• county
  • FIPS 47019
  • Largest town: Elizabethton

Carter County, Tennessee

Carter County had 57,434 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 341.3 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 64th by land area.

Population
57,434
#29 of 95 in Tennessee · #920 in US
Area
341.3 sq mi
#64 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,706 in US
Density
168 / sq mi
#22 of 95 in Tennessee · #635 in US
Median household income
$48,885
#84 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,784 in US

Census Vintage 2024 estimates · SAIPE 2023 income · 2024 Gazetteer land area

Carter County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Carter County

Carter County population, land area and income

Carter County had 57,434 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 341.3 square miles of land. It ranks 29th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 64th by land area. That works out to 168.3 people per square mile, 1.7 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents; Carter County is somewhat larger.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $48,885 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

57,434

3144th1st

920th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

341 sq mi

3144th1st

2706th of 3,144 (US)

Density

168.3 / sq mi

3144th1st

635th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$48,885

3143rd1st

2784th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

57,434

95th1st

29th of 95 (TN)

Land area

341 sq mi

95th1st

64th of 95 (TN)

Density

168.3 / sq mi

95th1st

22nd of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$48,885

95th1st

84th of 95 (TN)

How Carter County's population changed since 2020

Carter County gained 1,048 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 1.9%. That ranks 80th of 95 in Tennessee for growth. The median Tennessee county changed by +4.4%, and the state as a whole by +4.3%.

Since the April 2020 estimates base, Carter County recorded 1,990 births and 3,952 deaths, a natural change of -1,962. Net international migration added +290 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +2,635. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 2,635 people.

56.4k202056.1k202156.5k202257.1k202357.4k2024
Census Vintage 2024 county estimates for July 1 of each year. The axis starts above zero so year-to-year changes are visible.

Components of change, April 2020 to July 2024

Births
1,990
Deaths
3,952
Net international migration
+290
Net domestic migration
+2,635
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+322

Where Carter County is

The Census internal point of Carter County is at 36.284700, -82.126600. It sits in UTM zone 17N. The map shades Tennessee's 95 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Carter County outlined. Dots are towns of 1,000+ people with residents in it.

Warren County: +6.2%Bledsoe County: +4.3%Cheatham County: +3.7%Crockett County: +0.5%Putnam County: +6.0%Houston County: +2.8%Macon County: +7.6%Sequatchie County: +11.2%Fayette County: +6.2%Trousdale County: +4.5%Union County: +6.1%Claiborne County: +3.1%Weakley County: +0.8%Coffee County: +5.4%Johnson County: +2.8%Overton County: +4.3%Lake County: -8.1%Moore County: +4.7%Hardeman County: -0.0%Jefferson County: +7.8%Smith County: +4.1%Robertson County: +7.5%Gibson County: +1.9%Henry County: +2.3%Grundy County: +4.4%Decatur County: +3.2%Greene County: +4.3%Hamblen County: +4.9%Humphreys County: +2.9%Knox County: +5.5%Roane County: +5.7%Lewis County: +6.4%Rhea County: +4.4%Rutherford County: +9.8%Montgomery County: +11.2%Lauderdale County: -2.0%Shelby County: -2.1%Tipton County: +1.9%Perry County: +7.2%Stewart County: +4.8%Chester County: +2.8%Washington County: +4.8%Polk County: +4.4%Van Buren County: +8.3%Dyer County: -0.8%Davidson County: +1.9%Cocke County: +4.3%Williamson County: +7.8%Benton County: +2.0%Dickson County: +5.9%Lawrence County: +5.2%Hamilton County: +5.0%McNairy County: +0.9%Meigs County: +8.8%Hawkins County: +4.7%Blount County: +4.8%White County: +6.1%Marshall County: +9.8%Sullivan County: +2.8%Campbell County: +2.4%Haywood County: -4.1%Bradley County: +4.5%Franklin County: +5.4%Sumner County: +7.2%Hardin County: +2.4%Grainger County: +6.4%Hickman County: +3.6%Pickett County: +2.2%Carroll County: +2.4%Henderson County: +1.3%Sevier County: +1.3%Hancock County: +6.2%Scott County: +2.9%McMinn County: +6.4%Morgan County: +4.3%Lincoln County: +4.0%Obion County: -1.7%Unicoi County: -0.0%Wayne County: -1.5%Cannon County: +4.0%Fentress County: +8.6%Loudon County: +12.7%Wilson County: +14.3%Bedford County: +7.6%Monroe County: +5.9%DeKalb County: +7.7%Marion County: +3.2%Carter County: +1.9%Clay County: +3.5%Madison County: +1.6%Cumberland County: +6.9%Anderson County: +5.3%Maury County: +11.4%Giles County: +2.1%Jackson County: +6.4%
Change 2020 to 2024
  1. < +1.9%
  2. < +3.7%
  3. < +4.9%
  4. < +6.4%
  5. ≥ +6.4%
no data

Orange pin: Carter County internal point. Dark pin: Nashville.

Internal point

Decimal
36.284700, -82.126600
DMS
36°17'4.92"N 82°07'35.76"W
UTM
17N 398826.5E 4016115.3N
Geohash
dnmw7jmjx
Plus code
868V7VMF+V9

Towns in Carter County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Carter County, 15,837 people together, or 28% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Carter County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Elizabethton with 14,461.

  1. 01Elizabethton14,461
  2. 02Johnson City (part)1,376
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Carter County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Carter County, including 2 across a state line. The most populous is Sullivan County, TN, with 162,703 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 259.7 miles W of Carter County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Concord, NC (population 112,395), 103.8 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Elizabethton, TN (population 14,461), 7.3 miles away.

Carter County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Carter County is 47019: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 019. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $48,885.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Carter County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 57,434. That is up 1,048 people (1.9%) from the July 2020 estimate of 56,386.

What is the FIPS code of Carter County?

47019. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (019) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Carter County?

Elizabethton, with 14,461 residents inside Carter County in 2024.

Which counties border Carter County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Sullivan County, TN; Washington County, TN; Johnson County, TN; Unicoi County, TN; Avery County, NC; Mitchell County, NC.

Sources and data as of

Data as of: Census Vintage 2024 population estimates, 2024 Gazetteer land area and internal points, SAIPE 2023 median household income.

  1. 01Census Vintage 2024 county population estimates
  2. 02Census 2024 Gazetteer, counties
  3. 03Census SAIPE 2023 state and county estimates
  4. 04Census Vintage 2024 subcounty population estimates
  5. 05Census 2024 county adjacency file
  6. 06Census 2024 cartographic boundary file, counties (1:5,000,000)

How every number is computed: methodology. Spotted a wrong figure? Report an error.