How Big Is Tennessee? See Its Size in Miles, Acres, and How It Compares to Other States

Tennessee is a state in the South with a good mix of southern city living and rural areas, like the Smoky Mountains. The state looks bigger on a map than it is in reality. Although it is wide when measured from west to east, it’s not that tall from north to south. How big is Tennessee, and how does it compare to other states? That is precisely what we are going to examine throughout this article.

Also, find out how big the state is in numerous measures and learn how many people call the state home.

How Big Is Tennessee in Square Miles?

Tennessee is 42,144 square miles in total size. Roughly 41,235 square miles are land, and 909 square miles are water.

How Many Acres Is Tennessee?

Tennessee measures 26,972,160 acres. The next-largest state is Virginia, a state with 27,376,000 acres.

How Many Square Kilometers Is Tennessee?

Tennessee measures a total of 109,153 square kilometers. That makes this the 36^th-largest state in the United States.

How Big Is Tennessee? A Table of the State’s Measures

Tennessee is 42,144 square miles, 109,153 square kilometers, and 26,972,160 acres in total size. Although the state may look wide on a map, Tennessee is not among the largest states in the country. In fact, it ranks 36 out of 50 in terms of area.

After Tennessee, the largest state is Virginia, which has 42,775 square miles of space. The next-smallest state is Kentucky, a land with 40,408 square miles in total area.  

The Volunteer State may be smaller than most states, but it has a lot of interesting places and people.

Tennessee Compared to Other States

Tennessee is in the middle of the pack in terms of size relative to others in the country. The Volunteer State is larger than some, but much smaller than others. To provide some valuable context about the state’s overall size, we’re going to compare it to numerous others.

Find out how big this state is compared to the largest and smallest states in the country. First, though, let us look at the state near in size to Tennessee.  

States Similar in Size to Tennessee

Tennessee is similar in size to a few states. For example, it is only 630 square miles smaller than Virginia and less than 2,000 square miles bigger than Kentucky. From there, Tennessee is either bigger or smaller than almost every other state by a margin of 4,000 square miles or more.

The majority of the area in Tennessee is land-based. This is a landlocked state, so 97.8% of its area is land, and 2.3% of the state is water.

Tennessee vs. the Largest States

Tennessee is certainly not among the largest states in the country. It is roughly 80,000 square miles smaller than New Mexico, the 5^th-largest state in the United States. Meanwhile, Alaska is 15 times larger than Tennessee, showing just how small this state’s area is compared to the biggest states.

Tennessee vs. the Smallest States

Even though Tennessee is a somewhat small state, it is still larger than the smallest ones in the country. Rhode Island is 25 times smaller than Tennessee! So, people that travel from the smallest states to Tennessee will feel like they are on a never-ending road trip!

About Tennessee

Tennessee is in the southeastern United States. The state is landlocked, and it shares borders with Kentucky, Virginia, Mississippi, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, and North Carolina. This state is widely known for its significant contributions to American culture.

The state has been the home of many famous authors, distillers, chefs, religious leaders, politicians, and musicians. Nashville is called Music City, and the area is famous for the creation and development of many musical genres. Nashville’s musicians have made great contributions to blues, soul, R&B, gospel, and country music in the past and continue into the present day.

Tourism and agriculture play a large role in the economy of Tennessee. People come from all over the country to see various battlefields from the Civil War, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Graceland, and many other different regions in the state.

The state is also a great place for people that love good barbeque food. Visitors can’t go too far without seeing a local barbeque spot that offers ribs, brisket, or pulled pork. Tennessee may not be very large, but it has a lot to offer.

The Population of Tennessee and Its Largest Cities

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Tennessee had a population of 6,910,840 in 2020. The population of this state continues to grow, and recent estimates in 2022 show a 2% population increase to 7,051,339 people.

People are attracted to the state for many reasons. They include a low cost of living, access to natural areas, the allure of Southern culture, and flourishing cities.

The largest cities in the state and their associated populations are listed below:

• Nashville: 689,447
• Memphis: 633,104
• Knoxville: 190,740
• Chattanooga: 181,099
• Clarksville: 166,722

Many of the cities in this state are large enough for people that want to live in an urban area without the sprawl and density of major metro areas like New York City or Los Angeles.

So, how big is Tennessee? The state is somewhat small despite its width making it look big on a map. Still, the state has plenty to offer people that visit and live in the state. Increasing numbers of people are taking advantage of the state’s attractive qualities and are moving to the region.