The largest county in Tennessee
Unusually, Tennessee gives the same answer on both measures: Shelby County is the largest by land area and the most populous.
Sources: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2025 Population Estimates, released 26 March 2026; US Census Bureau, Gazetteer Files, 2025 Gazetteer Files, released 10 September 2025. Retrieved 30 August 2026.
By land area
| Rank | Name | Land area | Population |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | 752.8 sq mi | 910,226 |
| 2 | Wayne County | 734.1 sq mi | 16,416 |
| 3 | Fayette County | 704.1 sq mi | 45,071 |
| 4 | Cumberland County | 681.3 sq mi | 66,300 |
| 5 | Hardeman County | 667.8 sq mi | 25,274 |
| 6 | Monroe County | 635.8 sq mi | 49,730 |
| 7 | Greene County | 622.2 sq mi | 73,831 |
| 8 | Rutherford County | 619.5 sq mi | 386,352 |
| 9 | Lawrence County | 617.1 sq mi | 46,914 |
| 10 | Maury County | 613.1 sq mi | 118,131 |
By population
| Rank | Name | Population | Density |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shelby County | 910,226 | 1,209 per sq mi |
| 2 | Davidson County | 745,904 | 1,481 per sq mi |
| 3 | Knox County | 511,453 | 1,006 per sq mi |
| 4 | Hamilton County | 390,833 | 721 per sq mi |
| 5 | Rutherford County | 386,352 | 624 per sq mi |
| 6 | Williamson County | 272,061 | 467 per sq mi |
| 7 | Montgomery County | 249,935 | 464 per sq mi |
| 8 | Sumner County | 215,538 | 407 per sq mi |
| 9 | Wilson County | 175,033 | 306 per sq mi |
| 10 | Sullivan County | 163,759 | 396 per sq mi |
And the smallest
More on Tennessee
Rebuilt from source data 30 August 2026. How these figures are produced.