Van Buren County, Tennessee | |
|---|---|
 Van Buren County Courthouse in Spencer | |
 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofTennessee | |
| Coordinates:35°41′N85°28′W / 35.69°N 85.46°W /35.69; -85.46 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Tennessee |
| Founded | January 3, 1840 |
| Named after | Martin Van Buren[1] |
| Seat | Spencer |
| Largest town | Spencer |
| Area | |
• Total | 275 sq mi (710 km2) |
| • Land | 273 sq mi (710 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) 0.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 6,168 |
• Estimate (2024)[2] | 6,686 |
| • Density | 24.5/sq mi (9.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Area code | 423,931 |
| Congressional district | 6th |
| Website | vanburencountytn |
Van Buren County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofTennessee. As of the2020 census, the population was 6,168, making it the second-least populous county in Tennessee.[3] Itscounty seat isSpencer.[4]
Van Buren County was formed in 1840 from parts ofWhite,Warren andBledsoe counties. It was named for PresidentMartin Van Buren.[1] The county seat, Spencer, was home toBurritt College, one of the South's first coeducational colleges, during the 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 275 square miles (710 km2), of which 273 square miles (710 km2) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (0.4%) is water.[5] The county straddles the western edge of theCumberland Plateau, with the eastern portion of the county lying atop the Plateau, and the western portion lying on the lowerHighland Rim.[1] TheCaney Fork, the county's primary drainage, forms part of its northern border with White County. TheRocky River, a tributary of the Caney Fork, forms part of the county's western border with Warren. Cane Creek, another tributary of the Caney Fork, drains the Fall Creek Falls area.
Big Bone Cave is located in the northwest corner of Van Buren County. It is one of the best-known and most historic caverns in Tennessee. It was mined by prehistoric Indians forgypsum and salts and was the site of the largestsaltpeter mine in Tennessee during theWar of 1812 and again during theAmerican Civil War. The cave is named for the discovery of the skeleton of aGiant Ground Sloth (Megalonyx jeffersoni) by saltpeter miners in 1811. Many of the wooden saltpeter mining artifacts in the cave remain in a remarkable state of preservation, due to the extreme dryness of the cave.[6][7]
Van Buren County boasts over 850 documented caves (over 3.09 caves per square mile), making it one of the most cave dense regions in the world (nearby White County has over 3.17 caves per square mile).[8]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 2,674 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,581 | −3.5% | |
| 1870 | 2,725 | 5.6% | |
| 1880 | 2,933 | 7.6% | |
| 1890 | 2,863 | −2.4% | |
| 1900 | 3,126 | 9.2% | |
| 1910 | 2,784 | −10.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,624 | −5.7% | |
| 1930 | 3,516 | 34.0% | |
| 1940 | 4,090 | 16.3% | |
| 1950 | 3,985 | −2.6% | |
| 1960 | 3,671 | −7.9% | |
| 1970 | 3,758 | 2.4% | |
| 1980 | 4,728 | 25.8% | |
| 1990 | 4,846 | 2.5% | |
| 2000 | 5,508 | 13.7% | |
| 2010 | 5,548 | 0.7% | |
| 2020 | 6,168 | 11.2% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,686 | 8.4% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2020[13] 2020[3][2] | |||
| Race | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| White (non-Hispanic) | 5,866 | 95.1% |
| Black or African American (non-Hispanic) | 20 | 0.32% |
| Native American | 7 | 0.11% |
| Asian | 10 | 0.16% |
| Pacific Islander | 1 | 0.02% |
| Other/Mixed | 181 | 2.93% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 83 | 1.35% |
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 6,168 and 1,545 families residing in the county.[15] The median age was 46.9 years; 21.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 23.5% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 97.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 98.0 males age 18 and over.[15]
The racial makeup of the county was 95.5%White, 0.4%Black or African American, 0.1%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.2% from some other race, and 3.7% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.3% of the population.[16]
<0.1% of residents lived in urban areas, while 100.0% lived in rural areas.[17]
There were 2,459 households in the county, of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 52.3% were married-couple households, 18.2% 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 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 2,901 housing units, of which 15.2% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 83.3% were owner-occupied and 16.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 2.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 8.4%.[15]
As of the 2010census,[18] there were 5,548 people and 2,096 households in the county. Thepopulation density was 20.3 people per square mile (7.8 people/km2). There were 2,673 housing units at an average density of 9.8 units per square mile (3.8/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.5%White, 0.7%Black orAfrican American, 0.3%Native American, 0.2%Asian, and 0.9% from two or more races. 0.9% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 2,096 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% weremarried couples living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals, while 30.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43. 82.6% of occupied housing units were owner-occupied, meaning that 17.4% were renter-occupied.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.2% up to the age of 19, 8.8% from 20 to 29, 12.4% from 30 to 39, 13.4% from 40 to 49, 16.8% from 50 to 59, 14.7% from 60 to 69, and 10.7% who were 70 years of age or older. The median age was 44.5 years. Women make up 50.2% of the population.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,087. Theper capita income for the county was $17,160. 24.6% of the population were below thepoverty line.
