodist Church]], Idlewild Presbyterian Church (PCUSA), [[GraceLife Pentecostal Church]] ([[United Pentecostal Church International|UPCI]]), First Baptist Broad, Temple of Deliverance, [[Calvary Episcopal Church (Memphis, Tennessee)|Calvary Episcopal Church]], the [[Church of the River (First Unitarian Church of Memphis)]], First Congregational Church (UCC) and Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church.

Memphis is home to two cathedrals. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception is the seat of the [[Roman Catholic Diocese of Memphis]], and [[St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral in Memphis|St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral]] is the seat of the [[Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee]].

Memphis is home to [[Temple Israel (Memphis, Tennessee)|Temple Israel]], a [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogue that has approximately 7,000 members, making it one of the largest Reform synagogues in the country. [[Baron Hirsch Synagogue]] is the largest [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] [[shul]] in the United States.<ref name="Goldring-Woldenberg">{{cite web|url=http://www.msje.org/history/archive/tn/HistoryofOrthodoxCongregations.htm |title=History of the Orthodox Congregations of Memphis |access-date=August 21, 2008 |work=Goldring-Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life web site |publisher=Goldring-Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105133341/http://msje.org/history/archive/tn/HistoryofOrthodoxCongregations.htm |archive-date=November 5, 2010}}</ref> Jewish residents were part of the city before the Civil War, but more Jewish immigrants came from Eastern Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Memphis is home to an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 Muslims of various cultures and ethnicities.<ref>{{cite web|last=Melvin |first=Lindsay |url=http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/sep/06/muslims-in-memphis-diversity-in-the-mosque/ |title=Muslims in Memphis: Diversity in the mosque |work=Commercial Appeal |access-date=July 2, 2010}}</ref>

A number of seminaries are located in Memphis and the metropolitan area. Memphis is home to [[Memphis Theological Seminary]] and [[Harding School of Theology]]. Suburban Cordova is home to [[Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary]].

=== Crime ===
{{Main|Crime in Memphis, Tennessee}}
[[File:Memphis TN 2014-February 017.jpg|thumb|A Memphis Police Department vehicle]]
In the 21st century, Memphis' crime rate has remained significantly higher than the national average. [[Gangs in Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis' gangs]] are a major reason for the crime crises in the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/crime/memphis-police-gangs-guns-crime-concerns-murder-thefts-burglary/522-93aea1bc-9003-423e-a888-eb98cd50bb47 | title="We are fighting a very uphill battle" &#124; Memphis Police say gangs and guns are the big crime concerns | date=December 13, 2021 }}</ref> Since the 2000s, it has consistently been recognized as one of the most dangerous cities in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm#25 |title=Morgan Quitno 2007 Crime Rankings |publisher=Morganquitno.com |access-date=July 2, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615000102/http://www.morganquitno.com/cit07pop.htm |archive-date=June 15, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.fox13memphis.com/news/memphis-crime-rate-hits-record-high-car-thefts-on-decline-data-shows/article_6910df56-bfeb-11ee-acf3-ebb7ffd30658.html | title=Memphis crime rate hits record high, car thefts on decline, data shows | date=January 30, 2024 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.actionnews5.com/story/10250040/forbes-ranks-memphis-2nd-most-dangerous-city-after-detroit/ | title=Forbes ranks Memphis 2nd most dangerous city after Detroit | date=April 26, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.wjhl.com/news/memphis-ranked-no-1-most-dangerous-city/ | title=Memphis ranked No. 1 most dangerous city | date=December 9, 2021 }}</ref>

In 2023, Memphis set a homicide record with 397 homicides.<ref name="hom1">{{cite web | url=https://wreg.com/news/2023-goes-down-as-a-violent-year-in-memphis/ | title=397 homicides in Memphis last year, another new record | date=January 2024 }}</ref> [[New York City]], the nation's largest city with a population of 8.5 million, had a lower homicide count of 386 in 2023.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://abc7ny.com/nypd-crime-shootings-murders/14259597/ | title=NYPD statistics show murders, shootings down in 2023; optimistic about 2024 | date=January 2, 2024 }}</ref> Identity theft, carjackings and robberies were also happening at a highly concerning rate in the city after 2020.<ref name="hom1"/> Crime was the leading reason 30,000 former Memphis residents decided to relocate outside the city between 2017 and 2022.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://tennesseestar.com/news/over-30000-residents-left-memphis-since-2017-amid-years-long-struggle-with-crime/tpappert/2024/01/04/ | title=Over 30,000 Residents Left Memphis Since 2017 amid Years-Long Struggle with Crime | date=January 4, 2024 }}</ref> Memphis' businesses are also leaving the city or closing down at a high rate due to rampant crime.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mg_Va5_nFs | title=Constant break-ins in Memphis causing some businesses to close indefinitely | website=[[YouTube]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://wreg.com/news/investigations/there-wont-be-a-city-left-downtown-crimes-impact-on-the-memphis-economy/ | title='There won't be a city left': Downtown crime's impact on the Memphis economy | date=December 12, 2023 }}</ref> Memphis' leaders are continually discussing and implementing strategies such as hiring more police officers to hopefully lower crime in the city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://mlk50.com/2023/12/28/mayor-strickland-made-promises-about-violent-crime-heres-why-he-couldnt-keep-them/ | title=Mayor Strickland made promises about violent crime. Here's why he couldn't keep them | date=December 28, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://theconversation.com/memphis-police-numbers-dropped-by-nearly-a-quarter-in-recent-years-were-staffing-shortages-a-factor-in-the-killing-of-tyre-nichols-199078 | title=Memphis police numbers dropped by nearly a quarter in recent years – were staffing shortages a factor in the killing of Tyre Nichols? | date=February 7, 2023 }}</ref>