Tennessee County Map: All 95 Counties and the 41 in Middle Tennessee (2026)

Quick answer (as of November 2026) Tennessee has 95 counties. State law, Tennessee Code §§ 4-1-201 to 4-1-204, splits them into three grand divisions: 33 counties in East Tennessee, 41 in Middle Tennessee and 21 in West Tennessee. Middle Tennessee includes Davidson County, home of Nashville, the state capital, along with Williamson, Maury, Rutherford, Sumner, Wilson and Montgomery counties, and all 41 of its counties are on Central time. The federal Nashville metro area is smaller: 14 counties, under OMB Bulletin No. 23-01.

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You're scrolling homes "near Nashville," and every few listings the county changes. The county matters more than the town on the mailing address. It sets your property tax rate, and its Assessor of Property is the office that puts a value on your home.

I live in Canterbury in Thompson's Station, in Williamson County, and I made the move here from California myself. Below is the whole state on one map, then the 41 Middle Tennessee counties with their county seats, the counties in the Nashville metro, and the county each of my towns sits in.

How many counties are in Tennessee?

Tennessee has 95 counties. State law assigns each one to East, Middle or West Tennessee, and the three county lists in Tennessee Code §§ 4-1-202 to 4-1-204 add up to 95: 33, 41 and 21.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation's County Outline Map counts the same 95 and numbers them alphabetically. TDOT also groups them into four regions of its own, with offices in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Nashville and Jackson. Those are road regions, and they don't line up with the three divisions in state law.

What are the three grand divisions of Tennessee?

The three grand divisions of Tennessee are East Tennessee, Middle Tennessee and West Tennessee. Tennessee Code § 4-1-201 says the state has three, and the next three sections name every county in each one. When people talk about the parts of Tennessee, these are the three they mean.

The divisions still matter in state government. Article VI, Section 2 of the Tennessee Constitution allows no more than two of the Tennessee Supreme Court's five justices to live in any one grand division, and it holds the court in Knoxville, Nashville and Jackson, one city in each.

East Tennessee's 33 counties are Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, Marion, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union and Washington.

West Tennessee's 21 counties are Benton, Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, Shelby, Tipton and Weakley.

What is Middle Tennessee?

Middle Tennessee is the 41-county middle division of the state, defined by name in Tennessee Code § 4-1-203. Its counties run from the Kentucky state line to the Alabama state line, and it includes Nashville, which § 4-1-205 makes the seat of state government, plus Murfreesboro, Clarksville, Franklin, Columbia and Cookeville.

Sequatchie and Grundy counties are Middle Tennessee by law, while Bledsoe and Marion counties next door are East Tennessee.

Which counties are in Middle Tennessee?

The 41 Middle Tennessee counties are Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Clay, Coffee, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Fentress, Franklin, Giles, Grundy, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Jackson, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Overton, Perry, Pickett, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Sequatchie, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Van Buren, Warren, Wayne, White, Williamson and Wilson. Here they are with each county seat, the year the county was created and whether it's in the Nashville metro.

County seats and years: University of Tennessee County Technical Assistance Service directory, as of November 2026. Metro column: OMB Bulletin No. 23-01. "Combined area only" means the county is in the wider Nashville combined statistical area but not the 14-county metro.

Which counties are in the Nashville metro area?

The Nashville metro area is 14 counties: Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, Dickson, Hickman, Macon, Maury, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Sumner, Trousdale, Williamson and Wilson. That's the federal definition, the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area in OMB Bulletin No. 23-01 (July 21, 2023), with Nashville, Murfreesboro, Franklin and Smyrna as its principal cities.

The wider Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro combined statistical area brings in six more Middle Tennessee counties through their own smaller areas: Bedford (Shelbyville), Coffee and Moore (Tullahoma-Manchester), Franklin (Winchester), Lawrence (Lawrenceburg) and Marshall (Lewisburg). That makes 20 counties.

Montgomery County is Middle Tennessee but outside the Nashville metro. OMB puts it and Stewart County in the Clarksville, TN-KY metro area, along with two Kentucky counties.

Listings and ads use "Middle Tennessee" and "the Nashville area" loosely. When a number matters to you, like a median price, ask which of these definitions it's built on.

What time zone is Middle Tennessee in?

All 41 Middle Tennessee counties are on Central time. The federal time zone rule, 49 CFR 71.5, runs the Eastern line along the edges of Scott, Morgan, Roane, Rhea and Hamilton counties in East Tennessee, and everything west of that line is Central.

That line doesn't match the grand divisions exactly. Cumberland, Bledsoe and Marion counties are East Tennessee by law and still on Central time, while Chattanooga, in Hamilton County, is on Eastern.

Which county are Franklin, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, College Grove and Nashville in?

Franklin, Thompson's Station and College Grove are in Williamson County, Spring Hill sits in both Williamson and Maury counties, and Nashville is in Davidson County. All five are in Middle Tennessee and inside the 14-county Nashville metro.

Spring Hill is the one that trips people up. The city sits in two counties, so two homes a few minutes apart can have different county tax rates and a different assessor. Here's how to tell which county a Spring Hill address is in, and how Spring Hill property taxes compare on each side.

If you're weighing towns in more than one county, send me the towns or the addresses, and I'll tell you the county, whether it's inside city limits and what that changes. DM, text or call 615-392-1186.

How do I find out which county a Tennessee address is in?

Run the address through the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. It returns the county, and under "Incorporated Places" it names the city if the home is inside its limits. Don't go by the ZIP code. A mailing ZIP can cross a county line or a city limit, and Spring Hill's 37174 covers parts of both Williamson and Maury counties.

1. Open the Census geocoder and enter the street, city, state and ZIP.
2. Read the County line to get the county.
3. Read "Incorporated Places." If no city shows, the home is outside city limits.
4. Look up the parcel with that county's Assessor of Property, the office that values the home for property tax.

If you're buying from another state, I'll record a video walkthrough of any home you're serious about and send you an unlisted YouTube link you can rewatch as often as you need. Here's how to buy a house in Tennessee from another state, what to weigh when moving to Tennessee, and how I work with relocation buyers. If you already know where you'll work, start with where to live in Nashville.

Tell me which part of Middle Tennessee you're looking at and what you want to spend, and I'll send back the towns that fit, with the county on every address. DM, text or call 615-392-1186, or use the form below.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many counties are in Tennessee?

Tennessee has 95 counties: 33 in East Tennessee, 41 in Middle Tennessee and 21 in West Tennessee, as listed in Tennessee Code §§ 4-1-202 to 4-1-204.

How many counties are in Middle Tennessee?

Middle Tennessee has 41 counties under Tennessee Code § 4-1-203. Fourteen of them make up the federal Nashville metro area.

Is Chattanooga in Middle Tennessee?

No. Chattanooga is in Hamilton County, which state law places in East Tennessee, and it's on Eastern time.

Is Clarksville in Middle Tennessee?

Yes. Clarksville is in Montgomery County, which is Middle Tennessee by law. For federal statistics it's in the Clarksville, TN-KY metro area, separate from Nashville's.

What county is Spring Hill, TN in?

Spring Hill is in both Williamson County and Maury County, so check the county on the exact address before you compare property taxes.