List of counties in Tennessee.html |
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This is a list of the 95 counties in the State of Tennessee. A county is a local level of government smaller than a state and not smaller than a city or town, in a U.S. state or territory.
As of 2000, Shelby County was both Tennessee's most populous county, with 897,472 residents, and the largest county in area, covering an area of 755 sq mi (1,955 km2). The least populated county was Pickett County (4,945) 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 569,891. The population of the state of Tennessee as of the 2000 census was 5,689,283 in an area of 42,169 sq mi (109,217 km2).123 The oldest county is Washington County, founded in 1777. The most recently formed county is Chester County (1879).1
According to the 2000 census, the center of population for Tennessee was located at , 2.5 mi (4.0 km) south 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 Native Americans. The 'Indian lands' were territories that Native Americans 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 In cases where counties had been formed from that territory, the legal right of Native American occupancy was revoked in a federal act prior to the formal establishment of the county.6 For Tennessee, ten treaties were negotiated between 1770 and 1835, defining the areas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 Native Americans, regulating the right of occupancy regarding the lands. The remaining native 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
Contents |
Alphabetical list
Click on the double triangles at the top of a column to sort the table by that column.
| County |
FIPS Code 8 |
County Seat 13 |
Founded 1 |
Formed from 9 |
Named for9 | Population (2000) 1103 |
Area 123 |
Map |
| Anderson County | 001 | Clinton | 1801 | Knox and Grainger Counties | Joseph Anderson (1757–1837), U.S. Senator from Tennessee and first Comptroller of the U.S. Treasury. | 71,330 | 338 sq mi (875 km²) |
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| Bedford County | 003 | Shelbyville | 1807 | Rutherford County | Revolutionary War officer Thomas Bedford, a large landowner in the area | 37,586 | 474 sq mi (1,228 km²) |
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| Benton County | 005 | Camden | 1835 | Humphreys County | Creek War veteran David Benton (1779–1860), an early settler in the county. | 16,537 | 394 sq mi (1,020 km²) |
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| Bledsoe County | 007 | Pikeville | 1807 | Roane County and Indian lands | Anthony Bledsoe, Revolutionary War soldier, surveyor, and early settler in Sumner County | 12,367 | 406 sq mi (1,052 km²) |
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| Blount County | 009 | Maryville | 1795 | Knox County | William Blount (1749–1800), governor of the Southwest Territory and later U.S. Senator | 105,823 | 559 sq mi (1,448 km²) |
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| Bradley County | 011 | Cleveland | 1836 | Indian lands | Tennessee state legislator Edward Bradley. | 87,965 | 329 sq mi (852 km²) |
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| Campbell County | 013 | Jacksboro | 1806 | Anderson and Claiborne counties | Virginia House of Burgesses member Arthur Campbell (1743–1811), who was a negotiator of Indian treaties. | 39,854 | 480 sq mi (1,243 km²) |
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| Cannon County | 015 | Woodbury | 1836 | Rutherford, Smith and Warren counties | Governor of Tennessee Newton Cannon (1781–1841). | 12,826 | 266 sq mi (689 km²) |
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| Carroll County | 017 | Huntingdon | 1821 | Indian lands | Governor of Tennessee William Carroll (1788–1844). | 29,475 | 599 sq mi (1,551 km²) |
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| Carter County | 019 | Elizabethton | 1796 | Washington County | Speaker of the State of Franklin senate Landon Carter (1710–1778). | 56,742 | 341 sq mi (883 km²) |
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| Cheatham County | 021 | Ashland City | 1856 | Davidson, Dickson, Montgomery and Robertson counties | Tennessee state legislator Edward Cheatham. | 35,912 | 303 sq mi (785 km²) |
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| Chester County | 023 | Henderson | 1879 | Hardeman, Henderson, McNairy and Madison counties | Tennessee state legislator Robert I. Chester. | 15,540 | 289 sq mi (749 km²) |
