Cost of living in Tennessee

Tennessee at a glance

Median rent

$1,189

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$69,595

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$286,700

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$1,442

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

4.7%

Census ACS, DP03

Tennessee's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 8% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Tennessee

These are the most populous places in Tennessee, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Shelby County

  Population

  919K

  Rent

  $1,232

  Household income

  $63,767

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,429

  Set as targetPlan

• Davidson County

  Population

  715K

  Rent

  $1,582

  Household income

  $77,853

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $2,506

  Set as targetPlan

• Knox County

  Population

  494K

  Rent

  $1,261

  Household income

  $74,222

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,367

  Set as targetPlan

Tennessee, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on June 1, 1796, as the 16th state. Settlers in upper East Tennessee formed the Watauga Association in 1772 to govern themselves. The region later sought statehood under the name Franklin and was organized as the Territory South of the River Ohio before 1796.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Forested ridges on the North Carolina border, known for plant and animal diversity and remnants of Southern Appalachian mountain culture.

• Shiloh National Military Park

  The Shiloh and Corinth battlefields, where nearly 110,000 troops fought and 23,746 became casualties.

• Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area

  The free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River, with gorges and sandstone bluffs on the Cumberland Plateau.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Tennessee

Current owners in Tennessee pay a median 0.50% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $1,442 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $535 in Fentress County to $3,004 in Williamson County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Tennessee

Life expectancy

73.5 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

11.1%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

19.2%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

115

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Tennessee as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Tennessee

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$3.0B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.50

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$1.2B of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Tennessee

Side by side

Shelby County, TN is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Tennessee

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Shelby County919K
2. 2Davidson County715K
3. 3Knox County494K
4. 4Hamilton County376K
5. 5Rutherford County361K
6. 6Williamson County260K
7. 7Montgomery County234K
8. 8Sumner County204K
9. 9Sullivan County161K
10. 10Wilson County159K

All 95 counties in Tennessee

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Tennessee next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Tennessee beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties