Knoxville metropolitan area

The Knoxville metropolitan area, commonly known as Greater Knoxville, is a large group of cities and towns centered around Knoxville, Tennessee. Knoxville is the third largest city in Tennessee and the biggest city in East Tennessee. This area is also the third largest metropolitan area in Tennessee.

In 2020, the Knoxville metro area was home to about 903,300 people. When you include nearby areas like Morristown, Newport, and Sevierville, the total number of people living in the wider region reached about 1,156,861. This shows how many folks call the Knoxville area their home and helps us understand its size and importance.

Definitions

The Knoxville area has been the third largest Metropolitan Statistical Area in Tennessee since the 2010 United States census. It stayed this way in the 2020 United States census.

For the United States Census Bureau, the Knoxville area includes nine counties: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Grainger, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane, and Union. Some nearby areas, like Sevier County, are not officially part of the Knoxville area but are often thought of as being close to it.

The Knoxville area is also part of a bigger group called the Knoxville–Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area, which includes more nearby places.

History

The way the U.S. government defines the Knoxville area has changed over time. It was first defined in 1947 and included Anderson, Blount, and Knox counties. More counties were added over the years, and in 2013, the area grew to include nine counties. This made it a bigger area that now includes Campbell, Grainger, Morgan, and Roane counties.

In 2013, the Knoxville area was also renamed to include more nearby places, creating the Knoxville–Morristown–Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area. This bigger area now includes twelve counties and ranks around the middle in size compared to other areas in the United States.

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1950	337,105	—
1960	400,335	18.8%
1970	433,675	8.3%
1980	505,070	16.5%
1990	534,917	5.9%
2000	616,079	15.2%
2010	837,571	36.0%
2020	903,300	7.8%
2023 (est.)	946,264	4.8%

Knoxville economic area

In 2004, the U.S. government's Bureau of Economic Analysis said the Knoxville Economic Area included the Knoxville–Sevierville–LaFollette area, plus Bell County, Kentucky, and Claiborne, Hancock, Monroe, Morgan, and Scott counties in Tennessee. Economic areas are places that work together economically, with people commuting and sharing news from the same local papers. The Knoxville Economic Area was one of 179 such areas in the United States at that time.