Sevier County, Tennessee

Sevier County is a county in Tennessee, United States, about 30 miles southeast of Knoxville.
It had a population of 98,380 at the 2020 census, an estimated 99,652 by 2024, and covers 598
square miles (1,549 km2) centred near 35°47′N 83°31′W.

Sevierville is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 37862. The
county holds 3 incorporated cities, 1 incorporated town, 2 census-designated places and 15
unincorporated communities, and it runs on Eastern Time.

Towns & Villages in Sevier County

Sevier County has 21 named places with verified Census recognition: 3 incorporated cities, 1
incorporated town, 2 census-designated places, and 15 smaller unincorporated communities. Most
of the county’s land outside the Pigeon Forge–Gatlinburg tourist corridor is unincorporated
mountain and river-valley territory.

Seymour straddles the Sevier–Blount county line; the population above is the full CDP
figure and part of it lies over the border in Blount County. Strawberry Plains, mostly in
Jefferson and Knox counties, extends only a small unincorporated corner into northern Sevier
County, so it isn’t listed as a separate Sevier County place here.

ZIP Codes

• 37862 — Sevierville (also serves Boyds Creek and Wears Valley)
• 37876 — Sevierville, east side (also serves Pittman Center and Fairgarden)
• 37764 — Sevierville, Kodak
• 37864 — Sevierville, west side
• 37738 — Gatlinburg
• 37863 — Pigeon Forge
• 37868 — Pigeon Forge, Dollywood area
• 37865 — Seymour

Alder Branch, Beech Springs, Catlettsburg, Caton, Cherokee Hills, DuPont, Locust Ridge,
Oldham, Reagantown, Richardson Cove, Shady Grove and Whites School have no ZIP of their own;
mail for these crossroads communities routes through the nearest Sevierville or Gatlinburg post
office.

Geography

Sevier County lies in the eastern part of Tennessee, in the Appalachian region, running from
broad river valleys in the north up to the crest of the Great Smoky
Mountains along its southern edge. Kuwohi, formerly named Clingmans Dome, rises to 6,643 feet
inside the county and is the highest point in Tennessee. Land covers 593 square miles of the
total, with 5.2 square miles of water. The Little Pigeon River drains the tourist corridor
through Pigeon Forge and Sevierville, and the French Broad River forms part of the county’s
northern edge, feeding Douglas Lake near the Jefferson County line.

Sevier County borders Jefferson County
to the north, Cocke County to the east,
Haywood County, North Carolina to the southeast, Swain County, North Carolina to the south,
Blount County to the west, and
Knox County to the northwest.

Demographics

Sevier County had a population of 98,380 at the 2020 census, estimated at 99,652 by 2024. Its
two largest communities are Sevierville, with 17,889 residents, and the unincorporated Seymour
CDP, with 14,705. Median household income was $62,581 as of the 2024 American Community Survey
estimate, below the Tennessee state figure of $67,631 (2023 ACS). Population density runs about
166 people per square mile.

Economy & Local Life

Tourism drives the county’s economy. Retail trade employs about 7,335 workers and
accommodation and food service about 7,216, the two largest sectors, with construction third at
roughly 4,976. Dollywood and its water park, Dollywood’s Splash Country, anchor Pigeon Forge’s
tourism industry; Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies anchors Gatlinburg’s. The Sevier County School
District runs the public schools countywide. Wilderness Wildlife Week, a free outdoor-recreation
festival, draws visitors to Pigeon Forge each January.

History

Sevier County was formed on September 18, 1794, from part of neighboring Jefferson County,
and takes its name from John Sevier, Tennessee’s first governor. The county voted overwhelmingly
against secession in 1861, 1,528 to 60, and Republicans have carried it in nearly every
presidential election since. The 1934 opening of Great Smoky Mountains National Park remade the
local economy: Gatlinburg drew an estimated 40,000 visitors in the park’s first year and 500,000
within a year of that. In November 2016, wildfires swept into Gatlinburg and the surrounding
hills, killing 14 people, destroying more than 2,400 structures and causing over $500 million in
damage; Wears Valley lost roughly 80 homes in the same fires.

Getting There

No interstate crosses Sevier County directly. Interstate 40 runs through neighboring Knox and
Jefferson counties and is reached via US Route 411 or State Route 66. US Route 441 (the Newfound
Gap Road) carries traffic south through Gatlinburg into the national park and on to North
Carolina; US Route 321 and US Route 411 handle the rest of the county’s through-traffic.

• Knoxville — 30 miles northwest
• Asheville, North Carolina — 55 miles southeast, through the national park
• Maryville — 20 miles west
• Newport — 15 miles east

The nearest commercial airport is McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS) in Knoxville, about 35 miles
northwest. Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge Airport (KGKT), a small general-aviation field, sits in
Sevierville. No Amtrak line reaches Sevier County.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sevier County, Tennessee?
Sevier County is a county in Tennessee, United States, in the eastern part of the state along
the North Carolina line, about 30 miles southeast of Knoxville.

What is the population of Sevier County?
Sevier County had a population of 98,380 at the 2020 census, estimated at 99,652 by 2024.

How big is Sevier County?
Sevier County covers 598 square miles (1,549 km2), including 5.2 square miles of water.

What is the county seat of Sevier County?
Sevierville is the county seat and the county’s largest city.

How many towns and villages are in Sevier County?
Sevier County has 21 named places on record: 3 cities, 1 incorporated town, 2 census-designated
places and 15 smaller unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes serve Sevier County?
Sevierville uses 37862, 37864, 37764 and 37876; Gatlinburg uses 37738; Pigeon Forge uses 37863
and 37868; Seymour uses 37865.

What caused the 2016 Gatlinburg wildfires?
Drought conditions and high winds spread fires that started in the national park into
Gatlinburg and Wears Valley in late November 2016, killing 14 people and destroying more than
2,400 structures.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Tennessee.