Knoxville, TN Demographics

A map of Knoxville's Population by Race

Knoxville, Tennessee has an estimated population of 195,185, a slight increase from the 190,740 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 70.5% White, 15.6% Black, 7.7% Hispanic, 4.2% Multiracial, 1.6% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Knoxville, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Knoxville has become less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is slightly more 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 Knoxville, that probability was 50.1% in 2020 and 47.0% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Knoxville is ranked the 3rd most populous place in Tennessee, out of 504 places. This ranking is based on the Census definition of a place, which includes incorporated places like cities, towns, and villages, as well as unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs). Knoxville was ranked the 3rd most populous place in the 2020 Census.

Knoxville's White Population

137,641 residents of Knoxville, or 70.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Knoxville ranks 455th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's White population has grown by an estimated 5.8%. White residents' share of Knoxville's population has increased from 68.2% to 70.5%.

Knoxville is less White than neighboring Powell (83.9% White), Halls (90.3% White), Rockford (83.6% White), John Sevier (84.9% White), and Karns (86.7% White).

Knoxville's Black Population

30,545 residents of Knoxville, or 15.6% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Knoxville ranks 61st statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's Black population has grown by an estimated 1.4%. Black residents' share of Knoxville's population has remained roughly unchanged at 15.6%.

Knoxville is more Black than neighboring Powell (1.4% Black), Halls (1% Black), Rockford (0% Black), John Sevier (5.4% Black), and Karns (2.9% Black).

Knoxville's Asian Population

3,088 residents of Knoxville, or 1.6% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Knoxville ranks 29th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's Asian population has declined by an estimated 28.6%. Asian residents' share of Knoxville's population has decreased from 2.3% to 1.6%.

Knoxville is more Asian than neighboring Powell (0.1% Asian), Rockford (0% Asian), John Sevier (0% Asian), and Karns (1.2% Asian). Knoxville is less Asian than neighboring Halls (3.7% Asian).

Knoxville's Hispanic Population

14,963 residents of Knoxville, or 7.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Knoxville ranks 57th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 1.3%. Hispanic residents' share of Knoxville's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.7%.

Knoxville is more Hispanic than neighboring Halls (4% Hispanic), Rockford (7.5% Hispanic), and Karns (3.9% Hispanic). Knoxville is less Hispanic than neighboring Powell (10.5% Hispanic), and John Sevier (8.9% Hispanic).

Knoxville's Native American/Other Population

689 residents of Knoxville, 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 Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Knoxville ranks 118th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 53.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Knoxville's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Knoxville is more Native American/Other than neighboring Powell (0.2% Native American/Other), Halls (0% Native American/Other), Rockford (0.1% Native American/Other), and John Sevier (0% Native American/Other). Knoxville is less Native American/Other than neighboring Karns (0.8% Native American/Other).

Knoxville's Multiracial Population

8,259 residents of Knoxville, or 4.2% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Knoxville is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Knoxville ranks 93rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 504 places.

Since the 2020 Census, Knoxville's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 14.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Knoxville's population has decreased from 5.0% to 4.2%.

Knoxville is more Multiracial than neighboring Powell (3.9% Multiracial), Halls (1.1% Multiracial), and John Sevier (0.8% Multiracial). Knoxville is less Multiracial than neighboring Rockford (8.7% Multiracial), and Karns (4.4% 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.