Population 11,855 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Bluff City
Household size in Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.30 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.53 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.50 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.41 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.10 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
The average household in Bluff City has 2.41 people, under the U.S. average of 2.65. Household size has climbed from 2.30 in 2006–10, even as the national average fell. The biggest households, usually families with children, are concentrated in the center.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 43.3 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 43.1 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 44.4 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 47.2 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +3.9 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
With a median age of 47.2, Bluff City is noticeably older than the country as a whole (40.1), an age mix that tilts toward empty nesters and retirees. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 43.3, mirroring the country. The youngest areas are in the center, the oldest in the southeast.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 8.9% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 10.7% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 12.1% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 7.8% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −1.1 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head only 7.8% of households in Bluff City, well below the national share of 11.6%. Since 2006–10, the single-parent share has edged down 1.1 points, as it has 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 Bluff City
Renters in Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 16.2% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 17.0% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 21.5% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 18.1% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +2.0 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Bluff City is largely a place of homeowners: only 18.1% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 50.6% have no mortgage at all, well above the national share of 39.8%. The renter share has risen 2.0 points since 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.7% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 10.4% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 8.5% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 10.9% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +3.3 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in Bluff City as nationally: 10.9%, against 9.6%. Vacancy is up 3.3 points from 2006–10, even as the national rate fell.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1980 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1980 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1982 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +3 | +6 | +6 |
The typical home in Bluff City was built around 1983, about the same vintage as the country's housing overall (1980). Compared with other Tennessee cities, Bluff City has older homes than most.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $575 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $784 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $726 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,084 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$509 | +$526 | +$606 |
Rent in Bluff City runs $1,084 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $509 a month since 2006–10, up 88%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 23.5% of the typical renter's income, comfortably under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. The priciest rents are in the northeast; the most affordable are in the south.
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 Bluff City
Bachelor's degrees in Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 13.3% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 17.3% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 20.1% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 22.5% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +9.2 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Bluff City have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 22.5%, against 35.6% nationally. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 9.2 points, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the west and least in the southeast.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 79.1% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 83.1% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 85.0% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.9% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +10.7 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Bluff City is close to the national rate: 89.9% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. The share with a diploma is up 10.7 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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 Bluff City
| Period | Bluff City | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 6.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 6.3% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 5.2% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | +0.3 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
Unemployment runs a little high in Bluff City: 6.3% of the labor force was out of work and looking, against 5.4% nationally. Bluff City has higher unemployment than at least four in five Tennessee cities. Because the Census pools five years of responses (2020–24), these rates smooth over short swings and lag the current 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).
Bluff City 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluff City | 2.41 | 47.2 | 7.8% | 18.1% | 10.9% | 1983 | $1,084 | 22.5% | 89.9% | 6.3% |
| Hickory Tree | 2.71 | 46.3 | 11.4% | 11.3% | 24.2% | 1982 | $1,043 | 8.6% | 82.6% | 2.6% |
| Keenburg | 2.04 | 49.8 | 19.4% | 30.0% | 14.7% | 1971 | $748 | 11.1% | 90.8% | 0.9% |
| Piney Flats | 2.56 | 43.3 | 4.5% | 24.3% | 7.0% | 1997 | $989 | 34.5% | 91.6% | 2.6% |
| Bristol | 2.37 | 43.3 | 12.0% | 26.9% | 10.1% | 1972 | $927 | 25.9% | 90.5% | 6.0% |
| Watauga | 2.35 | 50.0 | 9.5% | 11.3% | 8.0% | 1986 | $771 | 20.9% | 88.9% | 6.3% |
| Hunter | 2.52 | 39.8 | 10.9% | 10.4% | 22.7% | 1985 | $756 | 18.3% | 95.1% | 3.9% |
| Emmett | 2.73 | 48.5 | 2.4% | 17.1% | 21.3% | 1980 | $1,130 | 16.9% | 81.7% | 4.7% |
| Blountville | 2.55 | 46.7 | 7.7% | 17.7% | 12.3% | 1984 | $883 | 25.8% | 89.8% | 5.9% |
| Carter | 2.66 | 50.1 | 15.0% | 21.8% | 16.8% | 1974 | $849 | 20.7% | 90.9% | 10.4% |
| Elizabethton | 2.28 | 44.1 | 12.7% | 26.7% | 12.0% | 1973 | $765 | 22.5% | 90.2% | 5.7% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Greenville, AL · Wanaque, NJ · Walden, NY · Venus, TX · Salisbury, NY · Roy, WA · Pelzer, SC · Paw Paw, MI · Harrison, MI · Harrah, OK
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 Bluff City. 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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