County outline
Where Morgan County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 99.9% of Morgan County’s measured area and water for 0.1%. Its combined area converts to 1,353.3 square kilometers or approximately 334,399 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 522.18 | 1,352.44 | 334,195.2 |
| Water | 0.318 | 0.824 | 203.5 |
| Total | 522.498 | 1,353.264 | 334,398.7 |
How Morgan County compares
By original Census land area, Morgan County ranks #33 of 95 in Tennessee and #2001 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 1.197 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 Morgan County
The Census Bureau estimates that 22,160 people lived in Morgan County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,768 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #64 of 95 in Tennessee. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 21,037, the population has grown by 1,123 (+5.3%), compared with +5.8% for Tennessee as a whole.
With 522.2 square miles of land, that is 42 people per square mile (16 per km²), placing Morgan County #1,700 nationally for density and #77 in Tennessee. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Tennessee median is 76. Put another way, there are about 15 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 21,051 | 21,137 | 21,184 | 21,542 | 22,075 | 22,160 |
| Change | — | +86 | +47 | +358 | +533 | +85 |
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 Morgan County
5 incorporated places lie at least partly in Morgan County. Together they are home to 1,743 people (7.9%); the other 20,417 (92.1%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Wartburg city, with 957 residents in the county. By land, Harriman city is the largest at 10.6 mi² across all its counties.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wartburg cityCounty seat | 957 | +4.6% | 1.127 |
| Sunbright city | 549 | +5.6% | 3.523 |
| Oakdale town | 201 | +5.2% | 0.874 |
| Oliver Springs townAlso in 2 other counties | 36 | +5.9% | 5.775 |
| Harriman cityAlso in 1 other county | 0 | — | 10.6 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Morgan County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Morgan County is an outlying county of the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its 9 county equivalents have 968,137 residents on 3,501 square miles of land; Morgan County accounts for 14.9% of the land and 2.3% of the residents. By combined land it ranks #81 of 393 metropolitan areas, and #61 by population. It belongs to the Knoxville-Morristown-Sevierville, TN Combined Statistical Area.
| County equivalent | Population 2025 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|
| Knox County | 511,453 | 508.4 |
| Blount County | 143,820 | 558.8 |
| Anderson County | 82,066 | 337.2 |
| Loudon County | 63,764 | 229.3 |
| Roane County | 57,395 | 360.8 |
| Campbell County | 40,290 | 480.2 |
| Grainger County | 25,739 | 280.6 |
| Morgan County | 22,160 | 522.2 |
| Union County | 21,450 | 223.6 |
ZIP codes
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morgan County; 8 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
377193772637733377483777037829378403784537852378543787237887
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 Morgan County
Morgan County shares a land border with 5 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Cumberland County (681.3 mi²) and the smallest is Anderson County (337.2 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Morgan County forms a block of 2,932.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 17.8%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Morgan | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | 681.3 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Scott County | 532.3 | about the same | Compare |
| Fentress County | 498.6 | about the same | Compare |
| Roane County | 360.8 | 1.4× smaller | Compare |
| Anderson County | 337.2 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Morgan County compared with U.S. states?
Morgan County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2 times as much. Tennessee’s county land could hold about 79 areas the size of Morgan County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 22.9 miles (36.8 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 Morgan County?
Morgan County has more land than 1,221 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 Morgan County at #2,096 nationally by total area, 95 places farther from the top than its land rank. Other county equivalents gain more area when their water measurements are included.
Its water share is 0.1%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 1.1 percentage points lower. 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 Morgan County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2000 | Hood River County, Oregon | 522.2 | Compare |
| #2001 | Morgan County, Tennessee | 522.2 | This county |
| #2002 | Kanabec County, Minnesota | 521.6 | 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 36.139692, -84.639774. 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: 1,352,439,673 m²; AWATER: 823,018 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 Morgan County?
Morgan County, Tennessee has 522.2 square miles (1,352.4 km²) of land and 0.318 square miles of water, for a total area of 522.5 square miles. It ranks #2001 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Morgan County the largest county in Tennessee?
No. Morgan County ranks #33 of 95 in Tennessee by land area. The largest is Shelby County, with 752.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Morgan County?
Morgan County shares a land border with Cumberland County, Roane County, Scott County, Fentress County, and Anderson County.
What is the population of Morgan County?
The Census Bureau estimates Morgan County had 22,160 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,768 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 42 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Morgan County?
The county seat of Morgan County is Wartburg.
What cities and towns are in Morgan County?
Morgan County has 5 incorporated places. The most populous are Wartburg city, Sunbright city, Oakdale town, Oliver Springs town, and Harriman city; 20,417 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Morgan County part of a metropolitan area?
Yes. It is an outlying county of the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has 9 county equivalents and 968,137 residents.
How many ZIP codes are in Morgan County?
12 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Morgan County, and 8 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Morgan County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Morgan County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 334,195 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 334,399 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.