CHATTANOOGA (AP) — New yearly census estimates pegged Tennessee's 2016 population at 6.65 million, which was nearly 1 percent more than the prior year.

The fastest growing counties in Tennessee were in or near metropolitan Nashville, the Chattanooga Times Free Press (http://bit.ly/2ogRtJv) reported. Metro Nashville grew by 2 percent, nearly three times the U.S growth rate, to top 1.86 million people last year.

The U.S. Bureau of Census estimates that Hamilton County grew by 4,134 residents from July 2015 to July 2016 — a growth pace nearly 25 percent faster than the nation as a whole.

More than 39,000 people moved to Tennessee last year, which helped it remain the 11th fastest growing state for net migration, said Melissa Stefanini, director of the Tennessee State Data Center, which is a local partner to the Census Bureau.

"As a state, we are seeing slow and steady population growth, and we continue to grow slightly faster than the national average for the third year in a row," Stefanini said. "Population tends to follow job growth and where people are pursuing higher education."

The newly released information shows that of Tennessee's 95 counties, 67 added population last year, while 28 declined in population during 2016.

Chattanooga's metropolitan area grew faster than the U.S. as a whole, moving up the six-county area into the top 100 metro areas in the country for population — just barely. Chattanooga's metro area ranked 100th in size in 2016, up from its 101 ranking in 2015, according to census figures.

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Information from: Chattanooga Times Free Press, http://www.timesfreepress.com