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Pickett County, Tennessee

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Pickett County, Tennessee

Pickett County Courthouse in Byrdstown
Map of Tennessee highlighting Pickett County

Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee

Coordinates: 36°34′N 85°05′W / 36.56°N 85.08°W
Country United States
State Tennessee
Founded1879
Named afterHoward L. Pickett, state legislator[1]
SeatByrdstown
Largest townByrdstown
Area

 • Total

174 sq mi (450 km2)
 • Land163 sq mi (420 km2)
 • Water12 sq mi (31 km2)  6.6%
Population

 (2020)

 • Total

5,001

 • Estimate 

(2025)

5,219 Increase
 • Density31/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zoneUTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district6th

Pickett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,001, making it the least populous county in Tennessee.[2] Its county seat is Byrdstown.[3] The city of Byrdstown and the Kentucky town of Albany, 11 miles (18 km) to the northeast, are positioned between two Army Corps of Engineers lakes: Dale Hollow Lake, mainly in Tennessee, and Lake Cumberland, in Kentucky. The area is known as "Twin Lakes" and Byrdstown is noted as "The Gateway To Dale Hollow Lake". Every year thousands of people vacation at the many resorts situated along the lakes.

Pickett County was created in 1879 from sections of Overton and Fentress counties. It was named for Howell Lester Pickett (1847 - 1914), a member of the state legislature representing Wilson County who had been instrumental in the county's formation.[1] Nobel Peace Prize winner Cordell Hull had been born in one of the parcels of land set aside to create the new county. Hull would be honored for his role in organizing the World War II diplomatic alliance that became the United Nations.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 174 square miles (450 km2), of which 163 square miles (420 km2) is land and 12 square miles (31 km2) (6.6%) is water.[4] It is the fourth-smallest county in Tennessee by land area and third-smallest by total area. The eastern part of the county, much of which is part of Pickett State Forest, lies atop the Cumberland Plateau, while the western, more populated half is located on the Highland Rim. The Wolf River and the Obey River, the lower parts of which are part of Dale Hollow Lake, pass through the county. The rivers converge just west of the county's border with Clay County.

Hazard Cave at Pickett State Park

Streams in the far eastern section of the county are part of the watershed of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.

The county is in the Central Time Zone, but the bordering counties of Scott County, Tennessee, and Wayne County, Kentucky, observe Eastern Time Zone.

National protected area

[edit]

State protected areas

[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18904,736—
19005,36613.3%
19105,087−5.2%
19205,2052.3%
19305,6157.9%
19406,21310.7%
19505,093−18.0%
19604,431−13.0%
19703,774−14.8%
19804,35815.5%
19904,5484.4%
20004,9458.7%
20105,0772.7%
20205,001−1.5%
2025 (est.)5,219[5] Increase4.4%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2010-2020[10] 2020[2]

Racial and ethnic composition

[edit]

Pickett County, Tennessee – Racial and ethnic composition
Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[11] Pop 1990[12] Pop 2000[13] Pop 2010[14] Pop 2020[15] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 4,307 4,529 4,870 4,964 4,811 98.83% 99.58% 98.48% 97.77% 96.20%
Black or African American alone (NH) 1 0 5 5 8 0.02% 0.00% 0.10% 0.10% 0.16%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 16 4 8 11 8 0.37% 0.09% 0.16% 0.22% 0.16%
Asian alone (NH) 1 2 2 4 15 0.02% 0.04% 0.04% 0.08% 0.30%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [16] x [17] 0 0 1 x x 0.00% 0.00% 0.02%
Other race alone (NH) 0 0 0 0 5 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% 0.10%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [18] x [19] 19 26 70 x x 0.38% 0.51% 1.40%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 33 13 41 67 83 0.76% 0.29% 0.83% 1.32% 1.66%
Total 4,358 4,548 4,945 5,077 5,001 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

As of the 2020 census, there were 5,001 people, 2,192 households, and 1,600 families residing in the county. The median age was 51.1 years, with 18.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 27.9% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 98.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 97.9 males age 18 and over.[20]

Of the county's 2,192 households, 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.4% were married-couple households, 19.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[20]

There were 3,342 housing units, of which 34.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 82.3% were owner-occupied and 17.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 15.7%.[20]

The racial makeup of the county was 4,811 White (non-Hispanic) residents (96.2%), 8 Black or African American residents (0.16%), 8 Native American residents (0.16%), 15 Asian residents (0.3%), 1 Pacific Islander resident (0.02%), 75 residents of other or mixed race (1.5%), and 83 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (1.66%).[21]

<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[22]

As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 4,945 people, 2,091 households, and 1,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 people/km2). There were 2,956 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 99.15% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,091 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,673, and the median income for a family was $31,355. Males had a median income of $22,367 versus $17,173 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,681. About 12.00% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Main Street in Byrdstown
Static, at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line

Unincorporated communities

[edit]

Along with Macon County and Fentress County, Pickett County constitutes an outlier in Tennessee politics as it is a historically Republican county in a region (Middle Tennessee) that was overwhelmingly Democratic up until recent years. Since its founding, Republicans have carried the county in every presidential election, with the only exceptions being Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton in the split 1912 and 1992 elections (with Tennessee son Al Gore on the Democratic ticket), respectively.

  1. 1 2 Anne-Leslie Owens, "Pickett County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 18, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "2020 Census Data". data.census.gov.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  5. ↑ "County Population Totals and Components of Change: 2020-2025". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 11, 2026.
  6. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  10. ↑ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
  11. ↑ "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Tennessee - Table 15 - Persons by Race: 1980 AND Table 16 - Total Persons and Spanish Origin Persons by Type of Spanish Origin and Race: 1980" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 13-22. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 7, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  12. ↑ "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Tennessee: Table 3,4,5,6 - Race and Hispanic Origin: 1990" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. p. 11-47. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 25, 2026 – via Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Pickett County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau.
  14. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pickett County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau.
  15. ↑ "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Pickett County, Tennessee". United States Census Bureau.
  16. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  17. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  18. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  19. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  20. 1 2 3 "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  21. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)". United States Census Bureau. 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  22. ↑ "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)". United States Census Bureau. 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
  23. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
  24. ↑ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.

36°34′N 85°05′W / 36.56°N 85.08°W