List of counties in Tennessee

See also: List of United States counties and county equivalents

Counties of Tennessee
Location	State of Tennessee
Number	95
Populations	5,128 (Pickett) - 910,042 (Shelby)
Areas	114 sq mi (300 km2) (Trousdale) -755 sq mi (1,960 km2) (Shelby)
Government	County government
Subdivisions	cities, towns, unincorporated communities, census designated place

There are 95 counties in the U.S. State of Tennessee. As of 2023, Shelby County was both Tennessee's most populous county, with 910,042 residents, and the largest county in area, covering an area of 755 sq mi (1,955 km²). The least populous county was Pickett County (5,128) and the smallest in area was Trousdale County, covering 114 sq mi (295 km²). As of the same year, Davidson County, in which the capital Nashville is located, covers 502 sq mi (1,300 km²) with a population of 712,334. The population of the state of Tennessee as of the 2023 census estimate was 7,126,489 in an area of 42,169 sq mi (109,217 km²). ^{[1] [2] [3]} The oldest county is Washington County, founded in 1777. The most recently formed county is Chester County (1879). ^[1]

According to the 2020 census, the center of population for Tennessee was located at 35°49′16″N86°19′57″W / 35.821189°N 86.332487°W / 35.821189; -86.332487 , 3.5 mi (5.6 km) southeast of Murfreesboro in Rutherford County. ^[4] The center of population pinpoints the location at which the population of the state, as placed on a map of the state where they reside, would balance out the map. The geographic center, the point where the map of Tennessee would balance without the population, is located 5 mi (8 km) northeast of Murfreesboro. In 1976, the Rutherford County Historical Society marked the geographic center of Tennessee with an obelisk. ^[5]

Some of the counties were formed in part or completely from lands previously controlled by American Indians. The "Indian lands" were territories that American Indians had occupied from pre-Columbian times and to which they were granted the legal right of occupancy in an act of the United States government. In cases where counties had been formed from that territory, the legal right of American Indian occupancy was revoked in a federal act prior to the formal establishment of the county. ^[6] For Tennessee, ten treaties were negotiated between 1770 and 1835, defining the areas assigned to European settlers and to American Indians, regulating the right of occupancy regarding the lands. The remaining indigenous population was eventually removed from Tennessee to what became the state of Oklahoma. ^[7]

The Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) code, which is used by the United States government to uniquely identify counties, is provided with each entry. FIPS codes are five-digit numbers; for Tennessee the codes start with 47 and are completed with the three-digit county code. The FIPS code for each county in the table links to census data for that county. ^[8]

