• county
  • FIPS 47163
  • Largest town: Kingsport

Sullivan County, Tennessee

Sullivan County had 162,703 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 413.5 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 56th by land area.

Population
162,703
#10 of 95 in Tennessee · #431 in US
Area
413.5 sq mi
#56 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,445 in US
Density
393 / sq mi
#11 of 95 in Tennessee · #349 in US
Median household income
$57,016
#54 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,129 in US

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

Sullivan County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Sullivan County

Sullivan County population, land area and income

Sullivan County had 162,703 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 413.5 square miles of land. It ranks 10th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 56th by land area. That works out to 393.4 people per square mile, 4.1 times the US average of 96.3, and in the top quarter nationally.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents, so Sullivan County is 4.9 times that size.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $57,016 is below the national county median among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

162,703

3144th1st

431st of 3,144 (US)

Land area

414 sq mi

3144th1st

2445th of 3,144 (US)

Density

393.4 / sq mi

3144th1st

349th of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$57,016

3143rd1st

2129th of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

162,703

95th1st

10th of 95 (TN)

Land area

414 sq mi

95th1st

56th of 95 (TN)

Density

393.4 / sq mi

95th1st

11th of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$57,016

95th1st

54th of 95 (TN)

How Sullivan County's population changed since 2020

Sullivan County gained 4,459 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a rise of 2.8%. That ranks 68th 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, Sullivan County recorded 6,364 births and 10,988 deaths, a natural change of -4,624. Net international migration added +224 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +8,823. The largest single component was domestic migration, which added 8,823 people.

158.2k2020159.2k2021160.9k2022162.1k2023162.7k2024
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
6,364
Deaths
10,988
Net international migration
+224
Net domestic migration
+8,823
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
+649

Where Sullivan County is

The Census internal point of Sullivan County is at 36.509700, -82.301300. 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 Sullivan 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: Sullivan County internal point. Dark pin: Nashville.

Internal point

Decimal
36.509700, -82.301300
DMS
36°30'34.92"N 82°18'4.68"W
UTM
17N 383473.3E 4041271.4N
Geohash
dnmrxnqh2
Plus code
868VGM5X+VF

Towns in Sullivan County

4 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Sullivan County, 84,812 people together, or 52% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Sullivan County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Kingsport with 54,243.

  1. 01Kingsport (part)54,243
  2. 02Bristol27,867
  3. 03Bluff City1,838
  4. 04Johnson City (part)864
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Sullivan County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 7 neighbors for Sullivan County, including 3 across a state line. The most populous is Washington County, TN, with 139,642 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 250.6 miles W of Sullivan County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Knoxville, TN (population 198,722), 99.1 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Bristol, TN (population 27,867), 5.8 miles away.

Sullivan County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Sullivan County is 47163: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 163. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $57,016.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Sullivan County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 162,703. That is up 4,459 people (2.8%) from the July 2020 estimate of 158,244.

What is the FIPS code of Sullivan County?

47163. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (163) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Sullivan County?

Kingsport, with 54,243 residents inside Sullivan County in 2024 (57,109 across all 2 counties it spans).

Which counties border Sullivan County?

7 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Washington County, TN; Hawkins County, TN; Carter County, TN; Washington County, VA; Scott County, VA; Johnson County, TN; Bristol city, VA.

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.