Van Buren County is home to a portion ofFall Creek Falls State Resort Park.
Van Buren County Schools operates public schools.
For many decades, Van Buren county was a reliably Democratic county at the presidential level, voting for the Democratic candidate for president in all but two elections from 1880 to 2004. This trend has reversed dramatically in recent years, with Republican candidates winning the county in each of the past four elections. In 2024, RepublicanDonald Trump won the highest share of the vote for a Republican presidential candidate ever in Van Buren County, earning 83.3% of the vote.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 106 | 27.53% | 225 | 58.44% | 54 | 14.03% |
| 1916 | 151 | 26.58% | 405 | 71.30% | 12 | 2.11% |
| 1920 | 223 | 38.32% | 351 | 60.31% | 8 | 1.37% |
| 1924 | 123 | 25.47% | 357 | 73.91% | 3 | 0.62% |
| 1928 | 257 | 49.71% | 260 | 50.29% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 196 | 23.53% | 613 | 73.59% | 24 | 2.88% |
| 1936 | 251 | 26.67% | 690 | 73.33% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 318 | 30.20% | 732 | 69.52% | 3 | 0.28% |
| 1944 | 291 | 35.49% | 526 | 64.15% | 3 | 0.37% |
| 1948 | 298 | 30.47% | 636 | 65.03% | 44 | 4.50% |
| 1952 | 393 | 36.12% | 674 | 61.95% | 21 | 1.93% |
| 1956 | 381 | 38.45% | 602 | 60.75% | 8 | 0.81% |
| 1960 | 401 | 40.30% | 577 | 57.99% | 17 | 1.71% |
| 1964 | 293 | 25.30% | 865 | 74.70% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 327 | 29.30% | 282 | 25.27% | 507 | 45.43% |
| 1972 | 629 | 61.61% | 364 | 35.65% | 28 | 2.74% |
| 1976 | 346 | 23.99% | 1,085 | 75.24% | 11 | 0.76% |
| 1980 | 499 | 35.54% | 886 | 63.11% | 19 | 1.35% |
| 1984 | 718 | 46.78% | 810 | 52.77% | 7 | 0.46% |
| 1988 | 780 | 49.37% | 796 | 50.38% | 4 | 0.25% |
| 1992 | 555 | 26.68% | 1,329 | 63.89% | 196 | 9.42% |
| 1996 | 504 | 30.31% | 1,010 | 60.73% | 149 | 8.96% |
| 2000 | 845 | 39.65% | 1,255 | 58.89% | 31 | 1.45% |
| 2004 | 1,120 | 47.72% | 1,209 | 51.51% | 18 | 0.77% |
| 2008 | 1,294 | 58.66% | 849 | 38.49% | 63 | 2.86% |
| 2012 | 1,386 | 60.26% | 875 | 38.04% | 39 | 1.70% |
| 2016 | 1,820 | 75.24% | 539 | 22.28% | 60 | 2.48% |
| 2020 | 2,342 | 80.18% | 544 | 18.62% | 35 | 1.20% |
| 2024 | 2,718 | 83.25% | 524 | 16.05% | 23 | 0.70% |
Places adjacent to Van Buren County, Tennessee | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofVan Buren County, Tennessee,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
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