Alphabetical list

County	FIPS code [8]	County seat [1]	Est. [1]	Origin [9]	Etymology [9]	Population	Area [10] [1]	Map
AndersonCounty	001	Clinton	1801	Knox and Grainger Counties	Joseph Anderson (1757–1837), U.S. Senator from Tennessee and first Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury.	80,234	338 sq mi (875 km2)
BedfordCounty	003	Shelbyville	1807	Rutherford County	Revolutionary War officer Thomas Bedford, a large landowner in the area	53,055	474 sq mi (1,228 km2)
BentonCounty	005	Camden	1835	Humphreys County	Creek War veteran David Benton (1779–1860), an early settler in the county.	16,103	394 sq mi (1,020 km2)
BledsoeCounty	007	Pikeville	1807	Roane County and Indian lands	Anthony Bledsoe (1739-1788), Revolutionary War soldier, surveyor, and early settler in Sumner County	15,060	406 sq mi (1,052 km2)
BlountCounty	009	Maryville	1795	Knox County	William Blount (1749–1800), governor of the Southwest Territory and later U.S. Senator	141,456	559 sq mi (1,448 km2)
BradleyCounty	011	Cleveland	1836	Indian lands	Tennessee state legislator Edward Bradley.	111,579	329 sq mi (852 km2)
CampbellCounty	013	Jacksboro	1806	Anderson and Claiborne counties	Virginia House of Burgesses member Arthur Campbell (1743–1811), who was a negotiator of Indian treaties.	40,223	480 sq mi (1,243 km2)
CannonCounty	015	Woodbury	1836	Rutherford, Smith and Warren counties	Governor of Tennessee Newton Cannon (1781–1841).	15,063	266 sq mi (689 km2)
CarrollCounty	017	Huntingdon	1821	Indian lands	Governor of Tennessee William Carroll (1788–1844).	28,860	599 sq mi (1,551 km2)
CarterCounty	019	Elizabethton	1796	Washington County	Speaker of the "Lost State of Franklin" Senate Landon Carter (1760–1800) [11] .	57,022	341 sq mi (883 km2)
CheathamCounty	021	Ashland City	1856	Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery and Robertson counties	Tennessee state legislator Edward Cheatham and possibly Confederate General Benjamin F. Cheatham.	42,254	303 sq mi (785 km2)
ChesterCounty	023	Henderson	1879	Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy and Madison counties	Tennessee state legislator Robert I. Chester.	17,606	289 sq mi (749 km2)
ClaiborneCounty	025	Tazewell	1801	Grainger and Hawkins counties	Governor of Louisiana and Governor of Mississippi Territory William C. C. Claiborne (1775–1817).	32,654	434 sq mi (1,124 km2)
ClayCounty	027	Celina	1870	Jackson and Overton counties	U.S. Speaker of the House and Secretary of State Henry Clay (1777–1852).	7,714	236 sq mi (611 km2)
CockeCounty	029	Newport	1797	Jefferson County	William Cocke (1747–1828), one of Tennessee's first U.S. Senators.	37,404	434 sq mi (1,124 km2)
CoffeeCounty	031	Manchester	1836	Bedford, Warren and Franklin counties	John Coffee (1772–1833), frontiersman, planter, and veteran of Creek War and War of 1812.	60,633	429 sq mi (1,111 km2)
CrockettCounty	033	Alamo	1871	Haywood, Madison, Dyer and Gibson counties	Davy Crockett (1786–1836), frontier humorist, Congressman, and defender of the Alamo.	13,982	265 sq mi (686 km2)
CumberlandCounty	035	Crossville	1855	White, Bledsoe, Rhea, Morgan, Fentress and Putnam counties	The Cumberland Mountains.	64,760	682 sq mi (1,766 km2)
DavidsonCounty	037	Nashville	1783	Part of North Carolina	William Lee Davidson (1746–1781), a Brigadier General who died at the Revolutionary War Battle of Cowan's Ford.	712,334	502 sq mi (1,300 km2)
DecaturCounty	039	Decaturville	1845	Perry County	U.S. naval officer and War of 1812 hero Stephen Decatur (1779–1820).	11,656	333 sq mi (862 km2)
DeKalbCounty	041	Smithville	1837	Franklin, Cannon, Jackson and White counties	Johann de Kalb (1721–1780), a German-born baron who assisted the Continentals during the American Revolutionary War.	21,225	304 sq mi (787 km2)
DicksonCounty	043	Charlotte	1803	Montgomery and Robertson counties	U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816).	56,729	490 sq mi (1,269 km2)
DyerCounty	045	Dyersburg	1823	Indian lands	Tennessee state legislator Robert Henry Dyer.	36,498	510 sq mi (1,321 km2)
FayetteCounty	047	Somerville	1824	Indian lands	Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834), a French-born general in the American Revolutionary War.	44,175	705 sq mi (1,826 km2)
FentressCounty	049	Jamestown	1823	Morgan, Overton and White counties	Tennessee state legislator James Fentress.	19,696	499 sq mi (1,292 km2)
FranklinCounty	051	Winchester	1807	Rutherford County and Indian lands	Publisher, scholar, orator, and Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790).	44,654	553 sq mi (1,432 km2)
GibsonCounty	053	Trenton	1823	Indian lands	John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition and the Creek War.	51,045	603 sq mi (1,562 km2)
GilesCounty	055	Pulaski	1809	Indian lands	U.S. Senator and Governor of Virginia William B. Giles (1762–1830).	30,721	611 sq mi (1,582 km2)
GraingerCounty	057	Rutledge	1796	Hawkins and Knox counties	Mary Grainger Blount, wife of William Blount and "first lady" of the Southwest Territory, which later became Tennessee.	24,681	280 sq mi (725 km2)
GreeneCounty	059	Greeneville	1783	Washington County	American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene (1742–1786).	72,577	622 sq mi (1,611 km2)
GrundyCounty	061	Altamont	1844	Coffee, Warren and Franklin counties	U.S. Attorney General Felix Grundy (1777–1840).	13,955	361 sq mi (935 km2)
