Sullivan County Demographics

A map of Sullivan County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	147,130	143,354	91.6%	90.6%
Hispanic	4,217	3,548	2.6%	2.2%
Multiracial	4,210	5,951	2.6%	3.8%
Black	3,263	3,197	2.0%	2.0%
Asian	1,204	1,270	0.7%	0.8%
Native American/Other	600	843	0.4%	0.5%

Sullivan County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 160,624, a slight increase from the 158,163 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 91.6% White, 2.6% Hispanic, 2.6% Multiracial, 2.0% Black, 0.7% Asian, and 0.4% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Sullivan County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Sullivan 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 Sullivan County, that probability was 17.6% in 2020 and 15.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Sullivan County is ranked the 9th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Sullivan County was ranked the 9th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Sullivan County's White Population

147,130 residents of Sullivan County, or 91.6% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Sullivan County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Sullivan County ranks 28th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's White population has grown by an estimated 2.6%. White residents' share of Sullivan County's population has increased from 90.6% to 91.6%.

Sullivan County is more White than neighboring Bristol County (84.5% White), and Washington County (85.9% White). Sullivan County is less White than neighboring Carter County (92.8% White), Scott County (95.4% White), and Washington County (94.1% White).

Sullivan County's Black Population

3,263 residents of Sullivan County, or 2.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Sullivan County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Sullivan County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's Black population has grown by an estimated 2.1%. Black residents' share of Sullivan County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.0%.

Sullivan County is more Black than neighboring Carter County (1.9% Black), Scott County (1.3% Black), and Washington County (1.8% Black). Sullivan County is less Black than neighboring Bristol County (5.8% Black), and Washington County (3.5% Black).

Sullivan County's Asian Population

1,204 residents of Sullivan County, or 0.7% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Sullivan County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Sullivan County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 5.2%. Asian residents' share of Sullivan County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.7%.

Sullivan County is more Asian than neighboring Bristol County (0.5% Asian), Carter County (0.1% Asian), Scott County (0.1% Asian), and Washington County (0.5% Asian). Sullivan County is less Asian than neighboring Washington County (1.5% Asian).

Sullivan County's Hispanic Population

4,217 residents of Sullivan County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Sullivan County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Sullivan County ranks 71st statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 18.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Sullivan County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.6%.

Sullivan County is more Hispanic than neighboring Carter County (2.5% Hispanic), Scott County (1.5% Hispanic), and Washington County (1.9% Hispanic). Sullivan County is less Hispanic than neighboring Bristol County (2.8% Hispanic), and Washington County (4.9% Hispanic).

Sullivan County's Native American/Other Population

600 residents of Sullivan 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 Sullivan County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Sullivan County ranks 47th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 28.8%. Native American/Other residents' share of Sullivan County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Sullivan County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Carter County (0.2% Native American/Other), Scott County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Washington County (0.2% Native American/Other). Sullivan County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Bristol County (1.9% Native American/Other).

Sullivan County's Multiracial Population

4,210 residents of Sullivan County, or 2.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Sullivan County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Sullivan County ranks 49th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Sullivan County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 29.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Sullivan County's population has decreased from 3.8% to 2.6%.

Sullivan County is more Multiracial than neighboring Carter County (2.5% Multiracial), Scott County (1.5% Multiracial), and Washington County (1.6% Multiracial). Sullivan County is less Multiracial than neighboring Bristol County (4.7% Multiracial), and Washington County (3.8% 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.