Population 2,635 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Big Sandy
Household size in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.49 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.29 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.43 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.16 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | −0.33 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Big Sandy is a place of small households, averaging 2.16 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 2.49, but in a place this small, much of that may be survey noise rather than real change.
Household size: the average number of people living in each occupied home. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25010).
Median age in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 46.6 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 50.5 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 49.4 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 50.0 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +3.4 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 50.0, Big Sandy is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees.
Median age: the age that splits residents into two equal halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B01002).
Single-parent households in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 5.5% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 3.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +0.2 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are relatively rare in Big Sandy: 8.0% of households, against 11.6% nationally.
Single-parent households: households where one adult with no spouse present lives with children under 18. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B11003).
Housing in Big Sandy
Renters in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.7% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 18.4% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 11.7% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 35.2% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +18.6 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Just over a third of households in Big Sandy rent their homes (35.2%), close to the national share of 34.8%. Among homeowners, 64.1% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%.
Renters: occupied homes that are rented rather than owned. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25003).
Vacant homes in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.6% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 31.1% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 33.1% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 24.9% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −3.8 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Vacant homes make up 24.9% of the housing in Big Sandy, far above the national rate of 9.6%. In resort and lake areas that usually means seasonal and vacation homes; elsewhere it can point to weak demand.
Vacant homes: homes with no one living in them, including vacation homes and homes for sale or rent. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25002).
Age of homes in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1986 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1985 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1985 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1982 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | −4 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in Big Sandy was built around 1982, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Homes here are older than in Tennessee as a whole, where the median home dates to 1986.
Age of homes: the year that splits the housing stock into older and newer halves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25035).
Rent in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $510 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $542 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $632 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $693 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$184 | +$526 | +$606 |
Rent in Big Sandy runs $693 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 21.6% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent.
Rent: monthly rent plus the utilities renters pay themselves. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B25064).
Education in Big Sandy
Bachelor's degrees in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.4% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.0% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.4% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 11.7% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | −0.8 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are relatively uncommon in Big Sandy: 11.7% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor's or higher, well below the national share of 35.6%.
Bachelor's degrees: adults 25 and older with a bachelor's degree or higher. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
High school graduates in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 76.3% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 77.4% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 82.5% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 92.1% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +15.8 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
About nine in ten adults in Big Sandy have finished high school (92.1%), a bit above the national rate of 89.3%.
High school graduates: adults 25 and older with a high school diploma, GED or more. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B15003).
Jobs in Big Sandy
| Period | Big Sandy | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.5% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 14.7% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.3% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 10.2% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.7 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment in Big Sandy runs well above the national rate: 10.2% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4%. Each figure pools five years of surveys (2020–24), so it describes that whole stretch rather than today's job market.
Unemployment: people looking for work as a share of everyone working or looking. Source: BestNeighborhood calculations from U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-year block-group estimates (table B23025).
Big Sandy compared with nearby cities
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Sandy | 2.16 | 50.0 | 8.0% | 35.2% | 24.9% | 1982 | $693 | 11.7% | 92.1% | 10.2% |
| Lakeview Manor | 2.20 | 50.7 | 6.3% | 29.1% | 34.5% | 1989 | $584 | 11.9% | 92.5% | 0.9% |
| Faxon | 2.02 | 52.5 | 4.6% | 30.1% | 37.4% | 1985 | $679 | 8.9% | 92.0% | 14.2% |
| Lick Creek | 2.16 | 56.6 | 9.5% | 37.7% | 30.0% | 1979 | $763 | 11.6% | 87.0% | 19.3% |
| Manlyville | 2.02 | 50.6 | 5.6% | 33.6% | 23.0% | 1989 | $572 | 9.4% | 87.9% | 5.4% |
| Springville | 2.07 | 56.6 | 4.0% | 15.2% | 42.0% | 1993 | $790 | 18.0% | 89.7% | 7.6% |
| Magnolia | 2.90 | 46.8 | 7.0% | 10.0% | 31.8% | 1992 | $971 | 20.3% | 85.6% | 3.9% |
| McKinnon | 2.58 | 41.7 | 11.9% | 13.3% | 26.3% | 1985 | $946 | 10.8% | 89.7% | 10.4% |
| Mansfield | 1.89 | 51.6 | 6.1% | 33.2% | 17.4% | 1988 | $532 | 8.2% | 84.8% | 8.4% |
| Vale | 1.80 | 56.5 | 10.3% | 9.3% | 14.9% | 1990 | $682 | 15.3% | 90.0% | 20.0% |
| Van Dyke | 2.41 | 49.9 | 6.7% | 26.0% | 10.2% | 1992 | $805 | 15.7% | 91.2% | 5.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Laurel, IN · Yardley, PA · Winthrop, WA · Wellman, IA · Tilton, IL · Stilson, TX · Rush Springs, OK · Rehobeth, AL · Prospect, PA · Mountain Lake, MN
About these numbers
Every figure on this page is a BestNeighborhood calculation from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS), built up from the Census block groups that make up Big Sandy. Each ACS 5-year release pools five years of responses; this page shows the last 15 releases, 2006–10 through 2020–24. Neighboring releases share four of their five years, so they move gradually and small changes between them are within the survey's margin of error; in small places the lines can jump from one release to the next for the same reason. The maps show the same measures for each neighborhood, ranked against the whole country.
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