HamblenCounty	063	Morristown	1870	Jefferson, Grainger and Greene counties	Early settler Hezekiah Hamblen.	66,216	161 sq mi (417 km2)
HamiltonCounty	065	Chattanooga	1819	Rhea County and Indian lands	First U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and Founding Father Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1757–1804).	379,864	543 sq mi (1,406 km2)
HancockCounty	067	Sneedville	1844	Hawkins and Claiborne counties	President of the Continental Congress John Hancock (1737–1793).	6,956	222 sq mi (575 km2)
HardemanCounty	069	Bolivar	1823	Hardin County and Indian lands	Thomas Jones Hardeman, Creek War and War of 1812 soldier, later a member of the Republic of Texas legislature.	25,567	668 sq mi (1,730 km2)
HardinCounty	071	Savannah	1819	Indian lands	Joseph Hardin, legislator of the Southwest Territory and State of Franklin.	27,229	578 sq mi (1,497 km2)
HawkinsCounty	073	Rogersville	1786	Sullivan County	U.S. Senator Benjamin Hawkins (1754–1816).	58,600	487 sq mi (1,261 km2)
HaywoodCounty	075	Brownsville	1823	Indian lands	Judge John Haywood (1762–1826), called "the father of Tennessee history."	17,328	533 sq mi (1,380 km2)
HendersonCounty	077	Lexington	1821	Indian lands	James Henderson, an officer of the War of 1812.	28,070	520 sq mi (1,347 km2)
HenryCounty	079	Paris	1821	Indian lands	Revolutionary-era orator and Virginia legislator Patrick Henry (1736–1799).	32,554	562 sq mi (1,456 km2)
HickmanCounty	081	Centerville	1807	Dickson County	Edwin Hickman, a longhunter killed by Native Americans near the present-day site of Centerville.	25,826	613 sq mi (1,588 km2)
HoustonCounty	083	Erin	1871	Dickson, Humphreys, Montgomery and Stewart counties	Sam Houston (1793–1863), Tennessee governor and congressman, president of the Republic of Texas, U.S. Senator from Texas, and Texas governor.	8,393	200 sq mi (518 km2)
HumphreysCounty	085	Waverly	1809	Stewart County	U.S. Representative Parry Wayne Humphreys (1778–1839).	19,209	532 sq mi (1,378 km2)
JacksonCounty	087	Gainesboro	1801	Smith County and Indian lands	U.S. President Andrew Jackson (1767–1845).	12,363	309 sq mi (800 km2)
JeffersonCounty	089	Dandridge	1792	Greene and Hawkins counties	U.S. President and Founding Father Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826).	57,838	274 sq mi (710 km2)
JohnsonCounty	091	Mountain City	1836	Carter County	Thomas Johnson, an early settler of Carter County along the Doe River.	18,375	299 sq mi (774 km2)
KnoxCounty	093	Knoxville	1792	Greene and Hawkins counties	Henry Knox (1750–1806), the first U.S. Secretary of War.	500,669	509 sq mi (1,318 km2)
LakeCounty	095	Tiptonville	1870	Obion County	Reelfoot Lake	6,347	163 sq mi (422 km2)
LauderdaleCounty	097	Ripley	1835	Haywood, Dyer and Tipton counties	James Lauderdale, who was killed in the War of 1812.	24,610	470 sq mi (1,217 km2)
LawrenceCounty	099	Lawrenceburg	1817	Hickman County and Indian lands	U.S. naval officer and War of 1812 hero James Lawrence (1781–1813).	46,114	617 sq mi (1,598 km2)
LewisCounty	101	Hohenwald	1843	Hickman, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne counties	Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), explorer of the American West.	13,066	282 sq mi (730 km2)
LincolnCounty	103	Fayetteville	1809	Bedford County	U.S. Secretary of War Benjamin Lincoln (1733–1810).	36,169	570 sq mi (1,476 km2)
LoudonCounty	105	Loudon	1870	Roane, Monroe, Blount and McMinn counties	Fort Loudoun, which was named for John Campbell, 4th Earl of Loudoun, who led British and American forces during the French and Indian War.	60,591	229 sq mi (593 km2)
MaconCounty	111	Lafayette	1842	Smith and Sumner counties	U.S. Senator Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837).	26,793	307 sq mi (795 km2)
MadisonCounty	113	Jackson	1821	Indian lands	U.S. President James Madison (1758–1836).	99,193	557 sq mi (1,443 km2)
MarionCounty	115	Jasper	1817	Indian lands	Francis Marion (1732–1795), the "Swamp Fox" of the American Revolutionary War.	29,382	500 sq mi (1,295 km2)
MarshallCounty	117	Lewisburg	1836	Giles, Bedford, Lincoln and Maury counties	U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755–1835).	36,961	375 sq mi (971 km2)
MauryCounty	119	Columbia	1807	Williamson County and Indian lands	Tennessee state senator Abram Maury, Sr. (1766–1825), father of U.S. Representative Abram Poindexter Maury.	110,760	613 sq mi (1,588 km2)
McMinnCounty	107	Athens	1819	Indian lands	Governor of Tennessee Joseph McMinn (1758–1824).	55,678	430 sq mi (1,114 km2)
McNairyCounty	109	Selmer	1823	Hardin County	John McNairy, judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Tennessee.	26,163	560 sq mi (1,450 km2)
MeigsCounty	121	Decatur	1836	Rhea County	Return Jonathan Meigs (1740–1823), an officer in the Continental Army who was for many years a federal Indian and military agent in Tennessee.	13,691	195 sq mi (505 km2)
MonroeCounty	123	Madisonville	1819	Indian lands	U.S. President James Monroe (1758–1831).	48,594	635 sq mi (1,645 km2)
MontgomeryCounty	125	Clarksville	1796	Tennessee County	John Montgomery (c. 1750–1794), leader of the Nickajack Expedition.	239,872	539 sq mi (1,396 km2)
MooreCounty	127	Lynchburg	1871	Bedford, Lincoln and Franklin counties	Tennessee state legislator William Moore.	6,748	129 sq mi (334 km2)
