DeKalb County Demographics

A map of DeKalb County's Population by Race

DeKalb County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 20,959, an increase from the 20,080 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 87.0% White, 7.7% Hispanic, 2.3% Multiracial, 1.5% Black, 1.1% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of DeKalb County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

DeKalb is about as racially diverse as it was in 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 DeKalb County, that probability was 23.2% in 2020 and 23.5% in the most recent ACS estimates.

DeKalb County is ranked the 65th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. DeKalb County was ranked the 65th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

DeKalb County's White Population

18,243 residents of DeKalb County, or 87.0% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in DeKalb County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. DeKalb County ranks 49th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's White population has grown by an estimated 4.1%. White residents' share of DeKalb County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 87.0%.

DeKalb County is more White than neighboring Warren County (83.3% White), and Putnam County (85% White). DeKalb County is less White than neighboring Cannon County (91.9% White), Smith County (90% White), and White County (91.9% White).

DeKalb County's Black Population

304 residents of DeKalb County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in DeKalb County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. DeKalb County ranks 74th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's Black population has grown by an estimated 29.9%. Black residents' share of DeKalb County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

DeKalb County is more Black than neighboring White County (1% Black). DeKalb County is less Black than neighboring Cannon County (2.3% Black), Smith County (1.9% Black), Warren County (2.6% Black), and Putnam County (2.4% Black).

DeKalb County's Asian Population

227 residents of DeKalb County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in DeKalb County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. DeKalb County ranks 60th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 198.7%. Asian residents' share of DeKalb County's population has increased from 0.4% to 1.1%.

DeKalb County is more Asian than neighboring Cannon County (0% Asian), Smith County (0.4% Asian), Warren County (0.6% Asian), and White County (0.4% Asian).

DeKalb County's Hispanic Population

1,624 residents of DeKalb County, or 7.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in DeKalb County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. DeKalb County ranks 16th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 12.1%. Hispanic residents' share of DeKalb County's population has increased from 7.2% to 7.7%.

DeKalb County is more Hispanic than neighboring Cannon County (3.1% Hispanic), Smith County (3.1% Hispanic), and White County (3.2% Hispanic). DeKalb County is less Hispanic than neighboring Warren County (10% Hispanic), and Putnam County (8.4% Hispanic).

DeKalb County's Native American/Other Population

86 residents of DeKalb County, or 0.4% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in DeKalb County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. DeKalb County ranks 55th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 15.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of DeKalb County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

DeKalb County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Cannon County (0.2% Native American/Other), Smith County (0.3% Native American/Other), Warren County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Putnam County (0.2% Native American/Other). DeKalb County is less Native American/Other than neighboring White County (0.5% Native American/Other).

DeKalb County's Multiracial Population

475 residents of DeKalb County, or 2.3% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in DeKalb County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. DeKalb County ranks 63rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, DeKalb County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 31.5%. Multiracial residents' share of DeKalb County's population has decreased from 3.5% to 2.3%.

DeKalb County is less Multiracial than neighboring Cannon County (2.5% Multiracial), Smith County (4.3% Multiracial), Warren County (3.4% Multiracial), Putnam County (2.8% Multiracial), and White County (3% 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.