Town · Grundy County, Tennessee

Altamont, Tennessee

Altamont is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee. It has 1,322 residents. Altamont, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 10 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,085 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #271 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), effective property tax rate (low) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), average weekly wage (low) and adult smoking (high).

10Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,085 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #271 of 305 in TN
Population: 1,322 (2020-2024)
Land area: 20 mi²
Density: 66.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 4700940

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 68 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety35#10,173/15,637
Economy2#15,372/15,631
Housing70#4,503/14,977
Health0#15,590/15,609
Healthcare1#15,440/15,650
Environment85#2,282/15,453
Education10#14,157/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,461/15,650
Community14#13,521/15,651
Leisure & amenities20#12,454/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Altamont, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Grundy County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Public libraries · high3.5 /10k
97/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGrundy County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.37%
95/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Tennessee 7.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGrundy County value
Grocery stores · high2.8 /10k
93/100Tennessee 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrundy County value
Hot days · low4 days
87/100Tennessee 32 daysUnited States 42 days2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationGrundy County value
Home price to income ratio · low2.2×
78/100Tennessee 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high78.8 /100k
0/100Tennessee 27.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGrundy County value
Average weekly wage · low$751
0/100Tennessee $1,354United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGrundy County value
Adult smoking · high29.6%
0/100Tennessee 21.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Depression · high34.1%
1/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high25.1%
1/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Life expectancy · low70.1 yrs
3/100Tennessee 73.8 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGrundy County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
1,078 (2015-2019) → 1,322 (2020-2024)
+23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
31.0% (2015-2019) → 75.0% (2020-2024)
+44 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
56.6% (2015-2019) → 80.1% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
22.7% (2015-2019) → 45.0% (2020-2024)
+22 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
High school diploma or higherImproving
70.1% (2015-2019) → 82.8% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateImproving
30.2% (2015-2019) → 22.6% (2020-2024)
−7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Altamont, Tennessee improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved1

Broadband+24 points56.6% → 80.1%

Declined1

Rent / income+22 points22.7% → 45.0%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Altamont, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.6 min2015-2019	34.4 min2020-2024	+8.8 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Broadband subscriptions	56.6%2015-2019	80.1%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	94%
Child poverty rate	30.2%2015-2019	22.6%2020-2024	−7.6 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Effective property tax rate	0.45%2015-2019	0.37%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	31%
High school diploma or higher	70.1%2015-2019	82.8%2020-2024	+13 points	Within the margin of error	98%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	2.2×2020-2024	−0.1×	Within the margin of error	84%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5362015-2019	0.5902020-2024	+0.054	Within the margin of error	15%
Median household income	$31,5912015-2019	$41,3732020-2024	+31%	Within the margin of error	57%
Poverty rate	20.1%2015-2019	15.9%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	22.7%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	+22 points	Declined	2%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	20.1%2015-2019	16.8%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	78%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Altamont, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Altamont, Tennessee in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Altamont, Tennessee itself moved −10.9 points in standing on average over the same 8 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

1,322 residents (±298)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†
50–59†
40–49†
30–39†
20–29†
10–19†
Under 10†

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 50–59 men (+7.0 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

1,322 residents (±298)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

White95%1,250
Black0.5%†7
Hispanic or Latino0.0%0

Education

947 residents (±223)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

No high school diploma17%†163
High school or GED47%449
Some college18%†167

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

428 households (±91)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k25%†105
$25k–50k37%†158
$50k–75k16%†70
$75k–100k7.5%†32
$100k–150k8.6%†37
$150k–200k0.0%0
$200k or more6.1%†26

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $100k–150k (+6.2 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

428 households (±91)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own92%392
Rent8.4%†36

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

20 households (±19)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $75050%†10
$750–1,0000.0%0
$1,000–1,50050%†10

Home values

392 homes (±88)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $150k67%†263
$150k–250k23%†89
$250k–400k8.4%†33

Age of homes

485 homes (±98)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

2010 or later16%†78
2000–20098.5%†41
1980–199945%†217

Size of homes

485 homes (±98)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Studio6.6%†32
1 bedroom3.7%†18
2 bedrooms30%†146

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

420 workers (±127)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone76%321
Carpool10%†43
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.5%†40
Other3.8%†16

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

380 workers (±114)

Altamont, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under 15 min19%†74
15–29 min19%†73
30–44 min23%†88

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Grundy County, the county holding most of Altamont's residents.

Grundy County has 162 employer establishments, 116 for every 10,000 residents (0.47× the US rate of 248; 0.55× Tennessee's), with 1,228 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,005. The Census Bureau also counts 1,201 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 162; 1,201 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 116; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 1,228
Average annual pay: $37,005; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Grundy County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Gasoline stations	13	9.3	2.87×More than typical	71	$21,070	—
Religious organizations	13	9.3	1.68×More than typical	50	$29,960	—
General merchandise stores	9	6.4	3.65×Too few to compare	59	$22,390	4
Ambulatory health care services	8	5.7	0.28×Too few to compare	74	$35,959	38
Restaurants and other eating places	8	5.7	0.31×Too few to compare	60	$19,300	11
Truck transportation	7	5	0.99×Too few to compare	27	$54,185	44
Banks and credit unions	6	4.3	1.33×Too few to compare	52	$37,577	—
Lessors of real estate	6	4.3	0.35×Too few to compare	57	$31,474	45
Full-service restaurants	5	3.6	0.47×Too few to compare	30	$16,467	—
Specialty trade contractors	5	3.6	0.23×Too few to compare	7	$40,286	169
Grocery and convenience stores	4	2.9	0.97×Too few to compare	57	$36,088	7
Health and personal care stores	4	2.9	1.08×Too few to compare	15	$55,467	12

Rank places for an industry Open Grundy County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 13,954 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Altamont is mostly in Grundy County.

See federal money in Grundy County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Altamont, Tennessee is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Scott DesJarlaisR-TN-4 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 4.4%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Grundy County12100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Grundy County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

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