Sanford, TN Demographics

Population 246 · Census ACS 2020–24

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Sanford, TN map of median age by neighborhood
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Population and households in Sanford

Household size in Sanford

Household size, people per household
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–103.222.532.68
2010–142.762.572.73
2015–192.342.572.71
2020–242.672.532.65
Change−0.55+0.00−0.03
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Households in Sanford average 2.67 people, about the same as the country as a whole (2.65). The typical household here is bigger than in Tennessee as a whole, where it has 2.53 people. Since 2006–10, household size has dropped from 3.22, but in a place this small, survey estimates can swing a lot from one release to the next.

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 Sanford

Median age, years
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1033.638.337.7
2010–1451.339.238.6
2015–1952.839.939.6
2020–2445.839.940.1
Change+12.2+1.6+2.3
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Sanford skews older: half of its residents are older than 45.8, well above the national median of 40.1. That usually means more empty nesters and retirees, and fewer young families.

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 Sanford

Single-parent households, % of households
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1012.1%12.2%12.3%
2010–149.2%12.0%12.3%
2015–194.2%11.6%11.6%
2020–249.6%11.8%11.6%
Change−2.5 pts−0.4 pts−0.6 pts
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Single-parent households are a bit less common in Sanford than nationally: 9.6%, against 11.6%.

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 Sanford

Renters in Sanford

Renters, % of occupied homes
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1014.7%30.4%33.3%
2010–1413.4%32.9%35.6%
2015–1925.4%33.7%36.0%
2020–2420.1%33.1%34.8%
Change+5.4 pts+2.6 pts+1.5 pts
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Sanford is largely a place of homeowners: only 20.1% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Nearly half of owners (47.2%) have paid off their mortgages, 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 Sanford

Vacant homes, % of all homes
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1013.9%11.5%11.4%
2010–1415.2%11.8%11.4%
2015–1920.9%11.8%11.1%
2020–245.3%10.1%9.6%
Change−8.7 pts−1.4 pts−1.8 pts
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Only 5.3% of homes in Sanford are vacant, far below the national rate of 9.6%, which usually means strong demand for housing.

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 Sanford

Age of homes, median year built
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–10197619811974
2010–14198319821975
2015–19198119831977
2020–24198919861980
Change+13+6+6
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Much of the housing in Sanford is relatively new: half of its homes were built after 1989, compared with 1980 for the U.S. as a whole. That is in line with the rest of Tennessee.

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 Sanford

Rent, per month
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–10$644$761$965
2010–14$550$837$1,040
2015–19$445$961$1,213
2020–24$686$1,286$1,571
Change+$42+$526+$606
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The median renter in Sanford pays $686 a month for rent and utilities, well below the national median of $1,571. The typical renter here spends 33.3% of household income on rent, well over the 30% mark often used to define affordable rent, so many renters here are stretched.

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 Sanford

Bachelor's degrees in Sanford

Bachelor's degrees, % of adults 25+
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1018.2%23.9%28.4%
2010–149.8%25.3%29.6%
2015–1913.4%27.9%32.1%
2020–2415.9%31.4%35.6%
Change−2.3 pts+7.5 pts+7.2 pts
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Fewer adults in Sanford have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 15.9%, against 35.6% nationally.

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 Sanford

High school graduates, % of adults 25+
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–1080.8%83.3%84.9%
2010–1484.3%85.4%86.1%
2015–1988.8%87.6%87.7%
2020–2485.5%89.9%89.3%
Change+4.8 pts+6.6 pts+4.3 pts
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About one in seven adults in Sanford never finished high school, more than nationally: 85.5% have a diploma or equivalent, against 89.3% across the U.S.

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 Sanford

Unemployment, % of the labor force
PeriodSanfordTennesseeU.S.
2006–109.6%8.6%8.1%
2010–145.2%9.6%9.4%
2015–193.7%5.4%5.6%
2020–244.6%4.8%5.4%
Change−5.0 pts−3.8 pts−2.7 pts
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Jobs have been a little easier to find in Sanford than nationally: unemployment was 4.6%, against 5.4%. Tennessee as a whole looks much the same. 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).

Sanford compared with nearby cities

CityHousehold sizeMedian ageSingle parentsRentersVacant homesMedian year builtMedian rentBachelor's degreeHigh school diplomaUnemployment
Sanford2.6745.89.6%20.1%5.3%1989$68615.9%85.5%4.6%
Calhoun2.6847.76.8%14.5%6.1%1987$67813.9%88.0%3.8%
South Liberty2.9548.84.7%12.7%6.7%1981$6029.5%87.5%0.6%
Riceville2.5746.512.1%16.7%5.7%1995$80919.9%85.8%2.3%
Watt Heights2.7039.610.1%23.7%12.3%1982$96414.2%92.4%0.9%
Lamontville2.7741.69.7%16.0%3.8%1996$95719.9%88.4%12.8%
Patty2.5151.37.7%18.8%9.6%1983$68819.4%85.9%5.0%
Charleston2.9440.67.1%15.0%11.8%1991$1,11320.7%94.1%4.9%
Wesleyanna2.1355.66.7%25.3%12.0%1979$71830.9%81.5%11.0%
New Bethel2.5345.814.7%21.6%16.6%1971$83523.4%84.7%11.3%
Athens2.4541.914.8%30.5%12.6%1976$93220.4%87.9%5.6%

All figures 2020–24.

Cities with similar populations: Gazette, MO · Yellow Pine, AL · Yeoman, IN · Yukon, MO · Gladdice, TN · Zag, KY · Gillises Mills, TN · Zaneta, IA · Zeandale, KS · Gethsemane, TX

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 Sanford. 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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