[5][6] The inhabitants of Tydal earn a living in the areas of farming, forestry, energy production, and tourism.

The municipality (originally the parish) is named after the Tydalen valley (Old Norse: Þýjardalr) since the first Tydal Church was built there.

On 3 November 1917, a royal resolution changed the spelling of the name of the municipality to Tydal, removing the definite form ending -en.

The official blazon is "Gules, three St. Anthony's crosses in bend Or" (Norwegian: I rødt tre gull Antonius-kors i skrå rekke).

This means the arms have a red field (background) and the charge is three St. Anthony's crosses lined up diagonally.

The cross design has a tincture of Or which means it is commonly colored yellow, but if it is made out of metal, then gold is used.

In the north, the Skarvan and Roltdalen National Park is home to the mountain Fongen.

The municipal council (Kommunestyre) of Tydal is made up of 13 representatives that are elected to four year terms.

The tables below show the current and historical composition of the council by political party.