Overton County, Tennessee


Overton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 22,511. Its county seat is Livingston. Overton County is part of the Cookeville, TN Micropolitan Statistical Area.

History

On May 10, 1933, a half-mile wide F4 tornado struck the small community of Beatty Swamps. The tornado destroyed every structure in the town and either killed or injured nearly every inhabitant, with 33 of the 35 deaths occurring in the area. Much of the area was swept clean of debris, a reaper-binder was thrown, and cars were moved hundreds of feet.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.
Overton County straddles the Eastern Highland Rim, and generally consists of low, rolling hills divided by narrow creek valleys. The backwaters of Dale Hollow Lake, namely the Mitchell Creek and Big Eagle Creek sections, spill over into the northern part of the county. The county is located on the Cumberland Plateau.
Unlike most of Tennessee, a small part of northern Overton County is outside of the Sun Belt due to a past error surveying the northern border of Middle and East Tennessee. Overton County, neighboring Jackson County to the west and neighboring Fentress County to the east are the only three Tennessee counties to have areas north of the Sun Belt without bordering Kentucky nor Virginia. The Sun Belt is defined by the Kinder Institute as being south of 36°30'N latitude, which was intended to be the northern border of Tennessee and is the actual northern border of West Tennessee.

Adjacent counties

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 22,511, with 9,147 households and 6,220 families residing in the county. The median age was 44.4 years, with 21.7% of residents under the age of 18 and 21.5% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 99.9 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.6 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 94.8% White, 0.4% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% Asian, <0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.5% from some other race, and 3.8% from two or more races; Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.5% of the population.
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.
Of the 9,147 households, 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 52.2% were married-couple households, 17.8% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 24.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 27.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 10,329 housing units, of which 11.4% were vacant; among occupied housing units, 77.8% were owner-occupied and 22.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 20,118 people, 8,110 households, and 5,920 families residing in the county. The population density was. There were 9,168 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 94.59% White, 0.28% Black or African American, 2.28% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 2.69% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 8,110 households, out of which 29.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.20% were married couples living together, 9.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.00% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 25.90% from 45 to 64, and 15.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $26,915, and the median income for a family was $32,156. Males had a median income of $25,287 versus $19,674 for females. The per capita income for the county was $13,910. About 12.30% of families and 16.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 20.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Town

Overton County was once a Democratic stronghold. Starting in 2008, the county has consistently voted Republican by increasing margins. In 2024, Republican Donald Trump won over 80% of the county's vote, the best-ever performance by a Republican.