Wayne County Demographics

A map of Wayne County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	14,302	14,503	88.5%	89.3%
Black	691	878	4.3%	5.4%
Multiracial	670	372	4.1%	2.3%
Hispanic	441	379	2.7%	2.3%
Native American/Other	64	73	0.4%	0.4%
Asian	0	27	0.0%	0.2%

Wayne County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 16,168, a less than 1% change from the 16,232 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 88.5% White, 4.3% Black, 4.1% Multiracial, 2.7% Hispanic, 0.4% Native American/Other, and 0.0% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wayne County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wayne has become more 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 Wayne County, that probability was 19.8% in 2020 and 21.3% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wayne County is ranked the 76th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Wayne County was ranked the 75th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wayne County's White Population

14,302 residents of Wayne County, or 88.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wayne County is significantly higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Wayne County ranks 41st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's White population has declined by an estimated 1.4%. White residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 89.3% to 88.5%.

Wayne County is more White than neighboring Lauderdale County (82.1% White). Wayne County is less White than neighboring Lawrence County (92.1% White), Hardin County (90.8% White), Perry County (89% White), and Lewis County (91.4% White).

Wayne County's Black Population

691 residents of Wayne County, or 4.3% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wayne County is considerably lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Wayne County ranks 33rd statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Black population has declined by an estimated 21.3%. Black residents' share of Wayne County's population has decreased from 5.4% to 4.3%.

Wayne County is more Black than neighboring Lawrence County (1.4% Black), Hardin County (3.4% Black), Perry County (0.3% Black), and Lewis County (0.6% Black). Wayne County is less Black than neighboring Lauderdale County (9% Black).

Wayne County's Asian Population

0 residents of Wayne County, or 0.0% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Wayne County ranks 89th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 100.0%. Asian residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.0%.

Wayne County is less Asian than neighboring Lauderdale County (0.6% Asian), Lawrence County (0.4% Asian), Perry County (0.2% Asian), and Lewis County (0.2% Asian).

Wayne County's Hispanic Population

441 residents of Wayne County, or 2.7% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wayne County is slightly lower than in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Wayne County ranks 69th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 16.4%. Hispanic residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.7%.

Wayne County is more Hispanic than neighboring Hardin County (2.5% Hispanic), and Perry County (1.4% Hispanic). Wayne County is less Hispanic than neighboring Lauderdale County (3.5% Hispanic), Lawrence County (2.8% Hispanic), and Lewis County (3.2% Hispanic).

Wayne County's Native American/Other Population

64 residents of Wayne 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 Wayne County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Wayne County ranks 70th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 12.3%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wayne County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.4%.

Wayne County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lawrence County (0.1% Native American/Other), Hardin County (0.2% Native American/Other), and Lewis County (0% Native American/Other). Wayne County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Lauderdale County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Perry County (1.4% Native American/Other).

Wayne County's Multiracial Population

670 residents of Wayne County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wayne County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Wayne County ranks 91st statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wayne County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 80.1%. Multiracial residents' share of Wayne County's population has increased from 2.3% to 4.1%.

Wayne County is more Multiracial than neighboring Lawrence County (3.3% Multiracial), and Hardin County (3% Multiracial). Wayne County is less Multiracial than neighboring Lauderdale County (4.2% Multiracial), Perry County (7.7% Multiracial), and Lewis 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.