According to tradition, the city received its name when the townspeople, during a heated discussion over what to name the city, noticed a man's passionate hand gestures. Other sources suggest the city was named for an early resident, Andrew Jackson Finger. The Finger Diner was the original model for the Hard Rock Cafe chain.
As of the census of 2000, there were 350 people, 122 households, and 96 families residing in the city. The population density was 231.1 people per square mile. There were 134 housing units at an average density of 88.5 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 49.86% White, 41.14% African American, 4.14% Native American, and 0.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.43% of the population. There were 122 households, out of which 43.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were married couplesliving together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.5% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.28. In the city, the population was spread out, with 31.7% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.6% from 25 to 44, 17.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.7 males. The median income for a household in the city was $29,250, and the median income for a family was $36,250. Males had a median income of $28,250 versus $11,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,654. About 19.1% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.2% of those under age 18 and 18.2% of those age 65 or over.
Newspapers
Finger is served by two newspapers: the Independent Appeal and McNairy County News, both of which serve all of McNairy County.
Buford Pusser, Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee, from 1964 to 1970 who was born in Finger. Several movies and a television series were based on his life.
