Arkansas vs Tennessee

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

Tennessee has 7,227,750 residents, 2.3 times Arkansas's 3,088,354. Arkansas ranks 33rd and Tennessee 15th of the 50 states and DC. Tennessee is the more crowded, with 175.3 people per square mile against 59.4, 3.0 times.

Land area

Arkansas has 51,992 square miles of land, 26% more than Tennessee's 41,224. The largest county-equivalent in Arkansas is Union County at 1,039 square miles; in Tennessee it is Shelby County at 753.

Counties

Tennessee is divided into 95 county-equivalents and Arkansas into 75, so an average Tennessee county covers 434 square miles against 693. The typical county in Arkansas has 18,130 residents, against 32,883 in Tennessee. The most populous are Pulaski County (401,209) and Shelby County (910,530).

23 county names appear on both sides of the border: Benton, Bradley, Carroll, Clay, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lawrence, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Polk, Scott, Sevier, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Tennessee has a household income of $57,630, 14% above Arkansas's $50,387. The highest county incomes are Benton County ($92,632) in Arkansas and Williamson County ($136,007) in Tennessee, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Little Rock and Nashville are 325 miles apart in a straight line; from Little Rock the initial bearing is 71°, ENE. On June 21, 2026, Little Rock gets 14 h 29 min of daylight and Nashville 14 h 37 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 49 min and 9 h 42 min. Month by month tables are on the Little Rock and Nashville daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the South region, but Arkansas is in the West South Central division and Tennessee in the East South Central division. By county internal points, Arkansas spans 1 UTM zone and Tennessee 2.