Growth, traffic and safety
Growth, traffic and safety: the numbers and the record
Fairview has nearly doubled since 2000, and more growth is projected for Williamson County through 2050. This page lays out the official figures on population, traffic and public safety, and what Wayne Hall has already done about each one.
Then and now
How far Fairview has come
Fairview counted 5,800 residents in the 2000 Census and 7,014 in a special census in April 2006. The Census Bureau’s July 2025 estimate is 10,877. That is 55 percent more than in 2006 and 16 percent more than in 2020.
10,877
residents
Was 5,800 in the 2000 Census
3,528
households
Was 2,105 in the 2000 Census
3,554
housing units in the 2020 Census
Was 2,245 in the 2000 Census
$91,131
median household income
Was $44,148 in the 2000 Census. Not adjusted for inflation.
Current household and income figures are from the American Community Survey, 2020 to 2024, as published on the city’s General Data page.
2040 and 2050
Where Fairview could be by 2040 and 2050
No agency publishes an official forecast for the city itself out to 2050. Here is what the published sources say, and two plainly labeled what-ifs built from them.
Fairview’s population, 2000 to 2050
Residents. The solid line is counted. The dashed lines are two simple what-ifs, not forecasts.
- Census counts and estimate
- If the 2020 to 2025 pace continues (2.9% a year)
- If Fairview keeps its 4.0% share of Williamson County
- Fairview 2040 plan’s rough estimate
See the numbers
| Year | Census count or estimate | If the recent pace continues | If Fairview keeps its county share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 Census | 5,800 | ||
| April 2006 special census | 7,014 | ||
| 2010 Census | 7,720 | ||
| 2020 Census | 9,357 | ||
| July 2025 Census Bureau estimate | 10,877 | ||
| 2030 | 12,375 | 12,177 | |
| 2035 | 14,282 | 13,351 | |
| 2040 | 16,484 | 14,507 | |
| 2045 | 19,025 | 15,670 | |
| 2050 | 21,957 | 16,818 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial counts and July 2025 estimate; Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Tennessee, 2022 to 2070 population projections (2024); City of Fairview, Fairview 2040 Comprehensive Plan (adopted May 2, 2019); the 2006 figure is the city’s April 2006 special census.
What the published sources say
- The Fairview 2040 Comprehensive Plan, adopted May 2, 2019, mentions a very rough estimate of 20,000 residents by 2040 and notes that the city’s recent growth rate would fall well short of it.
- The draft Williamson County Growth Plan carries a twenty-year projection for Fairview of 7,399 added residents, about 84 percent more than the 8,763 it started from. That works out to about 16,200.
- The Boyd Center at the University of Tennessee projects Williamson County at 304,573 residents in 2030, 362,863 in 2040 and 420,662 in 2050.
How the two what-if lines are built
- Recent pace. Fairview grew about 2.9 percent a year from the 2020 Census to July 2025, or about 290 residents a year. Holding that rate gives about 16,500 in 2040 and about 22,000 in 2050.
- County share. Fairview is 4.0 percent of Williamson County today. Holding that share of the Boyd Center’s county projection gives about 14,500 in 2040 and about 16,800 in 2050.
- Both are arithmetic, not forecasts. Sewer capacity, zoning and the housing market will decide the real number.
Williamson County’s population, 2000 to 2050
Residents. Fairview sits inside one of the fastest-growing counties in Tennessee.
- Counted or estimated by the Census Bureau
- Projected by the Boyd Center
See the numbers
| Year | Residents | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 126,638 | Census Bureau |
| 2010 | 183,182 | Census Bureau |
| 2020 | 247,726 | Census Bureau |
| 2025 | 272,061 | Census Bureau |
| 2030 | 304,573 | Boyd Center projection |
| 2040 | 362,863 | Boyd Center projection |
| 2050 | 420,662 | Boyd Center projection |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, decennial counts and July 2025 estimate; Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Tennessee, 2022 to 2070 population projections (2024).
Traffic
What the state’s traffic counts show
The city’s 2040 plan put it plainly: “Citizens overwhelmingly see traffic conditions along Highway 100 as the City’s top concern.” The same plan found that nearly 95 percent of residents commute out of the city for work.
Cars a day on Fairview’s two highways, 2000 to 2025
Average vehicles per day at three state counting stations. Years without a count are skipped.
- Highway 100, southwest of Highway 96
- Highway 100, east of Highway 96
- Highway 96, north of Highway 100
See the numbers
| Year | Hwy 100, southwest of Hwy 96 | Hwy 100, east of Hwy 96 | Hwy 96, north of Hwy 100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18,175 | 12,335 | 6,906 |
| 2001 | 13,649 | 14,288 | 6,352 |
| 2002 | 15,668 | 12,821 | 6,573 |
| 2003 | 14,925 | 13,191 | 6,832 |
| 2004 | no count | 14,294 | 7,339 |
| 2005 | 16,565 | 14,019 | 6,741 |
| 2006 | 15,356 | 13,117 | 7,605 |
| 2007 | 16,151 | 15,062 | 7,735 |
| 2008 | 16,856 | 12,882 | 7,678 |
| 2009 | no count | no count | no count |
| 2010 | 14,715 | no count | 7,180 |
| 2011 | no count | 12,143 | 7,067 |
| 2012 | 13,710 | 12,102 | 6,998 |
| 2013 | 13,720 | 10,434 | 7,151 |
| 2014 | 13,954 | 10,100 | 7,155 |
| 2015 | 14,543 | 10,585 | no count |
| 2016 | no count | 10,628 | no count |
| 2017 | 15,644 | no count | no count |
| 2018 | no count | 13,214 | 7,833 |
| 2019 | 15,310 | 11,377 | 7,390 |
| 2020 | 12,719 | 9,599 | 6,641 |
| 2021 | 14,773 | 10,031 | 8,406 |
| 2022 | 15,997 | 10,788 | 9,231 |
| 2023 | 12,342 | 11,723 | 8,880 |
| 2024 | 15,456 | 11,663 | 9,193 |
| 2025 | 16,010 | 11,835 | 9,027 |
Sources: Tennessee Department of Transportation, annual average daily traffic counts (stations 94000098, 94000008 and 94000010).
