Elevation of Nashville
555ft
above sea level · 169 m
Nashville is the capital of Tennessee and its most populous city, with 721,074 people. Of the 50 state capitals, it’s the 24th highest.
By the Mapsfera Team
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Place facts
- Coordinates
- 36.17° N · 86.78° W
- In degrees, minutes and seconds: 36° 9′ 57″ N · 86° 47′ 4″ W
- UTM coordinates
- 16S · 519,387 E · 4,002,370 N
- Zone 16 · NAD83, the official US datum
- Time zone
- Central Time
- UTC−6 · UTC−5 in summer (daylight saving time)
- Population (2025)
- 721,074 people
- 476 sq mi of land · 1,516 people/sq mi
- Elevation model
- USGS 3DEP, 1 m grid
- Lidar from February 2022: the ground height at the city’s reference point.
Population
Nashville had 721,074 residents on July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau estimates, 4.6% more than in April 2020, when it had 689,449. Its 476 sq mi of land work out to 1,516 people/sq mi; the state average is 177 people/sq mi.
It’s the most populous of the 504 places the Census counts in Tennessee (cities, towns and CDPs), and holds 9.9% of the state’s population.
It lies entirely within Davidson County. Its reference point in the USGS gazetteer is 0.4 mi from the geographic center the Census gives for the city.
Compared with other state capitals
Nashville sits at 555 ft (169 m) above sea level. Of the 50 state capitals, the highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft). The average is 1,098 ft: Nashville is 543 ft below it.
Among the 91 cities with more than 250,000 people, it’s the 46th highest.
The highest point in Tennessee is Kuwohi, at 6,643 ft according to the USGS: 6,088 ft above Nashville, 189 mi away in a straight line.
- 24 Nashville 555 ft
Each color band is 500 m (1,640 ft), the same colors as the map. See the full list
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Frequently asked questions
What people most often ask about the elevation of Nashville.
What is the elevation of Nashville?
Nashville is 555 feet (169 m) above sea level. That’s the ground height from the USGS 3DEP elevation model at the city’s reference point in the official gazetteer (GNIS). The city doesn’t have a single elevation: it rises and falls from one neighborhood to another.
What are the coordinates of Nashville?
Latitude 36.16589 and longitude -86.78444, in decimal degrees (36° 9′ 57″ N · 86° 47′ 4″ W). In UTM, zone 16: 519,387 E and 4,002,370 N, on NAD83.
How does Nashville rank among the highest state capitals?
It’s the 24th highest of the 50 state capitals. The highest is Santa Fe (6,997 ft) and the lowest is Providence (9 ft).
What county is Nashville in?
Davidson County, Tennessee.
Which is higher, Nashville or Louisville?
Nashville. Nashville sits at 555 ft and Louisville at 461 ft: a difference of 94 ft, 155 mi apart in a straight line.
How is elevation measured?
Elevation is the height above mean sea level. In the US the official reference is the NAVD88 vertical datum. Summits are surveyed on the ground, with leveling and precise GPS. The USGS 3DEP is an elevation model of the whole country, largely from 1-meter lidar: it gives the ground height at every point. That’s why it can differ by a few feet from the official figure of a sharp summit.
Sources
- USGS 3DEP (EPQS service) The elevation: the ground height at the reference point. Public domain.
- USGS GNIS (official gazetteer) The city’s reference point (“Populated Place”). Public domain.
- U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates Population, land area (2025 Gazetteer) and counties. Public domain.
- TIGERweb (U.S. Census Bureau) Which county and city the point falls in. Public domain.
- timezone-boundary-builder The point’s time zone (ODbL, © OpenStreetMap contributors).
- Terrain Tiles, OpenStreetMap and OpenFreeMap The relief shading and the base map (ODbL).
Methodology and sources · Spotted a mistake? Let us know