Sullivan County, Tennessee

Sullivan County is a county in Tennessee, United States, in the state’s northeastern
corner along the Virginia line, about 105 miles northeast of Knoxville. It had a population of
158,163 at the 2020 census, an estimated 163,759 by 2025, and covers 430 square miles (1,113
km2) centred near 36°31′N 82°18′W.

Blountville is the county seat — the only Tennessee county seat that is not an incorporated
city or town; its postal code is 37617. The county holds 4 cities (three of them shared with
neighboring counties), 7 census-designated places and 10 unincorporated communities, and it
runs on Eastern Time.

Towns & Villages in Sullivan County

Sullivan County has 21 named places on record: 4 incorporated cities, 7 census-designated
places (CDPs) — areas the Census Bureau tracks for statistics but that have no city
government of their own — and 10 unincorporated communities with no formal boundary or
population count. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural
communities.

Three places on this list straddle county lines, and their population figures above are
citywide, not Sullivan County-only. Kingsport is mostly in Sullivan but a western edge reaches
into Hawkins County. Johnson City is overwhelmingly in Washington County, with only a small
northern slice inside Sullivan and a smaller piece in Carter County. Spurgeon splits between
Sullivan and Washington counties outright. Cedar Grove (east) and Cedar Grove (west) are two
separate historic communities, not a duplicate listing.

ZIP Codes

• 37660 — Kingsport (also covers Bloomingdale)
• 37662, 37665 — Kingsport
• 37669 — Kingsport (post office boxes)
• 37663 — Colonial Heights and Spurgeon’s Sullivan County side
• 37664 — Orebank (Kingsport-administered)
• 37617 — Blountville
• 37618 — Bluff City
• 37620 — Bristol
• 37621, 37625 — Bristol (37625 is a post office box code)
• 37615 — the Sullivan County portion of Johnson City and Spurgeon

Sullivan Gardens, Walnut Hill and the ten unincorporated communities have no ZIP code of their
own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated place’s code.

Geography

Sullivan County straddles two physiographic regions: the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians in the
west and the Blue Ridge Mountains in the east, where Holston Mountain rises to 4,284 feet, the
county’s highest point. Of the county’s 430 square miles, 413 are land and 16 are
water, about 3.7 percent — most of it the South Fork Holston River and Boone Lake, a
Tennessee Valley Authority reservoir that supplies hydroelectric power and recreation along the
county’s eastern side.

Scott County, Virginia lies to the north, Washington County, Virginia to the northeast, Johnson
County, Tennessee to the east, Carter County, Tennessee to the southeast, Washington County,
Tennessee to the south, and Hawkins County, Tennessee to the west. The independent city of
Bristol, Virginia also borders the county directly on the northeast, sharing State Street with
its Tennessee twin. Scott
County, Washington County,
Virginia, Johnson
County, Carter County,
Washington County,
Tennessee and Hawkins County all
border Sullivan directly.

Demographics

Sullivan County had a population of 158,163 at the 2020 census, and the latest Census Bureau
estimate puts the county near 163,759 residents by 2025. Kingsport and Bristol are the two
largest communities, together holding well over half the county’s population even before
counting Johnson City’s small Sullivan County slice. Median household income runs $58,807
(2024 estimate), below Tennessee’s statewide figure of $67,631 (2023 ACS). Population
density works out to roughly 383 people per square mile of land, reflecting the county’s
place at the center of the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA metropolitan area, part of the larger
Kingsport-Johnson City-Bristol “Tri-Cities” combined statistical area.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance employs the most workers in the county, about 10,830 people,
followed by retail trade at 10,222 and manufacturing at 9,628. Eastman Chemical Company, one of
the world’s largest chemical manufacturers, keeps its world headquarters in Kingsport and
employs about 6,500 people there. Ballad Health’s Holston Valley Hospital in Kingsport
employs 1,355, Kingsport City Schools 1,147, and defense contractor BAE Systems 948. Bristol is
home to Alpha Metallurgical Resources, the world’s fifth-largest coal producer, and to
Bristol Motor Speedway, whose half-mile NASCAR oval anchors a motorsports and tourism economy
disproportionate to the city’s size. The county’s biggest annual event is the NASCAR
Cup Series’ Bass Pro Shops Night Race at the Speedway each September, run under lights
before crowds well beyond the county’s own population.

History

Sullivan County was organized in 1779, carved out of Washington County and made Tennessee’s
second-oldest county. It was named for John Sullivan, a Patriot general in the Revolutionary War.
The territory was briefly part of Franklin, a breakaway would-be state, between 1784 and 1788,
before Tennessee joined the Union in 1796. Blountville, founded in 1795 and named for territorial
governor William Blount, became the county seat.

The county saw Civil War action on 22 September 1863, when Union cavalry fought Confederate
troops through Blountville for four hours in the Battle of Blountville, burning much of the
town’s courthouse square. Bristol’s 1927 recording sessions, later recognized by the
U.S. Congress as the “Birthplace of Country Music,” captured some of the first
commercial country music recordings, including the debuts of Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter
Family.

Getting There

Interstate 26 and Interstate 81 cross the county. US Routes 11E, 11W, 19, 19E, 19W, 23 and 421
also run through Sullivan County.

• Johnson City — about 15 miles south
• Knoxville — about 105 miles southwest
• Asheville, North Carolina — about 100 miles south
• Roanoke, Virginia — about 95 miles northeast

Tri-Cities Regional Airport sits inside the county at Blountville, next to Kingsport’s
city limits, and offers flights on Allegiant, American Eagle, Breeze, Delta Connection and
United Express to hubs including Atlanta, Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth. No Amtrak line
reaches Sullivan County.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Sullivan County located?
It sits in Tennessee’s northeastern corner along the Virginia line, part of the Tri-Cities
region, bordered by Scott, Washington (VA), Johnson, Carter, Washington (TN) and Hawkins
counties.

What is the population of Sullivan County?
158,163 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 163,759.

How big is Sullivan County?
430 square miles (1,113 km2), of which 413 square miles are land.

What is the county seat of Sullivan County?
Blountville, founded in 1795 — the only Tennessee county seat that has never incorporated
as a city or town.

How many towns and cities are in Sullivan County?
Four incorporated cities — Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol (all shared with
neighboring counties) and Bluff City — plus seven census-designated places and ten
unincorporated communities.

What ZIP codes does Sullivan County use?
37617 for Blountville, 37618 for Bluff City, 37620/37621/37625 for Bristol, and
37660/37662/37663/37664/37665/37669 for Kingsport and its CDPs.

What is Sullivan County known for?
Bristol Motor Speedway’s NASCAR Night Race, Bristol’s 1927 sessions that helped
launch commercial country music, and Eastman Chemical’s world headquarters in Kingsport.

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