What the counts say
- Highway 96 north of Highway 100 carried 9,027 vehicles a day in 2025, up 34 percent from 2005.
- Highway 100 southwest of Highway 96 carried 16,010 a day in 2025, about what it carried in 2005 (16,565).
- Highway 100 east of Highway 96 carried 11,835 a day in 2025, down from 14,019 in 2005.
- All three counts dipped around 2013 and have climbed since, by 13 to 26 percent.
- Daily averages do not show rush hour. When most working residents leave town on the same few roads at the same hours, the backups are real even where the daily total is flat.
What Wayne has done
- Asking more of new subdivisionsJuly 2006
- A three-way stop at Horn Tavern and BahneDecember 2003
- Stop signs on Old Nashville Road at Jones LaneSeptember to November 2025
- Nearly $1 million for sidewalksJuly 2016
- Sidewalks along Highway 100 to the Rec CenterDecember 2024
- Repaving King Road before winterNovember 2013
- Paving New Hope Road, New Hope Pass and Dice LampleyNovember to December 2015
In 2006 Wayne seconded the motion that requires a traffic study for any subdivision of 50 lots or more, down from 100.
Public safety
Police and fire protection have grown with the city
Fairview’s 2019 plan listed 21 full-time police officers and 18 full-time firefighters. The 2026 community data profile lists 32 and 27, and a fire insurance rating of 3.
Full-time police officers and firefighters
Fairview’s departments as described in the city’s 2019 plan and in the 2026 community profile.
- 2019 (Fairview 2040 plan)
- 2026 (community data profile)
See the numbers
| Department | 2019 plan | 2026 profile |
|---|---|---|
| Police officers, full time | 21 | 32 |
| Firefighters, full time | 18 | 27 |
Sources: City of Fairview, Fairview 2040 Comprehensive Plan (adopted May 2, 2019); Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association, Fairview and Williamson County 2026 Community Data Profile.
What the figures say
- Full-time police officers: 21 in the 2019 plan, 32 in the 2026 profile.
- Full-time firefighters: 18 in the 2019 plan, 27 in the 2026 profile.
- Measured against population, that is about 2.4 officers per 1,000 residents then (8,763 residents) and about 2.9 now (10,877).
- The Fire Department became a city department in 2001. In November 2023 the Board approved a design firm for Fire Station 32, on Wayne’s motion.
What Wayne has done
- Training and gear for our firefightersFebruary 2005
- Going after grants for our firefightersJune to October 2007
- More help for our Police DepartmentApril and May 2008
- First steps toward Fire Station 32November 2023
- Fair pay for the calls our firefighters answerJune 2025
- A new fire truck at a good rateMarch 2026
- Recovering from Winter Storm FernFebruary to April 2026
Wayne’s approach
Growth that respects the families already here
Wayne does not ask anyone to take a promise on faith. This is how he has handled growth when it was his vote to cast.
“Growth is coming whether we’re ready or not, so we had better be ready.”
From Wayne’s account of July 2006, when he made the motion to require half-acre lots around the outside edge of RS-15 subdivisions, with the smallest lots kept to the middle.
From the record
- Asking more of new subdivisionsJuly 2006
- Holding a big developer to its wordOctober 2013
- Getting the wastewater plant expansion movingAugust 2004
- A special census to get Fairview its fair shareNovember 2005
- A conservation easement for Bowie Nature ParkSeptember 2008
- Adopting the Fairview Parks Master PlanJuly 2023
What the next twenty-five years ask of Fairview
Roads
Highway 96 already carries a third more traffic than it did in 2005, and most working residents drive out of town. More neighbors will lean on the same two highways.
Emergency response
More homes mean more calls. Staffing has grown since 2019, and Fire Station 32 has been in the works since 2023.
Parks and land
Bowie Nature Park has been under a conservation easement with The Land Trust for Tennessee since 2008. Wayne made that motion.
The basics
Sewer, sidewalks and paving are not exciting. Wayne has been voting on them since 2004, and they decide how growth feels on your street.
“I know where Fairview has been. That helps when it’s time to decide what comes next.”
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- U.S. Census Bureau, decennial counts and July 2025 estimate
- City of Fairview, General Data
- Boyd Center for Business and Economic Research, University of Tennessee, 2022 to 2070 population projections (2024)
- Tennessee Department of Transportation, annual average daily traffic counts
- City of Fairview, Fairview 2040 Comprehensive Plan (adopted May 2, 2019)
- Williamson County Growth Plan (draft, 2024)
- Middle Tennessee Industrial Development Association, Fairview and Williamson County 2026 Community Data Profile
- 2000 Census household, housing and income figures for Fairview are from the Census Bureau’s 2000 decennial census.
Figures were checked on October 3, 2026. The two what-if lines and the per-1,000 staffing figures are this campaign’s arithmetic from the sources named above.