Carter County Demographics

A map of Carter County's Population by Race

Carter County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 56,712, a less than 1% change from the 56,356 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 92.8% White, 2.5% Hispanic, 2.5% Multiracial, 1.9% Black, 0.2% Native American/Other, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Carter County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Carter has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Tennessee overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Carter County, that probability was 15.3% in 2020 and 13.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Carter County is ranked the 28th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Carter County was ranked the 26th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Carter County's White Population

52,636 residents of Carter County, or 92.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Carter County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Carter County ranks 20th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's White population has grown by an estimated 1.6%. White residents' share of Carter County's population has increased from 91.9% to 92.8%.

Carter County is more White than neighboring Mitchell County (91% White), Sullivan County (91.6% White), Avery County (85.7% White), Johnson County (87.3% White), and Bristol County (84.5% White).

Carter County's Black Population

1,078 residents of Carter County, or 1.9% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Carter County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Carter County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Black population has grown by an estimated 53.6%. Black residents' share of Carter County's population has increased from 1.2% to 1.9%.

Carter County is more Black than neighboring Mitchell County (0.9% Black). Carter County is less Black than neighboring Sullivan County (2% Black), Avery County (3.8% Black), Johnson County (4.7% Black), and Bristol County (5.8% Black).

Carter County's Asian Population

63 residents of Carter County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Carter County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 72.7%. Asian residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Carter County is less Asian than neighboring Mitchell County (0.5% Asian), Sullivan County (0.7% Asian), Avery County (0.4% Asian), Johnson County (0.3% Asian), and Bristol County (0.5% Asian).

Carter County's Hispanic Population

1,422 residents of Carter County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Carter County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Carter County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 20.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.5%.

Carter County is less Hispanic than neighboring Mitchell County (5.6% Hispanic), Sullivan County (2.6% Hispanic), Avery County (6.1% Hispanic), Johnson County (3.2% Hispanic), and Bristol County (2.8% Hispanic).

Carter County's Native American/Other Population

95 residents of Carter County, or 0.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Carter County ranks 66th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 64.6%. Native American/Other residents' share of Carter County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.2%.

Carter County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Mitchell County (0.5% Native American/Other), Sullivan County (0.4% Native American/Other), Avery County (0.7% Native American/Other), Johnson County (1% Native American/Other), and Bristol County (1.9% Native American/Other).

Carter County's Multiracial Population

1,418 residents of Carter County, or 2.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Carter County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Carter County ranks 41st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Carter County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 35.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Carter County's population has decreased from 3.9% to 2.5%.

Carter County is more Multiracial than neighboring Mitchell County (1.6% Multiracial). Carter County is less Multiracial than neighboring Sullivan County (2.6% Multiracial), Avery County (3.3% Multiracial), Johnson County (3.5% Multiracial), and Bristol County (4.7% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.