The map below shows majority race by area in Tennessee, as self-identified on the US census. Darker shades indicate a larger racial majority in that neighborhood. This page also contains data and maps on Tennessee racial diversity and diversity scores. Click here to scroll to diversity data.
WhiteHispanicBlackAsianMultiple/Other
Majority race by area
The majority race in Tennessee overall is white, making up 70.9% of residents. The next most-common racial group is black at 15.4%. There are more white people in the northeast areas of the state. People who identify as black are most likely to be living in the southwest places. The data below shows how many people identify themselves as each of the following races, which most Americans base on their family's national origin:
Race in Tennessee
Self-Identified Race |
Tennessee Population |
|---|---|
White |
70.9% |
Hispanic |
7.5% |
Black |
15.4% |
Asian |
1.9% |
Native American |
0.1% |
Other |
4.2% |
Diversity and Diversity Scores for Tennessee
The map below shows diversity in Tennessee. Areas in green are more diverse, while areas in red are much less diverse. Diversity, in this case, means a mixture of people with different race and ethnicity living close to one another. For example, all-black and all-white areas in the state would both be considered lacking diversity.
Less diverse
More diverse
Colorblind friendly
off
Tennessee Diversity Score
46.6
More diverse than 45% of US states
Tennessee has a diversity score of 46.6: the chance, in percent, that two residents picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups, from ACS race counts. A place where everyone shares one group scores 0, and an even mix of the six groups in the chart above scores the maximum, 83.3. Tennessee is about average for diversity versus other US states, more diverse than 45% of them. Within Tennessee's proper boundaries, the most diverse area is southwest Tennessee, and the least diverse areas are in northeast Tennessee.
Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-year estimates (race and Hispanic origin); proprietary data mapping and analysis. Special thanks to the University of Virginia.