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| Claiborne County | 025 | Tazewell | 1801 | Grainger and Hawkins counties | Governor of Louisiana and Governor of Mississippi Territory William C. C. Claiborne (1775–1817). | 29,862 | 434 sq mi (1,124 km²) |
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| Clay County | 027 | Celina | 1870 | Jackson and Overton counties | U.S. Speaker of the House Henry Clay (1777–1852). | 7,976 | 236 sq mi (611 km²) |
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| Cocke County | 029 | Newport | 1797 | Jefferson County | William Cocke (1747–1828), one of Tennessee's first U.S. Senators. | 33,565 | 434 sq mi (1,124 km²) |
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| Coffee County | 031 | Manchester | 1836 | Bedford, Warren and Franklin counties | John Coffee (1772–1833), frontiersman, planter, and veteran of Creek War and War of 1812. | 48,014 | 429 sq mi (1,111 km²) |
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| Crockett County | 033 | Alamo | 1871 | Haywood, Madison, Dyer and Gibson counties | Davy Crockett (1786–1836), frontier humorist, Congressman, and defender of the Alamo. | 14,532 | 265 sq mi (686 km²) |
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| Cumberland County | 035 | Crossville | 1855 | White, Bledsoe, Rhea, Morgan, Fentress and Putnam counties | The Cumberland Mountains. | 46,802 | 682 sq mi (1,766 km²) |
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| Davidson County | 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. | 569,891 | 502 sq mi (1,300 km²) |
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| Decatur County | 039 | Decaturville | 1845 | Perry County | U.S. naval officer Stephen Decatur (1779–1820). | 11,731 | 333 sq mi (862 km²) |
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| DeKalb County | 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. | 17,423 | 304 sq mi (787 km²) |
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| Dickson County | 043 | Charlotte | 1803 | Montgomery and Robertson counties | U.S. Representative William Dickson (1770–1816). | 43,156 | 490 sq mi (1,269 km²) |
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| Dyer County | 045 | Dyersburg | 1823 | Indian lands | Tennessee state legislator Robert Henry Dyer. | 37,279 | 510 sq mi (1,321 km²) |
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| Fayette County | 047 | Somerville | 1824 | Indian lands | Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (1757–1834). | 28,796 | 705 sq mi (1,826 km²) |
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| Fentress County | 049 | Jamestown | 1823 | Morgan, Overton and White counties | Tennessee state legislator James Fentress. | 16,625 | 499 sq mi (1,292 km²) |
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| Franklin County | 051 | Winchester | 1807 | Rutherford County and Indian lands | Founding Father Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790). | 39,270 | 553 sq mi (1,432 km²) |
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| Gibson County | 053 | Trenton | 1823 | Indian lands | John H. Gibson, a soldier of the Natchez Expedition and the Creek War. | 48,154 | 603 sq mi (1,562 km²) |
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| Giles County | 055 | Pulaski | 1809 | Indian lands | U.S. Senator and Governor of Virginia William B. Giles (1762–1830). | 29,447 | 611 sq mi (1,582 km²) |
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| Grainger County | 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. | 20,659 | 280 sq mi (725 km²) |
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| Greene County | 059 | Greeneville | 1783 | Washington County | American Revolutionary War leader Nathanael Greene (1742–1786). | 62,909 | 622 sq mi (1,611 km²) |
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| Grundy County | 061 | Altamont | 1844 | Coffee, Warren and Franklin counties | U.S. Attorney General Felix Grundy (1777–1840). | 14,332 | 361 sq mi (935 km²) |
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| Hamblen County | 063 | Morristown | 1870 | Jefferson, Grainger and Greene counties | Early settler Hezekiah Hamblen. | 58,128 | 161 sq mi (417 km²) |
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| Hamilton County | 065 | Chattanooga | 1819 | Rhea County and Indian lands | Founding Father Alexander Hamilton (1755 or 1757–1804). | 307,896 | 543 sq mi (1,406 km²) |