MorganCounty	129	Wartburg	1817	Anderson and Roane counties	American Revolutionary War officer Daniel Morgan (1736–1802).	21,573	522 sq mi (1,352 km2)
ObionCounty	131	Union City	1823	Indian lands	The Obion River.	30,411	545 sq mi (1,412 km2)
OvertonCounty	133	Livingston	1806	Jackson County and Indian lands	John Overton (1766–1833), one of the cofounders of Memphis, Tennessee.	23,327	433 sq mi (1,121 km2)
PerryCounty	135	Linden	1819	Humphreys and Hickman counties	U.S. naval officer and War of 1812 hero Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819).	8,891	415 sq mi (1,075 km2)
PickettCounty	137	Byrdstown	1879	Fentress and Overton counties	Tennessee state legislator Howell L. Pickett (1847 - 1914).	5,128	163 sq mi (422 km2)
PolkCounty	139	Benton	1839	McMinn and Bradley counties	U.S. President James K. Polk (1795–1849).	18,033	435 sq mi (1,127 km2)
PutnamCounty	141	Cookeville	1854	Fentress, Jackson, Smith, White and Overton counties	American Revolutionary War officer Israel Putnam (1718–1790).	83,844	401 sq mi (1,039 km2)
RheaCounty	143	Dayton	1807	Roane County	U.S. Representative John Rhea (1753–1832).	33,924	316 sq mi (818 km2)
RoaneCounty	145	Kingston	1801	Knox County and Indian lands	Governor of Tennessee Archibald Roane (1759 or 1760–1819).	56,096	361 sq mi (935 km2)
RobertsonCounty	147	Springfield	1796	Tennessee and Sumner counties	James Robertson (1742–1814), Tennessee state legislator and founder of the Watauga Settlements.	76,776	477 sq mi (1,235 km2)
RutherfordCounty	149	Murfreesboro	1803	Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties	Griffith Rutherford, chairman of the legislature of the Southwest Territory.	367,101	619 sq mi (1,603 km2)
ScottCounty	151	Huntsville	1849	Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties	US. Army general and hero of the Mexican–American War Winfield Scott (1786–1866).	22,171	532 sq mi (1,378 km2)
SequatchieCounty	153	Dunlap	1857	Hamilton, Marion and Warren counties	Cherokee word believed to mean, opossum, he grins or runs.	17,161	266 sq mi (689 km2)
SevierCounty	155	Sevierville	1794	Jefferson County	John Sevier (1745–1815), governor of the State of Franklin and first Governor of Tennessee.	99,415	592 sq mi (1,533 km2)
ShelbyCounty	157	Memphis	1819	Chickasaw Nation lands acquired through the Jackson Purchase. [12]	Isaac Shelby (1750–1826), commander at Kings Mountain, first governor of Kentucky, and negotiator of the purchase of the western district from the Chickasaws.	910,042	755 sq mi (1,955 km2)
SmithCounty	159	Carthage	1799	Sumner County and Indian lands	American Revolutionary War officer and U.S. Senator Daniel Smith (1748–1818).	20,538	314 sq mi (813 km2)
StewartCounty	161	Dover	1803	Montgomery County	Duncan Stewart, Tennessee state legislator and lieutenant governor of Mississippi Territory.	14,222	458 sq mi (1,186 km2)
SullivanCounty	163	Blountville	1779	Washington County	Governor of New Hampshire John Sullivan (1740–1795).	162,135	413 sq mi (1,070 km2)
SumnerCounty	165	Gallatin	1786	Davidson County	Jethro Sumner (1733–1785), an American colonist who defended North Carolina against the British in 1780.	207,994	529 sq mi (1,370 km2)
TiptonCounty	167	Covington	1823	Shelby County (previously Chickasaw lands) [12]	Jacob Tipton, father of Armistead Blevins, who supervised the organization of Shelby County; Tipton was killed by Native Americans in 1791 in a conflict over the Northwest Territory. [12]	62,015	459 sq mi (1,189 km2)
TrousdaleCounty	169	Hartsville	1870	Wilson, Macon, Smith and Sumner counties	William Trousdale (1790–1872), Creek and Mexican–American War soldier and officer, state senator and Governor of Tennessee.	12,271	114 sq mi (295 km2)
UnicoiCounty	171	Erwin	1875	Washington and Carter County	Native American word for the southern Appalachian Mountains, probably meaning white or fog-draped	17,756	186 sq mi (482 km2)
UnionCounty	173	Maynardville	1850	Grainger, Claiborne, Campbell, Anderson and Knox counties	Either for its creation from parts of five counties or to memorialize East Tennessee's support for preservation of the Union	20,741	224 sq mi (580 km2)
Van BurenCounty	175	Spencer	1840	Warren and White counties	U.S. President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862)	6,493	247 sq mi (640 km2)
WarrenCounty	177	McMinnville	1807	White, Jackson, Smith counties and Indian lands	American Revolutionary War officer Joseph Warren (1741–1775), who sent Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride	42,638	433 sq mi (1,121 km2)
WashingtonCounty	179	Jonesborough	1777	Part of North Carolina	U.S. President George Washington (1732–1799)	138,420	326 sq mi (844 km2)
WayneCounty	181	Waynesboro	1817	Hickman County	American Revolutionary War General "Mad" Anthony Wayne (1745–1796)	16,066	734 sq mi (1,901 km2)
WeakleyCounty	183	Dresden	1823	Indian lands	U.S. Representative Robert Weakley (1764–1845).	33,084	580 sq mi (1,502 km2)
WhiteCounty	185	Sparta	1806	Jackson and Smith counties	John White, Revolutionary War soldier and the first European-American settler in the county	28,692	377 sq mi (976 km2)
WilliamsonCounty	187	Franklin	1799	Davidson County	U.S. Representative Hugh Williamson (1735–1819).	264,460	582 sq mi (1,507 km2)
WilsonCounty	189	Lebanon	1799	Sumner County	David Wilson, a member of the legislatures of North Carolina and the Southwest Territory.	163,674	571 sq mi (1,479 km2)

