• county
  • FIPS 47181
  • Largest town: Waynesboro

Wayne County, Tennessee

Wayne County had 15,974 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 734.1 square miles of land. It ranks 77th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 2nd by land area.

Population
15,974
#77 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,038 in US
Area
734.1 sq mi
#2 of 95 in Tennessee · #1,206 in US
Density
22 / sq mi
#94 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,182 in US
Median household income
$51,817
#75 of 95 in Tennessee · #2,572 in US

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

Wayne County within Tennessee. Pin: Nashville.

Measure from here

Tools and pages that start from Wayne County

Wayne County population, land area and income

Wayne County had 15,974 residents in the Census Vintage 2024 estimate, on 734.1 square miles of land. It ranks 77th of 95 in Tennessee by population and 2nd by land area. That works out to 21.8 people per square mile, below the US average of 96.3, and below the national county median.

The median county-equivalent in Tennessee has 32,883 residents, so Wayne County has 49% of the typical county's population.

Its SAIPE 2023 median household income of $51,817 is in the bottom quarter among 3,143 counties with an estimate.

National rank among 3,144

Population

15,974

3144th1st

2038th of 3,144 (US)

Land area

734 sq mi

3144th1st

1206th of 3,144 (US)

Density

21.8 / sq mi

3144th1st

2182nd of 3,144 (US)

Median household income

$51,817

3143rd1st

2572nd of 3,143 (US)

Rank within Tennessee (95)

Population

15,974

95th1st

77th of 95 (TN)

Land area

734 sq mi

95th1st

2nd of 95 (TN)

Density

21.8 / sq mi

95th1st

94th of 95 (TN)

Median household income

$51,817

95th1st

75th of 95 (TN)

How Wayne County's population changed since 2020

Wayne County lost 251 residents between the July 2020 and July 2024 estimates, a drop of 1.5%. That ranks 90th 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, Wayne County recorded 568 births and 1,076 deaths, a natural change of -508. Net international migration added -2 and net domestic migration, people moving to or from other US counties, came to +254. The largest single component was natural change, which removed 508 people.

16.2k202016.3k202116.3k202216.0k202316.0k2024
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
568
Deaths
1,076
Net international migration
-2
Net domestic migration
+254
Change, July 2023 to July 2024
-73

Where Wayne County is

The Census internal point of Wayne County is at 35.242800, -87.819800. 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 Wayne 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: Wayne County internal point. Dark pin: Nashville.

Internal point

Decimal
35.242800, -87.819800
DMS
35°14'34.08"N 87°49'11.28"W
UTM
16N 425412.7E 3900277.1N
Geohash
dn383xg84
Plus code
867J65VJ+43

Towns in Wayne County

2 incorporated places of 1,000+ people have residents in Wayne County, 4,435 people together, or 28% of the county. Each figure counts only the part of the town inside Wayne County; towns marked "part" extend into another county. The largest is Waynesboro with 2,311.

  1. 01Waynesboro2,311
  2. 02Clifton2,124
Census Vintage 2024 subcounty estimates, county parts of incorporated places (SUMLEV 157).

Counties bordering Wayne County

The Census 2024 county adjacency file lists 6 neighbors for Wayne County, including 1 across a state line. The most populous is Lauderdale County, AL, with 97,502 residents. Distances run between Census internal points in a straight line.

Distance to Nashville and the nearest big city

Nashville is 86.3 miles NE of Wayne County's internal point in a straight line. The nearest place of 100,000 or more is Huntsville, AL (population 230,402), 74.9 miles away. The nearest place of 10,000 or more is Lawrenceburg, TN (population 12,112), 27.5 miles away.

Wayne County FIPS code

The FIPS code of Wayne County is 47181: state code 47 for Tennessee plus county code 181. Use it as text, with the leading zero, when joining Census, BLS, or CDC county tables. SAIPE lists its 2023 median household income as $51,817.

Questions people ask

What is the population of Wayne County, Tennessee?

The Census Vintage 2024 estimate for July 1, 2024 is 15,974. That is down 251 people (1.5%) from the July 2020 estimate of 16,225.

What is the FIPS code of Wayne County?

47181. The first two digits (47) are Tennessee; the last three (181) identify the county.

What is the largest town in Wayne County?

Waynesboro, with 2,311 residents inside Wayne County in 2024.

Which counties border Wayne County?

6 county-equivalents border it in the Census 2024 adjacency file: Lauderdale County, AL; Lawrence County, TN; Hardin County, TN; Lewis County, TN; Decatur County, TN; Perry 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.