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| Hancock County | 067 | Sneedville | 1844 | Hawkins and Claiborne counties | President of the Continental Congress John Hancock (1737–1793). | 6,780 | 222 sq mi (575 km²) |
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| Hardeman County | 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. | 28,105 | 668 sq mi (1,730 km²) |
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| Hardin County | 071 | Savannah | 1819 | Indian lands | Joseph Hardin legislator of the Southwest Territory and State of Franklin. | 25,578 | 578 sq mi (1,497 km²) |
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| Hawkins County | 073 | Rogersville | 1786 | Sullivan County | U.S. Senator Benjamin Hawkins (1754–1816). | 53,563 | 487 sq mi (1,261 km²) |
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| Haywood County | 075 | Brownsville | 1823 | Indian lands | Judge John Haywood (1762–1826), called "the father of Tennessee history." | 19,797 | 533 sq mi (1,380 km²) |
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| Henderson County | 077 | Lexington | 1821 | Indian lands | James Henderson, an officer of the War of 1812. | 25,522 | 520 sq mi (1,347 km²) |
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| Henry County | 079 | Paris | 1821 | Indian lands | Revolutionary-era patriot Patrick Henry (1736–1799). | 31,115 | 562 sq mi (1,456 km²) |
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| Hickman County | 081 | Centerville | 1807 | Dickson County | Edwin Hickman, a longhunter killed by Native Americans near the present-day Centerville. | 22,295 | 613 sq mi (1,588 km²) |
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| Houston County | 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. | 8,088 | 200 sq mi (518 km²) |
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| Humphreys County | 085 | Waverly | 1809 | Stewart County | U.S. Representative Parry Wayne Humphreys (1778–1839). | 17,929 | 532 sq mi (1,378 km²) |
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| Jackson County | 087 | Gainesboro | 1801 | Smith County and Indian lands | U.S. President Andrew Jackson (1767–1845). | 10,984 | 309 sq mi (800 km²) |
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| Jefferson County | 089 | Dandridge | 1792 | Greene and Hawkins counties | Founding Father Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826). | 44,294 | 274 sq mi (710 km²) |
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| Johnson County | 091 | Mountain City | 1836 | Carter County | Thomas Johnson an early settler of Carter County along the Doe River. | 17,499 | 299 sq mi (774 km²) |
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| Knox County | 093 | Knoxville | 1792 | Greene and Hawkins counties | Henry Knox (1750–1806), the first U.S. Secretary of War. | 382,032 | 509 sq mi (1,318 km²) |
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| Lake County | 095 | Tiptonville | 1870 | Obion County | Reelfoot Lake | 7,954 | 163 sq mi (422 km²) |
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| Lauderdale County | 097 | Ripley | 1835 | Haywood, Dyer and Tipton counties | James Lauderdale, who was killed in the War of 1812. | 27,101 | 470 sq mi (1,217 km²) |
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| Lawrence County | 099 | Lawrenceburg | 1817 | Hickman County and Indian lands | U.S. naval officer James Lawrence (1781–1813). | 39,926 | 617 sq mi (1,598 km²) |
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| Lewis County | 101 | Hohenwald | 1843 | Hickman, Lawrence, Maury and Wayne counties | Explorer Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809). | 11,367 | 282 sq mi (730 km²) |
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| Lincoln County | 103 | Fayetteville | 1809 | Bedford County | U.S. Secretary of War Benjamin Lincoln (1733–1810). | 31,340 | 570 sq mi (1,476 km²) |
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| Loudon County | 105 | Loudon | 1870 | Roane, Monroe, Blount and McMinn counties | Fort Loudoun, which was named for the Earl of Loudoun, who led British and American forces during the French and Indian War. | 39,086 | 229 sq mi (593 km²) |
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| Macon County | 111 | Lafayette | 1842 | Smith and Sumner counties | U.S. Senator Nathaniel Macon (1758–1837). | 20,386 | 307 sq mi (795 km²) |
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| Madison County | 113 | Jackson | 1821 | Indian lands | U.S. President James Madison (1758–1836). | 91,837 | 557 sq mi (1,443 km²) |
