• county
  • FIPS 47159
  • Largest town: Carthage

Smith County, Tennessee

Smith County had 20,783 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 314.3 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 70th by land area.

Population
20,783
#67 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,780 in US
Area
314.3 sq mi
#70 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,777 in US
Density
66 / sq mi
#54 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,225 in US
Median household income
$72,153
#16 of 95 in Tennessee · #845 in US

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

Smith County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Smith County

Smith County population, land area and income

Smith County had 20,783 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 314.3 square miles of land. It ranks 67th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 70th by land area. That works out to 66.1 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and above the national county median.

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

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $72,153 is above the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

20,783

3144th1st

1780th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

314 sq mi

3144th1st

2777th of 3,144 (US)

Density

66.1 / sq mi

3144th1st

1225th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$72,153

3143rd1st

845th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

20,783

95th1st

67th of 95 (TN)

Land area

314 sq mi

95th1st

70th of 95 (TN)

Density

66.1 / sq mi

95th1st

54th of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$72,153

95th1st

16th of 95 (TN)

How Smith County's population changed since 2020

Smith County gained 817 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 4.1%. That ranks 55th 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, Smith County recorded 939 births and 1,195 deaths, a natural change of -256. Net international migration added +66 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +1,047. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 1,047 people.

20.0k202020.2k202120.5k202220.5k202320.8k2024
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
939
Deaths
1,195
Net international migration
+66
Net domestic migration
+1,047
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+238

Where Smith County is

The Census internal point of Smith County is at 36.256600, -85.941900. It sits in UTM zone 16N. The map shades Tennessee's 95 county-equivalents by population change from 2020 to 2024, darker for faster growth, with Smith 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: Smith County internal point. Dark pin: Nashville.

Internal point

Decimal
36.256600, -85.941900
DMS
36°15'23.76"N 85°56'30.84"W
UTM
16N 595055.8E 4012928.9N
Geohash
dn6yk2740
Plus code
868P7345+J6

Towns in Smith County

3 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Smith County, 5,237 people together, or 25% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Smith County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Carthage with 2,266.

  1. 01Carthage2,266
  2. 02South Carthage1,584
  3. 03Gordonsville1,387
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Smith County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Smith County. The most populous is Wilson County, TN, with 169,948 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 47.4 miles W of Smith County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Murfreesboro, TN (population 168,387), 38.6 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Hartsville/Trousdale County, TN (population 12,159), 15.2 miles away.

Smith County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Smith County is 47159: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 159. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $72,153.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Smith County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 20,783. That is up 817 people (4.1%) from the July 2020 estimate of 19,966.

What is the FIPS code of Smith County?

47159. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (159) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Smith County?

Carthage, with 2,266 residents inside Smith County in 2024.

Which counties border Smith County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Wilson County, TN; Putnam County, TN; Macon County, TN; DeKalb County, TN; Jackson County, TN; Trousdale County, TN.

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.