The Chattanooga metro area: Catoosa, Dade, Hamilton, Marion, Sequatchie and Walker counties · Population 575,812 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Chattanooga area
Household size in the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.48 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.53 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.50 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.50 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.02 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Households in the Chattanooga area run a little small, averaging 2.50 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The figure for Tennessee is much the same. Households are largest in the southeast and smallest in the north.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.6 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 40.5 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.3 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.2 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.6 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
Half of the people in the Chattanooga area are younger than 41.2 and half are older, close to the national median of 40.1. Since 2006–10, the median age has climbed from 39.6, in line with the national trend. The youngest areas are in the center, the oldest in the northeast.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.2% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 11.2% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 11.1% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.1 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single-parent households are about as common in the Chattanooga area as they are nationally: 11.1%, against 11.6%. The single-parent share has barely moved since 2006–10, while the national share fell.
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 the Chattanooga area
Renters in the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 30.9% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 32.2% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 32.9% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 31.8% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Renting in the Chattanooga area is about as common as it is nationally: 31.8% of households rent, against 34.8%. More than four in ten owners (43.3%) have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the center; owners are most common in the southwest. Since 2006–10, the renter share has edged up 1.0 points, in line with the national trend.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 11.3% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.8% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.6% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.9% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −1.4 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in the Chattanooga area as nationally: 9.9%, against 9.6%. Since 2006–10, vacancy has edged down 1.4 points, mirroring the country.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1977 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1978 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1980 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1983 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +6 | +6 | +6 |
Homes in the Chattanooga area are about the same age as the nation's housing: the median home was built in 1983, versus 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1977 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. The newest homes are mostly in the southeast, the oldest in the center.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $731 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $803 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $876 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,184 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$454 | +$526 | +$606 |
Rent in the Chattanooga area runs $1,184 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $454 a month since 2006–10, up 62%, roughly in step with the nation. The typical renter here spends 29.5% of household income on rent, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, and a smaller share than renters pay nationally. The priciest rents are in the east; the most affordable are in the southwest.
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 the Chattanooga area
Bachelor's degrees in the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.9% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 24.3% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 27.2% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 31.6% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.7 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Just over three in ten adults 25 and older in the Chattanooga area (31.6%) have a bachelor's degree or higher, a little below the national share of 35.6%. The share with a degree is up 8.7 points from 2006–10, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the north and least in the south.
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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 82.5% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 84.9% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 87.4% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 89.5% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +7.0 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
About as many adults in the Chattanooga area have finished high school as nationally: 89.5%, against 89.3%. The share with a diploma has risen 7.0 points since 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 the Chattanooga area
| Period | Chattanooga area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.1% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 9.3% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 4.7% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −4.4 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
At 4.7%, unemployment in the Chattanooga area is close to the national rate of 5.4%. Unemployment has fallen 4.4 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country. 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).
Largest cities in the Chattanooga area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga area (all) | 2.50 | 41.2 | 11.1% | 31.8% | 9.9% | 1983 | $1,184 | 31.6% | 89.5% | 4.7% |
| Ringgold | 2.64 | 42.0 | 12.8% | 16.8% | 6.8% | 1993 | $1,003 | 27.1% | 91.9% | 3.5% |
| Ooltewah | 2.73 | 42.6 | 7.4% | 20.4% | 7.2% | 2002 | $1,702 | 44.6% | 96.0% | 3.9% |
| Hixson | 2.42 | 44.4 | 12.7% | 27.8% | 6.7% | 1985 | $1,383 | 37.4% | 93.6% | 4.4% |
| Soddy-Daisy | 2.58 | 44.4 | 7.6% | 18.1% | 7.9% | 1993 | $998 | 27.5% | 90.8% | 3.8% |
| East Ridge | 2.38 | 39.3 | 12.5% | 42.1% | 9.2% | 1965 | $1,220 | 24.8% | 85.1% | 4.8% |
| Rossville | 2.58 | 40.2 | 14.1% | 34.2% | 12.7% | 1980 | $1,062 | 18.3% | 86.1% | 4.3% |
| Lafayette | 2.47 | 44.5 | 8.4% | 25.2% | 10.2% | 1978 | $855 | 17.0% | 86.0% | 2.7% |
| Red Bank | 2.07 | 36.8 | 10.9% | 44.0% | 7.8% | 1968 | $1,327 | 43.1% | 94.2% | 3.5% |
| Chickamauga | 2.59 | 41.7 | 9.5% | 15.2% | 8.2% | 1986 | $928 | 26.7% | 89.1% | 3.7% |
| Signal Mountain | 2.65 | 46.4 | 5.2% | 15.8% | 5.2% | 1981 | $1,799 | 60.7% | 95.7% | 2.8% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: Springfield area · Spokane area · Chapel Hill area · Harrisburg area · Toledo area · Melbourne area
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 the Chattanooga area. 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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