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| Marion County | 115 | Jasper | 1817 | Indian lands | Francis Marion (1732–1795), the "Swamp Fox" of the American Revolutionary War. | 27,776 | 500 sq mi (1,295 km²) |
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| Marshall County | 117 | Lewisburg | 1836 | Giles, Bedford, Lincoln and Maury counties | U.S. Chief Justice John Marshall (1755–1835). | 26,767 | 375 sq mi (971 km²) |
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| Maury County | 119 | Columbia | 1807 | Williamson County and Indian lands | Tennessee state legislator Abram Poindexter Maury (1801–1848). | 69,498 | 613 sq mi (1,588 km²) |
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| McMinn County | 107 | Athens | 1819 | Indian lands | Governor of Tennessee Joseph McMinn (1758–1824). | 49,015 | 430 sq mi (1,114 km²) |
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| McNairy County | 109 | Selmer | 1823 | Hardin County | John McNairy, judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of Tennessee. | 24,653 | 560 sq mi (1,450 km²) |
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| Meigs County | 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. | 11,086 | 195 sq mi (505 km²) |
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| Monroe County | 123 | Madisonville | 1819 | Indian lands | U.S. President James Monroe (1758–1831). | 38,961 | 635 sq mi (1,645 km²) |
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| Montgomery County | 125 | Clarksville | 1796 | Tennessee County | John Montgomery (c. 1750–1794), leader of the Nickajack Expedition. | 134,768 | 539 sq mi (1,396 km²) |
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| Moore County | 127 | Lynchburg | 1871 | Bedford, Lincoln and Franklin counties | Tennessee state legislator William Moore. | 5,740 | 129 sq mi (334 km²) |
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| Morgan County | 129 | Wartburg | 1817 | Anderson and Roane counties | American Revolutionary War officer Daniel Morgan (1736–1802). | 19,757 | 522 sq mi (1,352 km²) |
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| Obion County | 131 | Union City | 1823 | Indian lands | The Obion River. | 32,450 | 545 sq mi (1,412 km²) |
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| Overton County | 133 | Livingston | 1806 | Jackson County and Indian lands | John Overton (1766–1833), one of the cofounders of Memphis, Tennessee. | 20,118 | 433 sq mi (1,121 km²) |
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| Perry County | 135 | Linden | 1819 | Humphreys and Hickman counties | U.S. naval officer Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819). | 7,631 | 415 sq mi (1,075 km²) |
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| Pickett County | 137 | Byrdstown | 1879 | Fentress and Overton counties | Tennessee state legislator Howell L. Pickett. | 4,945 | 163 sq mi (422 km²) |
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| Polk County | 139 | Benton | 1839 | McMinn and Bradley counties | U.S. President James K. Polk (1795–1849). | 16,050 | 435 sq mi (1,127 km²) |
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| Putnam County | 141 | Cookeville | 1854 | Fentress, Jackson, Smith, White and Overton counties | American Revolutionary War officer Israel Putnam (1718–1790). | 62,315 | 401 sq mi (1,039 km²) |
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| Rhea County | 143 | Dayton | 1807 | Roane County | U.S. Representative John Rhea (1753–1832). | 28,400 | 316 sq mi (818 km²) |
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| Roane County | 145 | Kingston | 1801 | Knox County and Indian lands | Governor of Tennessee Archibald Roane (1759 or 1760–1819). | 51,910 | 361 sq mi (935 km²) |
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| Robertson County | 147 | Springfield | 1796 | Tennessee and Sumner counties | James Robertson (1742–1814), Tennessee state legislator and founder of the Watauga Settlements. | 54,433 | 477 sq mi (1,235 km²) |
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| Rutherford County | 149 | Murfreesboro | 1803 | Davidson, Williamson and Wilson counties | Griffin Rutherford, chairman of the legislature of the Southwest Territory. | 182,023 | 619 sq mi (1,603 km²) |
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| Scott County | 151 | Huntsville | 1849 | Anderson, Campbell, Fentress and Morgan counties | Named for U.S. army officer Winfield Scott (1786–1866). | 21,127 |