Sullivan County, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sullivan County, TN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below averageHealthier than 78% of counties in Tennessee
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 84% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 160,624 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 374.0 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.31% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 44.0 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 68,907 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sullivan County grew by 4.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 160,624 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sullivan County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.5% of residents. That is 2.2 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 29,648 18.5% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 30,456 19.0% -2.6 pts
- Gen X 45–60 36,084 22.5% +2.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 35,084 21.8% +4.5 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Tennessee, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.9% of the people living in Sullivan County and men 49.1%.
- Women 50.9% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 49.1% Tennessee 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sullivan County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sullivan County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,119 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.66% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sullivan County is about 15% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $215,151 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $888 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.1% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sullivan County is about 20.2 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $888 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sullivan County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 158 hours, about 6.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.8 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 158 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,888 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.6% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,085 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,302 | 1,225 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Tennessee:
Dyer County (15.9 min), Henry County (16.7 min), Obion County (17.1 min).
Slowest:
Cannon County (33.3 min), Union County (33.2 min), Fayette County (33.1 min).
The average commute time in Sullivan County is 19 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Tennessee.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Sullivan County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.6% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.29 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.4), Davidson County (0.3), Knox County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.1), Van Buren County (0.1), Lauderdale County (0.1).
Health
Sullivan County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Sullivan County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.4 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.4% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.2% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.8), Rutherford County (0.8), Wilson County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.8), Lake County (0.8), Hancock County (0.8).
Sullivan County, TN Compared With Nearby Counties
Sullivan County, TN is the largest of the 5 counties compared here, 160,624 residents against a local median of 55,302. The measure that sets Sullivan County, TN apart most is median home price: $215,151, 43% above the local median of $150,157.
The counties themselves spread $60,160 on median home price, so Sullivan County, TN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sullivan County, TN has the highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sullivan County, TN | 160,624 | $59,119 #3/5 | $215,151 #1/5 | 18.9 min #2/5 |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | $50,141 | $144,997 | 21.8 min |
| Washington County, TN | 136,261 | $62,668 | $114,705 | 18.4 min |
| Scott County, VA | 21,488 | $46,320 | $155,318 | 27.6 min |
| Washington County, VA | 53,901 | $64,315 | $174,865 | 20.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sullivan County, Tennessee.
What is the population of Sullivan County, Tennessee?
About 160,624 people live in Sullivan County, Tennessee, in 68,907 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 44.0, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 7 years.
Is Sullivan County, Tennessee mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sullivan County, Tennessee has 374 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.3 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sullivan County, Tennessee?
The median home costs 3.6 times the median household income ($215,151 against $59,119), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $888 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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