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Pickett County
Pickett County
County
	Pickett County Courthouse in Byrdstown
	Location within the U.S. state of Tennessee
	Tennessee's location within the U.S.
	Coordinates: 36°34′N 85°05′W / 36.56°N 85.08°W
Country	United States
State	Tennessee
Founded	1879
Named for	Howard L. Pickett, state legislator
Seat	Byrdstown
Largest town	Byrdstown
Area
• Total	174 sq mi (450 km2)
• Land	163 sq mi (420 km2)
• Water	12 sq mi (30 km2) 6.6%
Population (2020)
• Total	5,001
• Density	31/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC−6 (Central)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district	6th

Pickett County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,001, making it the least populous county in Tennessee.^[2] Its county seat is Byrdstown.^[3] The city of Byrdstown and the Kentucky town of Albany, 11 miles (18 km) to the northeast, are positioned between two Army Corps of Engineers lakes: Dale Hollow Lake, mainly in Tennessee, and Lake Cumberland, in Kentucky. The area is known as "Twin Lakes" and Byrdstown is noted as "The Gateway To Dale Hollow Lake". Every year thousands of people vacation at the many resorts situated along the lakes.

History

Pickett County was created in 1879 from sections of Overton and Fentress counties. It was named for Howell Lester Pickett (1847 - 1914), a member of the state legislature representing Wilson County who had been instrumental in the county's formation.^[1] Nobel Peace Prize winner Cordell Hull had been born in one of the parcels of land set aside to create the new county. Hull would be honored for his role in organizing the World War II diplomatic alliance that became the United Nations.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 174 square miles (450 km²), of which 163 square miles (420 km²) is land and 12 square miles (31 km²) (6.6%) is water.^[4] It is the fourth-smallest county in Tennessee by land area and third-smallest by total area. The eastern part of the county, much of which is part of Pickett State Forest, lies atop the Cumberland Plateau, while the western, more populated half is located on the Highland Rim. The Wolf River and the Obey River, the lower parts of which are part of Dale Hollow Lake, pass through the county. The rivers converge just west of the county's border with Clay County.

Streams in the far eastern section of the county are part of the watershed of the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River.

Highways

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1890	4,736	—
1900	5,366	13.3%
1910	5,087	−5.2%
1920	5,205	2.3%
1930	5,615	7.9%
1940	6,213	10.7%
1950	5,093	−18.0%
1960	4,431	−13.0%
1970	3,774	−14.8%
1980	4,358	15.5%
1990	4,548	4.4%
2000	4,945	8.7%
2010	5,077	2.7%
2020	5,001	−1.5%
U.S. Decennial Census^[5] 1790-1960^[6] 1900-1990^[7] 1990-2000^[8] 2010-2020^[9] 2020^[2]

2020 census

Pickett County racial composition^[11]
Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	4,811	96.2%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	8	0.16%
Native American	8	0.16%
Asian	15	0.3%
Pacific Islander	1	0.02%
Other/Mixed	75	1.5%
Hispanic or Latino	83	1.66%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 5,001 people, 2,281 households, and 1,600 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 4,945 people, 2,091 households, and 1,461 families residing in the county. The population density was 30 people per square mile (12 people/km²). There were 2,956 housing units at an average density of 18 units per square mile (6.9/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 99.15% White, 0.10% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.10% from other races, and 0.44% from two or more races. 0.83% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 2,091 households, out of which 27.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.30% were married couples living together, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.10% were non-families. 27.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 21.40% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 24.70% from 25 to 44, 27.70% from 45 to 64, and 17.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 96.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $24,673, and the median income for a family was $31,355. Males had a median income of $22,367 versus $17,173 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,681. About 12.00% of families and 15.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.40% of those under age 18 and 20.00% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Pickett County High School - High school
Pickett County K-8 - Elementary school/Junior high school

Communities

Static, at the Tennessee-Kentucky state line

Town

Byrdstown (county seat)

Unincorporated communities

Ghost town

Olympus

Politics

Along with Macon County and Fentress County, Pickett County constitutes an outlier in Tennessee politics as it is a historically Republican county in a region (Middle Tennessee) that was overwhelmingly Democratic up until recent years. Since its founding, Republicans have carried the county in every presidential election, with the only exceptions being Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and Woodrow Wilson and Bill Clinton in the split 1912 and 1992 elections, respectively.

United States presidential election results for Pickett County, Tennessee^[13]
Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
Year	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	2,441	82.63%	487	16.49%	26	0.88%
2020	2,381	81.24%	525	17.91%	25	0.85%
2016	2,021	77.28%	536	20.50%	58	2.22%
2012	1,712	69.79%	712	29.03%	29	1.18%
2008	1,786	66.87%	854	31.97%	31	1.16%
2004	1,600	60.49%	1,033	39.05%	12	0.45%
2000	1,281	57.21%	939	41.94%	19	0.85%
1996	1,046	50.51%	901	43.51%	124	5.99%
1992	1,094	46.20%	1,144	48.31%	130	5.49%
1988	1,118	63.67%	634	36.10%	4	0.23%
1984	1,246	63.67%	706	36.08%	5	0.26%
1980	1,319	62.75%	758	36.06%	25	1.19%
1976	986	50.72%	948	48.77%	10	0.51%
1972	957	72.23%	357	26.94%	11	0.83%
1968	884	59.41%	405	27.22%	199	13.37%
1964	935	56.22%	728	43.78%	0	0.00%
1960	1,154	67.05%	567	32.95%	0	0.00%
1956	985	63.30%	560	35.99%	11	0.71%
1952	1,003	64.71%	547	35.29%	0	0.00%
1948	849	59.08%	566	39.39%	22	1.53%
1944	761	63.52%	416	34.72%	21	1.75%
1940	830	55.63%	652	43.70%	10	0.67%
1936	651	58.13%	454	40.54%	15	1.34%
1932	681	48.09%	712	50.28%	23	1.62%
1928	745	65.70%	382	33.69%	7	0.62%
1924	676	51.06%	643	48.56%	5	0.38%
1920	896	59.61%	607	40.39%	0	0.00%
1916	501	54.52%	418	45.48%	0	0.00%
1912	355	39.44%	411	45.67%	134	14.89%

References

^ ^a ^b Anne-Leslie Owens, "Pickett County," Tennessee Encyclopedia of History and Culture. Retrieved: March 18, 2013.
^ ^a ^b "2020 Census Data". data.census.gov.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
^ "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on June 7, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2013.
^ Based on 2000 census data
^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved March 12, 2018.