Fayette County is a county in Tennessee, United States, on the Mississippi state line east of Memphis. It had a population of 41,990 at the 2020 census and covers 705 square miles (1,826 km2) of land, centred near 35°11′N 89°25′W.
Somerville is the county seat, and its postal code is 38068. The county has nine incorporated towns and cities, several unincorporated communities, and lies in the Central time zone. Its FIPS code is 47047.
Towns & Villages in Fayette County
Fayette County has nine incorporated municipalities, all chartered as towns, plus a scatter of unincorporated crossroads communities. Population figures below are 2020 census counts where confirmed; unconfirmed cells are marked with an em dash.
| Place | Type | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerville | Town · seat | — | 38068 |
| Oakland | Town | — | 38060 |
| Piperton | Town | — | — |
| Moscow | Town | — | 38057 |
| Rossville | Town | — | 38066 |
| Gallaway | Town | — | 38036 |
| La Grange | Town | — | 38046 |
| Williston | Town | — | 38076 |
| Braden | Town | — | 38010 |
| Grand Junction | Town | — | — |
| Hickory Withe | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Laconia | Unincorp. | — | 38045 |
| Liberty Hill | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Macon | Unincorp. | — | 38048 |
| Fisherville | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Yum Yum | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Zu Zu | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Mount Moriah | Unincorp. | — | — |
| New Bethel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Feathers Chapel | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Longtown | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Forty Five | Unincorp. | — | — |
| Rossville Junction | Unincorp. | — | — |
Grand Junction straddles the Fayette–Hardeman county line; the settlement itself is counted here on the Fayette side. Piperton has no dedicated post office and is served through nearby Collierville in neighboring Shelby County.
ZIP Codes
- 38068 — Somerville
- 38060 — Oakland
- 38057 — Moscow
- 38066 — Rossville
- 38076 — Williston
- 38036 — Gallaway (PO Box only)
- 38046 — La Grange (PO Box only)
- 38010 — Braden (PO Box only)
- 38045 — Laconia (PO Box only)
- 38048 — Macon (PO Box only)
Piperton, Grand Junction and the smaller crossroads communities have no ZIP code of their own and are served by these nearby post offices.
Geography
Fayette County sits on the Coastal Plain of West Tennessee, a landscape of gently rolling farmland and hardwood bottoms drained by the Wolf River and the Loosahatchie River. The county has the third-largest land area of any county in Tennessee. Its terrain and plantation-era cotton history give it a character closer to the Mississippi Delta than to the rest of West Tennessee.
Fayette County borders Haywood County to the north, Hardeman County to the east, Shelby County to the west, and Tipton County to the northwest, all in Tennessee. Across the state line to the south lies Marshall County, Mississippi, and to the southeast, Benton County, Mississippi.
Demographics
Fayette County had 41,990 residents at the 2020 census. Oakland and Somerville are the county’s two largest communities. The Tennessee median household income is $67,631; Fayette County has historically run below that figure, reflecting its rural, agricultural economy, though a recent wave of suburban growth near the Shelby County line is pushing local incomes upward. Density works out to roughly 60 people per square mile.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture remains central to Fayette County’s economy, with cotton, soybeans and cattle on the bottomland east of Somerville. Oakland and Piperton, both on the edge of the Memphis metro, have grown quickly as bedroom communities with new subdivisions and retail along US-64 and I-269. Somerville is the county’s civic and retail center, home to the Fayette County Courthouse and county schools.
History
Fayette County was organized on September 29, 1824, from parts of Shelby and Hardeman counties. It is named for the Marquis de Lafayette, the French general who served as a Continental Army officer during the American Revolution. Before the Civil War, the county’s economy rested on cotton plantations worked by enslaved people, and its rural culture still echoes the Mississippi Delta more than the rest of West Tennessee. In the 1960s, Fayette County was a flashpoint of the civil rights movement, as Black sharecroppers and tenant farmers who registered to vote were evicted from their land, prompting the “Tent City” protest encampments that drew national attention.
Getting There
US-64 runs east–west through the county through Somerville and Oakland, and I-269 crosses the northwest corner near Piperton, linking the county to the Memphis interstate loop.
- Memphis, Tennessee — about 35 miles west
- Jackson, Tennessee — about 55 miles northeast
- Holly Springs, Mississippi — about 25 miles south
- Bolivar, Tennessee — about 20 miles east
Memphis International Airport, in neighboring Shelby County, is the nearest commercial airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Fayette County, Tennessee?
It is in southwestern Tennessee, on the Mississippi state line east of Memphis.
What is the population of Fayette County?
41,990 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Fayette County?
705 square miles (1,826 km2) of land, the third-largest land area of any Tennessee county.
What is the county seat of Fayette County?
Somerville is the county seat.
How many towns are in Fayette County?
Nine incorporated towns — Somerville, Oakland, Piperton, Moscow, Rossville, Gallaway, La Grange, Williston and Braden — plus Grand Junction, which straddles the Hardeman County line, and a number of unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Fayette County?
The main ones are 38068 (Somerville), 38060 (Oakland), 38057 (Moscow), 38066 (Rossville) and 38076 (Williston), plus several PO-Box-only ZIPs for smaller towns.
Why is Fayette County named as it is?
It honors the Marquis de Lafayette, the French officer who fought alongside American forces in the Revolutionary War.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Tennessee.