Marshall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,318. Its county seat is Lewisburg. Marshall County comprises the Lewisburg Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is in Middle Tennessee, one of the three Grand Divisions of the state.

The Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association is based here. In addition, the fainting goat is another animal breed developed here. To celebrate this unique breed, the county holds an annual festival known as "Goats, Music and More," drawing visitors from around the world.

Marshall County was created in 1836 from parts of Giles, Bedford, Lincoln, and Maury counties. Marshall County was originally to be named Cannon County, but due to a clerical error at the time of formation, the names of Marshall and Cannon counties, both formed in 1836, were accidentally swapped and never corrected. It was named after the American jurist John Marshall, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

The economy was based on agriculture in the antebellum years and well into the twentieth century. Planters had depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans to work the commodity crops of tobacco and hemp, as well as care for thoroughbred horses and other quality livestock. The breed known as the Tennessee Walking Horse was developed here.

After the war, blacks and whites struggled to adjust to emancipation and a free labor market. Freedmen founded Needmore as a community in Marshall County after the Civil War where they could live as neighbors and be relatively free of white supervision.

Whites committed violence against freedmen to re-establish and maintain dominance after the war. In the period after Reconstruction and into the early 20th century, whites in Marshall County committed eight lynchings of African Americans. This was the fifth-highest total of any county in the state, but three other counties, including two nearby, also had eight lynchings each.

Among these lynchings were the murders of John Milligan (also spelled Millikin) and John L. Hunter in the Needmore settlement near the county seat of Lewisburg in August 1903. Governor James B. Frazier offered a reward for information, as Whitecaps were blamed for the deaths, and the state was trying to eliminate this secret, vigilante group. In the early 20th century, numerous African Americans left the county during the period of the Great Migration to northern and midwestern industrial cities for work.

Three Tennessee governors— Henry Horton, Jim Nance McCord, and Buford Ellington— were each living in Marshall County at the time of their election as governor.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 376 square miles (970 km), of which 375 square miles (970 km) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km) (0.2%) is water. The Duck River drains much of the county.

• Rutherford County (northeast)
• Bedford County (east)
• Lincoln County (southeast)
• Giles County (southwest)
• Maury County (west)
• Williamson County (northwest)

• Henry Horton State Park
• Wilson School Road Forest and Cedar Glades State Natural Area

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1840	14,555		—
1850	15,616		7.3%
1860	14,592		−6.6%
1870	16,207		11.1%
1880	19,259		18.8%
1890	18,906		−1.8%
1900	18,763		−0.8%
1910	16,872		−10.1%
1920	17,375		3.0%
1930	15,574		−10.4%
1940	16,030		2.9%
1950	17,768		10.8%
1960	16,859		−5.1%
1970	17,319		2.7%
1980	19,698		13.7%
1990	21,539		9.3%
2000	26,767		24.3%
2010	30,617		14.4%
2020	34,318		12.1%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960, 1900–1990, 1990–2000, 2010-2014

Marshall County racial composition

Race	Number	Percentage
White (non-Hispanic)	28,255	82.33%
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)	2,018	5.88%
Native American	103	0.3%
Asian	142	0.41%
Pacific Islander	7	0.02%
Other/Mixed	1,558	4.54%
Hispanic or Latino	2,235	6.51%

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 34,318 people, 12,324 households, and 8,624 families residing in the county.

As of the census of 2000, there were 26,767 people, 10,307 households, and 7,472 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile (27 people/km). There were 11,181 housing units at an average density of 30 units per square mile (12/km). The racial makeup of the county was 89.42% White, 7.77% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.31% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.46% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 2.87% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 10,307 households, out of which 33.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.80% were married couples living together, 11.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.50% were non-families. 23.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 29.90% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 12.60% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $38,457, and the median income for a family was $45,731. Males had a median income of $31,876 versus $22,362 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,749. About 7.30% of families and 10.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.80% of those under age 18 and 13.10% of those age 65 or over.

• Lewisburg (county seat)

• Chapel Hill
• Cornersville
• Petersburg (partial)

• Archer
• Beasley
• Belfast
• Caney Spring
• Cochran
• Delina
• Farmington
• Graball
• Holts Corner
• Lunns Store
• Milltown
• Mooresville
• Rich Creek
• Robertson Fork
• Silver Creek
• South Berlin
• Verona
• Yell

The county's political history is similar to the vast majority of Middle Tennessee, where it was a solidly Democratic county throughout the first half of the 20th century, but began making shifts to the Republican Party starting in the 1970s.

One notable result in this county came in the 1928 election, when Herbert Hoover and Al Smith tied the county with a total of 735 votes apiece.

United States presidential election results for Marshall County, Tennessee

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2020	11,043	74.22%	3,605	24.23%	230	1.55%
2016	8,184	71.44%	2,852	24.90%	419	3.66%
2012	6,832	63.61%	3,725	34.68%	184	1.71%
2008	6,755	59.84%	4,320	38.27%	214	1.90%
2004	5,825	54.88%	4,722	44.48%	68	0.64%
2000	4,105	43.86%	5,107	54.57%	147	1.57%
1996	2,781	35.14%	4,447	56.20%	685	8.66%
1992	2,516	31.07%	4,491	55.46%	1,091	13.47%
1988	2,975	51.37%	2,795	48.26%	21	0.36%
1984	3,416	53.43%	2,935	45.91%	42	0.66%
1980	2,282	34.23%	4,277	64.16%	107	1.61%
1976	1,674	26.96%	4,457	71.78%	78	1.26%
1972	2,593	59.23%	1,526	34.86%	259	5.92%
1968	1,202	19.68%	1,527	25.00%	3,379	55.32%
1964	1,340	25.15%	3,989	74.85%	0	0.00%
1960	1,717	31.87%	3,625	67.29%	45	0.84%
1956	1,527	26.58%	4,100	71.37%	118	2.05%
1952	1,525	28.44%	3,837	71.56%	0	0.00%
1948	517	12.04%	3,059	71.22%	719	16.74%
1944	500	11.59%	3,812	88.34%	3	0.07%
1940	389	11.04%	3,132	88.90%	2	0.06%
1936	300	10.95%	2,431	88.76%	8	0.29%
1932	283	11.46%	2,167	87.73%	20	0.81%
1928	735	50.00%	735	50.00%	0	0.00%
1924	349	16.74%	1,696	81.34%	40	1.92%
1920	753	29.01%	1,828	70.42%	15	0.58%
1916	461	21.60%	1,652	77.41%	21	0.98%
1912	376	18.57%	1,551	76.59%	98	4.84%
1908	440	21.31%	1,544	74.77%	81	3.92%
1904	620	21.23%	2,152	73.67%	149	5.10%
1900	763	24.20%	2,184	69.27%	206	6.53%
1896	849	22.61%	2,835	75.50%	71	1.89%
1892	685	20.18%	2,185	64.36%	525	15.46%
1888	786	24.39%	2,291	71.08%	146	4.53%
1884	728	25.53%	2,084	73.07%	40	1.40%
1880	548	20.77%	2,006	76.04%	84	3.18%

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Marshall County, Tennessee

• Official site
• Marshall County Chamber of Commerce
• Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders' and Exhibitors' Association
• Annual Fainting Goat Festival
• Marshall County, TNGenWeb - free genealogy resources for the county

35°28′N 86°46′W / 35.47°N 86.77°W / 35.47; -86.77