[2] Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Tome peaked in the 1950s and has declined steadily over the past 70 years.

The area of present-day Tome was part of ancient Mutsu Province, and has been settled since at least the Jōmon period by the Emishi people.

The city of Tome was established on April 1, 2005, from the merger of the towns of Hasama, Ishikoshi, Minamikata, Nakada, Toyoma, Towa, Toyosato, Tsuyama, and Yoneyama (all from Tome District), and the town of Tsuyama (from Motoyoshi District).

[6] Early reports suggest that many residents of the nearby town of Minamisanriku, which was one of the hardest hit by the tsunami, had evacuated to Tome.

[7] Tome has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city legislature of 26 members.