City · Hardeman County, Tennessee

Bolivar, Tennessee

Bolivar is a city in Hardeman County, Tennessee. It has 5,144 residents. Bolivar, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 2 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,369 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #301 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on public libraries (high), drinking water violations (low) and preventable hospital stays (low). It ranks worst on firearm deaths (high), access to exercise opportunities (low) and voter turnout (low).

2Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,369 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #301 of 305 in TN
Population: 5,144 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 634.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4707180

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 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.

Safety3#15,119/15,637
Economy3#15,223/15,631
Housing37#9,468/14,977
Health2#15,268/15,609
Healthcare14#13,416/15,650
Environment46#8,340/15,453
Education10#14,056/15,649
Infrastructure14#13,402/15,650
Community14#13,505/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#14,963/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Bolivar, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hardeman 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 · high1.6 /10k
87/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHardeman County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Tennessee 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardeman County value
Preventable hospital stays · low2,206 /100k
79/100Tennessee 2,914 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardeman County value
Time spent in the emergency room · low134 min
78/100Tennessee 168 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHardeman County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.62%
78/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Social associations · high12.1 /10k
77/100Tennessee 11.0 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardeman County value

Weaknesses

Firearm deaths · high39.1 /100k
1/100Tennessee 18.9 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataHardeman County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low16.3%
1/100Tennessee 67.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardeman County value
Voter turnout · low46.4%
2/100Tennessee 58.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionHardeman County value
Math scores · low2.37
2/100Tennessee 2.99United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHardeman County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.8 /10k
2/100Tennessee 5.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHardeman County value
Homicide rate · high15.5 /100k
2/100Tennessee 7.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataHardeman County value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.9% (2015-2019) → 89.4% (2020-2024)
+25 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.8 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Child poverty rateWorsening
24.8% (2015-2019) → 35.4% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Unemployment rateImproving
20.4% (2015-2019) → 13.2% (2020-2024)
−7.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
65.6% (2015-2019) → 59.1% (2020-2024)
−6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Poverty rateImproving
27.9% (2015-2019) → 21.7% (2020-2024)
−6.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Bolivar, Tennessee improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 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+25 points63.9% → 89.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Bolivar, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.0 min2015-2019	29.5 min2020-2024	+6.5 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	11.5%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Broadband subscriptions	63.9%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+25 points	Improved	96%
Child poverty rate	24.8%2015-2019	35.4%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	0.83%2015-2019	0.62%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	60%
High school diploma or higher	84.2%2015-2019	84.2%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.9×	Within the margin of error	26%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5032015-2019	0.4142020-2024	−0.090	Within the margin of error	94%
Median household income	$32,0642015-2019	$39,0282020-2024	+22%	Within the margin of error	37%
Poverty rate	27.9%2015-2019	21.7%2020-2024	−6.2 points	Within the margin of error	85%
Rent as share of income	36.8%2015-2019	32.7%2020-2024	−4.1 points	Within the margin of error	79%
Rent-burdened households	65.6%2015-2019	59.1%2020-2024	−6.5 points	Within the margin of error	75%

“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 Bolivar, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Bolivar, 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, Bolivar, Tennessee itself moved +7.3 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

5,144 residents (±19)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

2,118 households (±241)

Bolivar, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k22%†467
$25k–50k43%905
$50k–75k9.0%†191

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,118 households (±241)

Bolivar, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own57%1,209
Rent43%909

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

2,200 workers (±276)

Bolivar, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone70%1,535
Carpool15%†338
Public transit0.9%†

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 Hardeman County, the county holding most of Bolivar's residents.

Hardeman County has 314 employer establishments, 123 for every 10,000 residents (0.49× the US rate of 248; 0.59× Tennessee's), with 4,404 paid employees at an average annual pay of $52,800. The Census Bureau also counts 2,159 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 314; 2,159 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 123; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 4,404
Average annual pay: $52,800; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	31	12.1	2.19×More than typical	120	$15,450	—
Ambulatory health care services	28	11	0.53×Fewer than typical	230	$46,257	63
Restaurants and other eating places	19	7.4	0.40×Fewer than typical	274	$18,226	15
General merchandise stores	16	6.3	3.54×More than typical	265	$28,521	4
Truck transportation	11	4.3	0.85×About typical	70	$64,729	80
Banks and credit unions	10	3.9	1.21×About typical	78	$50,808	—
Limited-service restaurants	10	3.9	0.49×Fewer than typical	196	$16,383	3
Specialty trade contractors	10	3.9	0.25×Fewer than typical	53	$31,925	157
Automotive repair and maintenance	9	3.5	0.70×Too few to compare	56	$33,054	79
Gasoline stations	9	3.5	1.09×Too few to compare	22	$31,545	7
Grocery and convenience stores	9	3.5	1.19×Too few to compare	115	$20,574	3
Insurance agencies and brokerages	8	3.1	0.71×Too few to compare	20	$44,600	22

Rank places for an industry Open Hardeman County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,555 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 -$169 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Bolivar, Tennessee: -$0.03 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: -$169; −101% vs FY2025
Per resident: -$0.03; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

CHOATE ENGINEERING PERFORMANCE, LLC-$1690.0%

Spending by fiscal year

12.5KFY2017
13.3KFY2018
25.3KFY2019
28.6KFY2020
15.3KFY2021
12KFY2022
10.2KFY2023
67.8KFY2024
21.9K

What was bought

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 Bolivar, Tennessee, so they do not add up across cities.

Bolivar, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Hardeman County, TN ($31.6M 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: Bolivar is mostly in Hardeman County.

See federal money in Hardeman 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.

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

House

David KustoffR-TN-8 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.7%

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.

Hardeman County3100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Hardeman 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/4707180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends