Wilson County Demographics

A map of Wilson County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	125,986	118,889	79.3%	80.5%
Black	11,334	10,099	7.1%	6.8%
Hispanic	10,359	8,375	6.5%	5.7%
Multiracial	5,718	6,237	3.6%	4.2%
Asian	3,537	3,086	2.2%	2.1%
Native American/Other	1,871	1,051	1.2%	0.7%

Wilson County, Tennessee has an estimated population of 158,805, an increase from the 147,737 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.3% White, 7.1% Black, 6.5% Hispanic, 3.6% Multiracial, 2.2% Asian, and 1.2% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Wilson County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Wilson 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 Wilson County, that probability was 34.2% in 2020 and 35.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Wilson County is ranked the 10th most populous county in Tennessee, out of 95 counties. Wilson County was ranked the 10th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Wilson County's White Population

125,986 residents of Wilson County, or 79.3% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Wilson County is higher than in Tennessee overall, where 71% of the population is White. Wilson County ranks 72nd statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's White population has grown by an estimated 6.0%. White residents' share of Wilson County's population has decreased from 80.5% to 79.3%.

Wilson County is more White than neighboring Trousdale County (79.1% White), Rutherford County (63.7% White), and Sumner County (78.6% White). Wilson County is less White than neighboring Smith County (90% White), and Cannon County (91.9% White).

Wilson County's Black Population

11,334 residents of Wilson County, or 7.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Wilson County is lower than in Tennessee overall, where 15.4% of the population is Black. Wilson County ranks 29th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Black population has grown by an estimated 12.2%. Black residents' share of Wilson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 7.1%.

Wilson County is more Black than neighboring Smith County (1.9% Black), and Cannon County (2.3% Black). Wilson County is less Black than neighboring Trousdale County (11% Black), Rutherford County (14.7% Black), and Sumner County (8.4% Black).

Wilson County's Asian Population

3,537 residents of Wilson County, or 2.2% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 1.9% of the population is Asian. Wilson County ranks 8th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 14.6%. Asian residents' share of Wilson County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 2.2%.

Wilson County is more Asian than neighboring Trousdale County (0.1% Asian), Smith County (0.4% Asian), Sumner County (1.6% Asian), and Cannon County (0% Asian). Wilson County is less Asian than neighboring Rutherford County (3.6% Asian).

Wilson County's Hispanic Population

10,359 residents of Wilson County, or 6.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 7.4% of the population is Hispanic. Wilson County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 23.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Wilson County's population has increased from 5.7% to 6.5%.

Wilson County is more Hispanic than neighboring Trousdale County (4.1% Hispanic), Smith County (3.1% Hispanic), and Cannon County (3.1% Hispanic). Wilson County is less Hispanic than neighboring Rutherford County (12.2% Hispanic), and Sumner County (7.2% Hispanic).

Wilson County's Native American/Other Population

1,871 residents of Wilson County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 0.6% of the population is Native American/Other. Wilson County ranks 11th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 78.0%. Native American/Other residents' share of Wilson County's population has increased from 0.7% to 1.2%.

Wilson County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Rutherford County (0.8% Native American/Other), Smith County (0.3% Native American/Other), Sumner County (0.7% Native American/Other), and Cannon County (0.2% Native American/Other). Wilson County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Trousdale County (1.3% Native American/Other).

Wilson County's Multiracial Population

5,718 residents of Wilson County, or 3.6% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Wilson County is comparable to the share in Tennessee overall, where 3.7% of the population is Multiracial. Wilson County ranks 23rd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 95 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Wilson County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 8.3%. Multiracial residents' share of Wilson County's population has decreased from 4.2% to 3.6%.

Wilson County is more Multiracial than neighboring Sumner County (3.5% Multiracial), and Cannon County (2.5% Multiracial). Wilson County is less Multiracial than neighboring Trousdale County (4.4% Multiracial), Rutherford County (5% Multiracial), and Smith County (4.3% 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.