County outline
Where Perry County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 98.1% of Perry County’s measured area and water for 1.9%. Its combined area converts to 1,095.2 square kilometers or approximately 270,635 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 414.769 | 1,074.247 | 265,452.2 |
| Water | 8.098 | 20.974 | 5,182.7 |
| Total | 422.867 | 1,095.221 | 270,634.9 |
How Perry County compares
By original Census land area, Perry County ranks #55 of 95 in Tennessee and #2440 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.951 times the Tennessee county-equivalent median of 436.1 square miles. It accounts for 1% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Tennessee ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Perry County
The Census Bureau estimates that 9,126 people lived in Perry County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #2,551 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #88 of 95 in Tennessee. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 8,384, the population has grown by 742 (+8.9%), compared with +5.8% for Tennessee as a whole.
With 414.8 square miles of land, that is 22 people per square mile (8.5 per km²), placing Perry County #2,249 nationally for density and #95 in Tennessee. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Tennessee median is 76. Put another way, there are about 29 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 8,383 | 8,496 | 8,692 | 8,927 | 8,986 | 9,126 |
| Change | — | +113 | +196 | +235 | +59 | +140 |
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 Perry County
2 incorporated places lie at least partly in Perry County. Together they are home to 2,155 people (23.6%); the other 6,971 (76.4%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Linden town, with 1,161 residents in the county. By land, Lobelville city is the largest at 3.752 mi².
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Linden townCounty seat | 1,161 | +15.8% | 1.005 |
| Lobelville city | 994 | +7.9% | 3.752 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Perry County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Perry County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Perry County; 2 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
37033370963709738425
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 Perry County
Perry County shares a land border with 6 county equivalents. It has more land than 3 of them. The largest neighbor is Wayne County (734.1 mi²) and the smallest is Lewis County (282.1 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Perry County forms a block of 3,302.4 mi² of land, of which it holds 12.6%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Perry | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne County | 734.1 | 1.8× larger | Compare |
| Hickman County | 612.5 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Humphreys County | 530.8 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Benton County | 394.3 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
| Decatur County | 333.9 | 1.2× smaller | Compare |
| Lewis County | 282.1 | 1.5× smaller | Compare |
How big is Perry County compared with U.S. states?
Perry County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.5 times as much. Tennessee’s county land could hold about 99 areas the size of Perry County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.4 miles (32.8 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 Perry County?
Perry County has more land than 782 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 Perry County at #2,480 nationally by total area, 40 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 1.9%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 0.7 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 Perry County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2439 | Anne Arundel County, Maryland | 414.8 | Compare |
| #2440 | Perry County, Tennessee | 414.8 | This county |
| #2441 | Grant County, Indiana | 414.1 | 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 35.663752, -87.869326. 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: 1,074,247,884 m²; AWATER: 20,972,800 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 Perry County?
Perry County, Tennessee has 414.8 square miles (1,074.2 km²) of land and 8.098 square miles of water, for a total area of 422.9 square miles. It ranks #2440 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Perry County the largest county in Tennessee?
No. Perry County ranks #55 of 95 in Tennessee by land area. The largest is Shelby County, with 752.8 square miles of land.
What counties border Perry County?
Perry County shares a land border with Decatur County, Hickman County, Wayne County, Humphreys County, Lewis County, and Benton County.
What is the population of Perry County?
The Census Bureau estimates Perry County had 9,126 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #2,551 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 22 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Perry County?
The county seat of Perry County is Linden.
What cities and towns are in Perry County?
Perry County has 2 incorporated places. The most populous are Linden town and Lobelville city; 6,971 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Perry County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Perry County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Perry County?
4 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Perry County, and 2 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Perry County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.5 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Perry County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 265,452 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 270,635 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.