Scores by category

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

Safety20#12,527/15,637
Economy14#13,463/15,631
Housing57#6,414/14,977
Health4#15,018/15,609
Healthcare17#12,969/15,650
Environment84#2,511/15,453
Education27#11,358/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,408/15,650
Community14#13,500/15,651
Leisure & amenities8#14,393/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Ardmore, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Giles 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

Child care cost burden · low20.8%
93/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGiles County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.43%
92/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Public libraries · high1.6 /10k
88/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesGiles County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low120 min
87/100Tennessee 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesGiles County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Tennessee 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGiles County value
Students per teacher · low12.4×
79/100Tennessee 15.1×United States 15.2×2023National Center for Education StatisticsGiles County value

Weaknesses

Depression · high32.3%
2/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Suicide rate · high32.6 /100k
2/100Tennessee 18.0 /100kUnited States 14.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataGiles County value
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Tennessee 4.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyGiles County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low36.0%
4/100Tennessee 67.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteGiles County value
Frequent mental distress · high22.4%
4/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.3 /10k
4/100Tennessee 5.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsGiles County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,386 (2015-2019) → 1,073 (2020-2024)
−23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
5.7 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Average commute timeWorsening
26.5 min (2015-2019) → 43.6 min (2020-2024)
+64%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.0% (2015-2019) → 83.9% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
77.0% (2015-2019) → 84.9% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$36,583 (2015-2019) → $47,188 (2020-2024)
+29%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

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, Ardmore, Tennessee improved on 0 of 13 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 13 measures

Change of every measure of Ardmore, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	26.5 min2015-2019	43.6 min2020-2024	+17.1 min	Within the margin of error	0%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.2%2015-2019	19.8%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Broadband subscriptions	72.0%2015-2019	83.9%2020-2024	+12 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Effective property tax rate	0.72%2015-2019	0.43%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	72%
High school diploma or higher	77.0%2015-2019	84.9%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	92%
Home price to income ratio	3.3×2015-2019	3.6×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	65%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4972015-2019	0.4872020-2024	−0.010	Within the margin of error	60%
Median household income	$36,5832015-2019	$47,1882020-2024	+29%	Within the margin of error	53%
Poverty rate	19.4%2015-2019	21.6%2020-2024	+2.2 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	28.0%2015-2019	26.2%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	68%
Rent-burdened households	43.4%2015-2019	43.7%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	55%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.0%2015-2019	17.7%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	12%

“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 Ardmore, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ardmore, 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, Ardmore, Tennessee itself moved +1.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 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

1,073 residents (±227)

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: 30–39 men (−8.0 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

1,073 residents (±227)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

White89%953
Black5.0%†54
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†25

Education

807 residents (±150)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

No high school diploma15%†122
High school or GED38%309
Some college21%†172

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

459 households (±96)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k19%†88
$25k–50k34%†156
$50k–75k17%†77
$75k–100k9.2%†42
$100k–150k10%†48
$150k–200k4.6%†21
$200k or more5.9%†27

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 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

459 households (±96)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own64%293
Rent36%†166

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

158 households (±72)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $75034%†54
$750–1,00027%†42
$1,000–1,50039%†62

Home values

293 homes (±69)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $150k42%†124
$150k–250k32%†93
$250k–400k14%†41

Age of homes

521 homes (±102)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

2010 or later10.0%†52
2000–200926%†135
1980–199924%†125

Size of homes

521 homes (±102)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Studio1.0%†5
1 bedroom5.4%†28
2 bedrooms22%†114

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

456 workers (±128)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone77%†352
Carpool9.6%†44
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home9.2%†42
Other3.9%†18

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+6.6 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

414 workers (±120)

Ardmore, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under 15 min14%†59
15–29 min24%†99
30–44 min21%†89

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

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Fayetteville, TN

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 Giles County, the county holding most of Ardmore's residents.

Giles County has 543 employer establishments, 176 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.84× Tennessee's), with 8,391 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,866. The Census Bureau also counts 2,262 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 543; 2,262 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 176; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 8,391
Average annual pay: $45,866; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	48	15.5	0.75×Fewer than typical	430	$59,330	74
Restaurants and other eating places	40	13	0.71×Fewer than typical	702	$19,070	15
Gasoline stations	28	9.1	2.80×More than typical	152	$27,138	—
Specialty trade contractors	27	8.7	0.56×Fewer than typical	208	$50,024	263
Religious organizations	23	7.4	1.34×More than typical	99	$18,899	—
Limited-service restaurants	22	7.1	0.89×About typical	414	$18,418	7
Offices of physicians	17	5.5	0.85×About typical	197	$70,954	14
Full-service restaurants	15	4.9	0.63×Fewer than typical	280	$19,993	5
Banks and credit unions	13	4.2	1.30×More than typical	231	$64,719	—
General merchandise stores	13	4.2	2.38×More than typical	342	$28,789	13
Insurance agencies and brokerages	13	4.2	0.96×About typical	43	$44,907	37
Lessors of real estate	13	4.2	0.34×Fewer than typical	42	$31,190	166

Rank places for an industry Open Giles County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 30,879 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

In FY2026, an estimated $175 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Ardmore, Tennessee: $0.16 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $175; −100% vs FY2025
Per resident: $0.16; US $1,994
Sole-source: 100%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of Veterans Affairs$175100%

Top recipients

ELK RIVER HEALTH & NURSING CENTER OF ARDMORE LLC$175100%

Spending by fiscal year

40.7KFY2017
94KFY2018
85KFY2019
124KFY2020
83.3KFY2021
60.7KFY2022
153.4KFY2023
78.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) · 6231$175100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Ardmore, Tennessee, so they do not add up across cities.

Ardmore, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Giles County, TN and Lincoln County, TN ($1.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Giles 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.

Ardmore, 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.

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Fayetteville, TN23

Other cities and towns in Giles 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
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
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

JSON · /api/v1/places/4701640

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends