Tarn (, ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. Named after the river Tarn, it had a population of 397,352 as of 2023. Its INSEE and postcode number is 81.
History
Tarn is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790, through application of the Law of 22 December 1789. It was created from part of the former province of Languedoc, and comprised the dioceses of Albi and Castres (which found themselves merged in 1817).
thumb|left|[[Castres is best known in French political history as the birthplace of Socialist leader Jean Jaurès.]]
The new department had five districts: Albi, Castres, Lavaur, Gaillac, Lacaune. The capitals (now prefectures) were, alternatively, Albi and Castres but, from 1790 to 1797, the capital was only Albi; in 1797, the capital was moved to Castres. In 1800, Albi became again the capital of the department and the arrondissements were created; the department had four arrondissements: Albi, Castres, Gaillac and Lavaur. In 1926, the arrondissements of Gaillac and Lavaur were eliminated.
|graph-pos=bottom
|cols=2
|1801|270,908
|1806|296,228
|1821|313,713
|1831|335,844
|1841|351,795
|1851|363,073
|1861|353,633
|1872|352,718
|1881|359,223
|1891|346,739
|1901|332,093
|1911|324,090
|1921|295,588
|1931|302,994
|1936|297,871
|1946|298,117
|1954|308,197
|1962|319,560
|1968 |332011
|1975 |338024
|1982 |339345
|1990 |342723
|1999 |343402
|2007 |369189
|2012 |378947
|2017 |387890
|2023 |397352
Principal towns
The most populous commune is Albi, the prefecture. As of 2023, there are 10 communes with more than 6,000 inhabitants:
{| class=wikitable
! Commune
! Population (2023)
|-
| Albi || style="text-align:center;"| 51,290
|-
| Castres || style="text-align:center;"| 42,505
|-
| Gaillac || style="text-align:center;"| 16,162
|-
| Graulhet || style="text-align:center;"| 13,129
|-
| Lavaur || style="text-align:center;"| 10,965
|-
| Mazamet || style="text-align:center;"| 10,085
|-
| Carmaux || style="text-align:center;"| 9,872
|-
| Saint-Sulpice-la-Pointe || style="text-align:center;"| 9,719
|-
| Labruguière || style="text-align:center;"| 6,584
|-
| Saint-Juéry || style="text-align:center;"| 6,564
|}
Administration
Administrative divisions
There are 2 arrondissements, 23 cantons and 314 communes in Tarn.
{| class="wikitable"
|- style="background:#efefef;"
! Arrondissement !! INSEE code !! Capital !! Population