County outline
Where Franklin County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 96.3% of Franklin County’s measured area and water for 3.7%. Its combined area converts to 1,491.2 square kilometers or approximately 368,481 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 554.5 | 1,436.148 | 354,880 |
| Water | 21.251 | 55.04 | 13,600.6 |
| Total | 575.751 | 1,491.188 | 368,480.6 |
How Franklin County compares
By original Census land area, Franklin County ranks #25 of 95 in Tennessee and #1873 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.271 times the Tennessee county-equivalent median of 436.1 square miles. It accounts for 1.3% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Tennessee ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Franklin County
The Census Bureau estimates that 45,579 people lived in Franklin County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,102 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #36 of 95 in Tennessee. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 42,767, the population has grown by 2,812 (+6.6%), compared with +5.8% for Tennessee as a whole.
With 554.5 square miles of land, that is 82 people per square mile (32 per km²), placing Franklin County #1,133 nationally for density and #45 in Tennessee. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Tennessee median is 76. Put another way, there are about 7.8 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 42,842 | 43,197 | 44,166 | 44,724 | 45,191 | 45,579 |
| Change | — | +355 | +969 | +558 | +467 | +388 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Franklin County
7 incorporated places lie at least partly in Franklin County. Together they are home to 19,854 people (43.6%); the other 25,725 (56.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Winchester city, with 10,438 residents in the county. By land, Tullahoma city is the largest at 23.4 mi² across all its counties. Among places with at least 1,000 residents in 2020, Winchester city grew fastest since then (+11.3%).
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winchester cityCounty seat | 10,438 | +11.3% | 11.3 |
| Estill Springs town | 2,692 | −0.3% | 4.837 |
| Decherd city | 2,499 | +5.2% | 4.825 |
| Cowan city | 1,799 | +2% | 2.114 |
| Tullahoma cityAlso in 1 other county | 1,480 | −0.3% | 23.4 |
| Huntland town | 887 | −0.1% | 1.524 |
| Monteagle townAlso in 2 other counties | 59 | +1.7% | 9.044 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Franklin County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Franklin County is a central county of the Winchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area. Franklin County is the area’s only county equivalent, so the micro area has the same 554.5 square miles of land. By combined land it ranks #395 of 542 micropolitan areas, and #266 by population. It belongs to the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro, TN Combined Statistical Area.
ZIP codes
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Franklin County; 9 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
37306373183732437328373303733537345373523735637366373753737637380373833738837398
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Franklin County
Franklin County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 2 in Alabama. It has more land than 4 of them. The largest neighbor is Jackson County (1,078 mi²) and the smallest is Moore County (129.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Franklin County forms a block of 4,421.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.5%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Franklin | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson CountyAlabama | 1,078 | 1.9× larger | Compare |
| Madison CountyAlabama | 801.7 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Lincoln County | 570.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Marion County | 498.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Coffee County | 429 | 1.3× smaller | Compare |
| Grundy County | 360.4 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
| Moore County | 129.2 | 4.3× smaller | Compare |
How big is Franklin County compared with U.S. states?
Franklin County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 1.9 times as much. Tennessee’s county land could hold about 74 areas the size of Franklin County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 23.5 miles (37.9 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Franklin County?
Franklin County has more land than 1,349 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Franklin County at #1,865 nationally by total area, 8 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 3.7%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 2.5 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Franklin County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1872 | Wayne County, Ohio | 555 | Compare |
| #1873 | Franklin County, Tennessee | 554.5 | This county |
| #1874 | Marion County, Iowa | 554.5 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 35.155926, -86.099203. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,436,148,683 m²; AWATER: 55,038,666 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Franklin County?
Franklin County, Tennessee has 554.5 square miles (1,436.1 km²) of land and 21.3 square miles of water, for a total area of 575.8 square miles. It ranks #1873 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Franklin County the largest county in Tennessee?
No. Franklin County ranks #25 of 95 in Tennessee by land area. The largest is Shelby County, with 752.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Franklin County?
Franklin County shares a land border with Jackson County, Alabama, Coffee County, Marion County, Moore County, Lincoln County, Grundy County, and Madison County, Alabama.
What is the population of Franklin County?
The Census Bureau estimates Franklin County had 45,579 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,102 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 82 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Franklin County?
The county seat of Franklin County is Winchester.
What cities and towns are in Franklin County?
Franklin County has 7 incorporated places. The most populous five are Winchester city, Estill Springs town, Decherd city, Cowan city, and Tullahoma city; 25,725 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Franklin County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is a central county of the Winchester, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.
How many ZIP codes are in Franklin County?
16 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Franklin County, and 9 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Franklin County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 1.9 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Franklin County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 354,880 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 368,481 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.