Population 1,706 · Census ACS 2020–24
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Population and households in Watauga
Household size in Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 2.26 | 2.53 | 2.68 |
| 2010–14 | 2.46 | 2.57 | 2.73 |
| 2015–19 | 2.75 | 2.57 | 2.71 |
| 2020–24 | 2.35 | 2.53 | 2.65 |
| Change | +0.09 | +0.00 | −0.03 |
Watauga is a place of small households, averaging 2.35 people against 2.65 for the U.S., which points to many singles, couples and roommates and relatively few children. Household size has climbed from 2.26 in 2006–10, 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 39.7 | 38.3 | 37.7 |
| 2010–14 | 41.1 | 39.2 | 38.6 |
| 2015–19 | 45.5 | 39.9 | 39.6 |
| 2020–24 | 50.0 | 39.9 | 40.1 |
| Change | +10.2 | +1.6 | +2.3 |
Watauga skews older: half of its residents are older than 50.0, 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 7.9% | 12.2% | 12.3% |
| 2010–14 | 9.2% | 12.0% | 12.3% |
| 2015–19 | 9.0% | 11.6% | 11.6% |
| 2020–24 | 9.5% | 11.8% | 11.6% |
| Change | +1.6 pts | −0.4 pts | −0.6 pts |
Single parents head about one in ten households in Watauga (9.5%), below the national share of 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 Watauga
Renters in Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 22.9% | 30.4% | 33.3% |
| 2010–14 | 16.8% | 32.9% | 35.6% |
| 2015–19 | 21.7% | 33.7% | 36.0% |
| 2020–24 | 11.3% | 33.1% | 34.8% |
| Change | −11.7 pts | +2.6 pts | +1.5 pts |
Watauga is overwhelmingly a place of homeowners: only 11.3% of households rent, far below the national share of 34.8%. Owner-heavy areas like this tend to see less turnover. Among homeowners, 55.3% 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 5.2% | 11.5% | 11.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.1% | 11.8% | 11.4% |
| 2015–19 | 16.1% | 11.8% | 11.1% |
| 2020–24 | 8.0% | 10.1% | 9.6% |
| Change | +2.9 pts | −1.4 pts | −1.8 pts |
Fewer homes sit empty in Watauga than nationally: 8.0%, against 9.6% for the U.S.
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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 1982 | 1981 | 1974 |
| 2010–14 | 1981 | 1982 | 1975 |
| 2015–19 | 1977 | 1983 | 1977 |
| 2020–24 | 1986 | 1986 | 1980 |
| Change | +4 | +6 | +6 |
The housing in Watauga is younger than the country's: half of it was built after 1986, against 1980 nationally. 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | $475 | $761 | $965 |
| 2010–14 | $556 | $837 | $1,040 |
| 2015–19 | $698 | $961 | $1,213 |
| 2020–24 | $771 | $1,286 | $1,571 |
| Change | +$296 | +$526 | +$606 |
Rent in Watauga runs $771 a month at the median, utilities included, well below the U.S. median of $1,571. Rent takes 27.3% of the typical renter's income, just 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 Watauga
Bachelor's degrees in Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 12.1% | 23.9% | 28.4% |
| 2010–14 | 13.6% | 25.3% | 29.6% |
| 2015–19 | 10.5% | 27.9% | 32.1% |
| 2020–24 | 20.9% | 31.4% | 35.6% |
| Change | +8.8 pts | +7.5 pts | +7.2 pts |
Fewer adults in Watauga have a four-year degree than in the country as a whole: 20.9%, 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 74.4% | 83.3% | 84.9% |
| 2010–14 | 83.3% | 85.4% | 86.1% |
| 2015–19 | 81.5% | 87.6% | 87.7% |
| 2020–24 | 88.9% | 89.9% | 89.3% |
| Change | +14.5 pts | +6.6 pts | +4.3 pts |
High school completion in Watauga is close to the national rate: 88.9% of adults have a diploma or equivalent, against 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 Watauga
| Period | Watauga | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–10 | 3.3% | 8.6% | 8.1% |
| 2010–14 | 5.7% | 9.6% | 9.4% |
| 2015–19 | 3.5% | 5.4% | 5.6% |
| 2020–24 | 6.3% | 4.8% | 5.4% |
| Change | +3.1 pts | −3.8 pts | −2.7 pts |
Jobs have been a little harder to find in Watauga than nationally: unemployment was 6.3%, 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).
Watauga 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga | 2.35 | 50.0 | 9.5% | 11.3% | 8.0% | 1986 | $771 | 20.9% | 88.9% | 6.3% |
| Elizabethton | 2.28 | 44.1 | 12.7% | 26.7% | 12.0% | 1973 | $765 | 22.5% | 90.2% | 5.7% |
| 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% |
| Hunter | 2.52 | 39.8 | 10.9% | 10.4% | 22.7% | 1985 | $756 | 18.3% | 95.1% | 3.9% |
| Johnson City | 2.28 | 39.1 | 9.5% | 43.2% | 12.1% | 1982 | $1,032 | 37.8% | 91.9% | 5.6% |
| Bluff City | 2.41 | 47.2 | 7.8% | 18.1% | 10.9% | 1983 | $1,084 | 22.5% | 89.9% | 6.3% |
| Gap Creek | 2.40 | 42.5 | 8.4% | 21.8% | 9.8% | 1985 | $759 | 17.3% | 89.3% | 2.5% |
| Hampton | 2.27 | 47.4 | 12.9% | 24.0% | 11.3% | 1977 | $740 | 13.4% | 88.9% | 7.3% |
| Hickory Tree | 2.71 | 46.3 | 11.4% | 11.3% | 24.2% | 1982 | $1,043 | 8.6% | 82.6% | 2.6% |
| Carter | 2.66 | 50.1 | 15.0% | 21.8% | 16.8% | 1974 | $849 | 20.7% | 90.9% | 10.4% |
All figures 2020–24.
Cities with similar populations: Montrose, IA · Rushsylvania, OH · Royalton, IL · Rome, OH · Ransom Canyon, TX · Port Washington, OH · Porcupine, SD · Point Reyes Station, CA · Plainview, NE · Oakdale, TN
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 Watauga. 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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