The Knoxville metro area: Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Grainger, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Roane and Union counties · Population 932,241 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in the Knoxville area
Household size in the Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.40 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.46 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.55 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.47 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.06 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Households in the Knoxville area run small, averaging 2.47 people against 2.65 nationally, which usually means more singles and couples and fewer children. The figure for Tennessee is much the same. Since 2006–10, household size has crept up from 2.40, even as the national average fell.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 40.0 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.0 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 41.6 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 41.6 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +1.6 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
At 41.6, the median age in the Knoxville area is close to the national median of 40.1, so its age mix looks much like the country's. The population here is older than in Tennessee overall, where the median age is 39.9. The median age has climbed from 40.0 in 2006–10, as it has nationally.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.6% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.4% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.8% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.4% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | −0.2 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head nearly one in ten households in the Knoxville area (9.4%), below the national share of 11.6%. The Knoxville area has a lower share of single-parent households than the great majority of large metro areas.
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 Knoxville area
Renters in the Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 28.6% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 31.2% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 31.1% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 29.6% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | +1.0 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
About three in ten households in the Knoxville area rent their homes (29.6%), a little below the national share of 34.8%; the rest own. More than four in ten owners (43.4%) have paid off their mortgages, above the national share of 39.8%. Rentals cluster in the east; owners are most common in the southwest. The renter share has edged up 1.0 points since 2006–10, mirroring the country.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 9.9% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 11.3% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 11.7% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 9.9% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | −0.0 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
About as many homes sit empty in the Knoxville area as nationally: 9.9%, against 9.6%. The Knoxville area has a higher vacancy rate than at least four in five large metro areas.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1980 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1982 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1985 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +5 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in the Knoxville area is a little younger than the country's: half of it was built after 1985, against 1980 nationally. The median year built has moved up from 1980 in 2006–10, a sign of steady new building. Newer construction is concentrated in the south, while the east has the oldest housing.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $707 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $787 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $882 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $1,212 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$505 | +$526 | +$606 |
A typical rental in the Knoxville area costs $1,212 a month with utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. Rent has climbed $505 a month since 2006–10, up 71%, faster than rents rose nationally. Rent takes 29.7% of the typical renter's income, just under the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent. Rents run highest in the center and lowest in the northwest.
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 Knoxville area
Bachelor's degrees in the Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 26.7% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 27.7% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 30.0% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 33.5% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +6.8 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
College degrees are about as common in the Knoxville area as nationally: 33.5% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor's or higher, against 35.6%. Since 2006–10, the share with a degree has risen 6.8 points, as it has nationally. College graduates are most concentrated in the center and least in the northwest.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 84.6% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 86.9% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 88.9% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 90.9% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +6.3 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in the Knoxville area is a bit above the national rate: 90.9% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3%. Tennessee comes in at about the same level. Since 2006–10, the share with a diploma has risen 6.3 points, mirroring the country.
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 Knoxville area
| Period | Knoxville area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.0% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 8.2% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 4.9% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 3.6% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | −3.4 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been easier to find in the Knoxville area than nationally: unemployment was 3.6%, against 5.4%. Only five of the 100 large U.S. metro areas have lower unemployment. Since 2006–10, unemployment has fallen 3.4 points, mirroring the country.
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 Knoxville area
| City | Household size | Median age | Single parents | Renters | Vacant homes | Median year built | Median rent | Bachelor's degree | High school diploma | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville area (all) | 2.47 | 41.6 | 9.4% | 29.6% | 9.9% | 1985 | $1,212 | 33.5% | 90.9% | 3.6% |
| Maryville | 2.51 | 44.3 | 8.3% | 22.5% | 8.2% | 1987 | $1,094 | 29.1% | 91.6% | 3.5% |
| Oak Ridge | 2.36 | 41.8 | 12.4% | 34.1% | 8.0% | 1968 | $1,194 | 39.8% | 91.9% | 3.7% |
| Lenoir City | 2.52 | 44.3 | 8.1% | 23.2% | 7.4% | 1988 | $1,162 | 29.2% | 89.4% | 3.0% |
| Powell | 2.61 | 40.3 | 8.0% | 17.7% | 5.9% | 1992 | $1,292 | 31.1% | 92.1% | 2.5% |
| Farragut | 2.67 | 45.2 | 4.7% | 13.9% | 2.7% | 1992 | $1,992 | 64.0% | 97.3% | 2.5% |
| Seymour | 2.59 | 44.1 | 9.5% | 18.5% | 11.0% | 1994 | $1,216 | 24.3% | 93.6% | 3.2% |
| Clinton | 2.46 | 43.8 | 9.7% | 26.3% | 8.3% | 1979 | $1,063 | 22.8% | 94.1% | 3.3% |
| Lafollette | 2.32 | 42.4 | 14.7% | 37.6% | 16.8% | 1977 | $782 | 10.3% | 81.4% | 6.7% |
| Kingston | 2.43 | 47.4 | 10.0% | 15.5% | 10.1% | 1987 | $788 | 24.7% | 92.9% | 4.8% |
| Harriman | 2.46 | 43.3 | 8.4% | 26.4% | 10.8% | 1973 | $808 | 19.3% | 89.0% | 3.5% |
All figures 2020–24.
Metro areas of similar size: New Haven area · El Paso area · Baton Rouge area · McAllen area · Albany area · Bakersfield area · Albuquerque area · Greenville area · Bridgeport area · Omaha 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 Knoxville 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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