Smith County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Smith County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 20,196. It is the 66th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Smith County is 40.7 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Smith County is $62,799. This is 6% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 20% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.3%. This is 4% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 3.1%. This is 34% lower than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $224,500. Housing costs are 13% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.6x. 75.5% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 13% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Smith County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 90.5% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.0%. The Black or African American population (1.8%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (3.0%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

17.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 41% lower than the state rate of 30.4%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 87.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Smith County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Tennessee and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.