Defunct counties

There are two defunct counties in Tennessee:

• James County, Tennessee (1870–1919): Now part of Hamilton County. The county seat was Ooltewah.
• Tennessee County, Tennessee (1788–1796): When Tennessee achieved statehood, the previous Tennessee County in North Carolina became Tennessee County, Tennessee, and was divided into Montgomery and Robertson Counties.

Consolidated counties

Three Tennessee counties operate under consolidated city–county governments, a city and county that have been merged into one jurisdiction. As such, these governments are simultaneously a city, which is a municipal corporation, and a county, which is an administrative division of a state.

• City of Nashville and Davidson County
• City of Lynchburg and Moore County
• City of Hartsville and Trousdale County

See also

• List of municipalities in Tennessee

References

1. National Association of Counties. "NACo – Find a county". Archived from the original on April 10, 2005. Retrieved July 22, 2007.
2. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Tennessee". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
3. State, County, and Municipal Data Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 616-626
4. "Population centers of each U.S. state, 2020". census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
5. "Geographic Center of Tennessee". rutherfordchamber.org. Rutherford County - Chamber of Commerce. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved January 1, 2008.
6. "Indian Lands". FindLaw.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
7. "Treaties". Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture . University of Tennessee Press. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
8. "EPA County FIPS Code Listing". EPA. Archived from the original on September 28, 2004. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
9. Origins Of Tennessee County Names Archived August 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , Tennessee Blue Book 2005-2006, pages 508-513
10. Keen, Judy. "2010 Census Shows Population and Diversity Trends". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
11. "Landon Carter | Entries | Tennessee Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2014. "Landon Carter"
12. Angela Wallace Finley, "Tipton County", Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture , University of Tennessee Press, archived from the original on May 31, 2013

External links

• Tennessee Counties at Curlie
• Tennessee Counties official websites at County State Info
• County Technical Assistance Service at the University of Tennessee
• Tennessee County Landforms