The map above shows Kentucky and Tennessee side by side at exactly the same scale, using equal-area projections, so their true relative sizes are preserved.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Geography
Land area
- Kentucky has a land area of 39,485 square miles (102,267 km²), while Tennessee has 41,224 square miles (106,770 km²).
- Kentucky and Tennessee have about the same land area.
Total area
- Kentucky: 40,406 square miles (104,651 km²) vs Tennessee: 42,130 square miles (109,116 km²), including inland and coastal water.
- Kentucky and Tennessee have about the same total area.
Length
- Kentucky is 257 miles (414 km) long from north to south; Tennessee is 191 miles (308 km).
- Kentucky's north-south length is 1.3 times (35%) longer than Tennessee's.
Width
- Kentucky spans 418 miles (672 km) east to west; Tennessee spans 497 miles (800 km).
- Tennessee's east-west width is 1.2 times (19%) wider than Kentucky's.
Highest point
- Kentucky's highest point is Black Mountain at 4,134 feet (1,260 m); Tennessee's is Clingmans Dome at 6,624 feet (2,019 m).
- Clingmans Dome is 2,490 feet higher than Black Mountain.
Lowest point
- Kentucky's lowest point is Mississippi River at 270 feet; Tennessee's is Mississippi River at 178 feet.
- Tennessee's lowest point is 92 feet lower.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Population and History
Population
- Kentucky has a population of 4,588,372 (2024), while Tennessee has 7,227,750 (2024).
- Tennessee's population is 1.6 times (58%) larger than Kentucky's.
Population density
- Kentucky: 116.2 people per square mile vs Tennessee: 175.3.
- Tennessee's population density is 1.5 times (51%) higher than Kentucky's.
Biggest city
- Kentucky's biggest city is Louisville with 640,796 people; Tennessee's is Nashville with 704,963.
- Nashville's population is 1.1 times (10%) larger than Louisville's.
Largest metro area
- Kentucky's largest metropolitan area is Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area (2,302,815 people) vs Tennessee's Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area (2,150,553).
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area's population is 1.1 times (7%) larger than Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN metro area's.
History
- Kentucky: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1792, as the 15th state.
- Tennessee: Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state.
- In its current form, Kentucky is the older of the two by 4 years.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Economy
GDP
- Kentucky's GDP is $295.4 billion (2024) vs Tennessee's $561.2 billion.
- Tennessee's economic output is 1.9 times (90%) larger than Kentucky's.
GDP per capita
- Kentucky: $64,375 per person vs Tennessee: $77,645.
- Tennessee's GDP per capita is 1.2 times (21%) higher than Kentucky's.
Average income
- Kentucky: $58,256 vs Tennessee: $66,504 average income per person (per capita personal income).
- Tennessee's average income is 1.1 times (14%) higher than Kentucky's.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Counties
Number of counties
- Kentucky has 120 counties, while Tennessee has 95.
- Kentucky's county count is 1.3 times (26%) higher than Tennessee's.
Biggest county by area
- Kentucky's largest county is Pike County at 786 square miles; Tennessee's is Shelby County at 753 square miles.
- Pike County and Shelby County have about the same land area.
Smallest county by area
- Kentucky: Gallatin County (98 sq mi) vs Tennessee: Trousdale County (114 sq mi).
- Trousdale County's land area is 1.2 times (16%) larger than Gallatin County's.
Most populous county
- Kentucky: Jefferson County (793,881 people) vs Tennessee: Shelby County (910,530 people).
- Shelby County's population is 1.1 times (15%) larger than Jefferson County's.
Least populous county
- Kentucky: Robertson County (2,382 people) vs Tennessee: Pickett County (5,108 people).
- Pickett County's population is 2.1 times (114%) larger than Robertson County's.
Richest county
- Kentucky: Oldham County ($87,137 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Williamson County ($139,704).
- Williamson County's income is 1.6 times (60%) richer than Oldham County's.
Poorest county
- Kentucky: Elliott County ($31,817 per capita income) vs Tennessee: Lake County ($31,572).
- Elliott County and Lake County have about the same income.
Kentucky vs Tennessee Taxes
State income tax
- Kentucky has a top income tax rate of 3.5%, while Tennessee has no state income tax.
- Kentucky's top rate is 3.5 percentage points higher.
Property tax
- Kentucky: 0.71% effective rate vs Tennessee: 0.45% of home value per year.
- Kentucky's rate is 0.26 percentage points higher.
Sales tax
- Kentucky: 6% combined state and average local rate vs Tennessee: 9.61%.
- Tennessee's combined rate is 3.61 percentage points higher.
Official Websites
Kentucky official website · Tennessee official website
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More Size Comparisons
All Kentucky size comparisons · All Tennessee size comparisons
Area, elevation and boundary figures come from official national statistics and US Census Bureau and Natural Earth boundary data; US state population, economic, county and tax figures come from the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Economic Analysis and the Tax Foundation. Figures are rounded and for general reference.