Census-designated place · Jackson County, Tennessee

Dodson Branch, Tennessee

Dodson Branch is a census-designated place in Jackson County, Tennessee, part of the Cookeville, TN metro area. It has 1,425 residents. Dodson Branch, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 20 out of 100 (very low), ranking #12,595 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #167 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on job growth (high), property crime rate (low) and effective property tax rate (low). It ranks worst on access to exercise opportunities (low), primary care physicians (low) and bachelor's degree or higher (low).

20Very low

Quality-of-life score: #12,595 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #167 of 305 in TN
Population: 1,425 (2020-2024)
Land area: 11 mi²
Density: 128.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 4720930

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 69 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.

Safety63#5,739/15,637
Economy30#11,014/15,631
Housing84#2,347/14,977
Health6#14,737/15,609
Healthcare5#14,824/15,650
Environment42#8,997/15,453
Education21#12,364/15,649
Infrastructure51#7,665/15,650
Community2#15,318/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,989/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Job growth · high8.0%
99/100Tennessee -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataJackson County value
Property crime rate · low315 /100k
96/100Tennessee 1,637 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationJackson County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.36%
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 dataJackson County value
Broadband subscriptions · high95.8%
82/100Tennessee 89.2%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.344
77/100Tennessee 0.476United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low3.1%
0/100Tennessee 67.9%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJackson County value
Primary care physicians · low8 /100k
1/100Tennessee 69 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJackson County value
Bachelor's degree or higher · low3.6%
1/100Tennessee 31.1%United States 35.7%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B15003High uncertainty
Social associations · low3.2 /10k
1/100Tennessee 11.0 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteJackson County value
Depression · high32.7%
2/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Distance to an Amtrak station · high173 mi
3/100Tennessee 93 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauJackson County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
1,044 (2015-2019) → 1,425 (2020-2024)
+36%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.5% (2015-2019) → 95.8% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
70.8% (2015-2019) → 89.4% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$39,554 (2015-2019) → $74,375 (2020-2024)
+88%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Unemployment rateImproving
26.4% (2015-2019) → 10.4% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
15.5% (2015-2019) → 0.0% (2020-2024)
−16 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%

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, Dodson Branch, Tennessee improved on 3 of 6 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 3 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.

Improved3

Inequality−0.1790.523 → 0.344
Household income+88%$39,554 → $74,375
Broadband+24 points71.5% → 95.8%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 6 measures

Change of every measure of Dodson Branch, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	36.7 min2015-2019	38.6 min2020-2024	+1.9 min	Within the margin of error	28%
Broadband subscriptions	71.5%2015-2019	95.8%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	95%
High school diploma or higher	70.8%2015-2019	89.4%2020-2024	+19 points	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5232015-2019	0.3442020-2024	−0.179	Improved	99%
Median household income	$39,5542015-2019	$74,3752020-2024	+88%	Improved	97%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Dodson Branch, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Dodson Branch, 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.

No place that looked like Dodson Branch, Tennessee five years ago has more measures that improved than declined, with a higher standing among its peers today.

For comparison, Dodson Branch, Tennessee itself moved +42.2 points in standing on average over the same 5 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

1,425 residents (±375)

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

456 households (±127)

Dodson Branch, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k26%†120
$25k–50k5.7%†26
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

456 households (±127)

Dodson Branch, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own91%†417
Rent8.6%†39

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Rent (−19.4 points).

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

511 workers (±170)

Dodson Branch, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone79%†406
Carpool11%†56
Public transit

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 Cookeville, 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 Jackson County, the county holding most of Dodson Branch's residents.

Jackson County has 133 employer establishments, 108 for every 10,000 residents (0.43× the US rate of 248; 0.51× Tennessee's), with 1,131 paid employees at an average annual pay of $42,610. The Census Bureau also counts 936 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 133; 936 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 108; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 1,131
Average annual pay: $42,610; US $68,342

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

Specialty trade contractors	16	13	0.84×About typical	101	$76,198	146
Restaurants and other eating places	9	7.3	0.40×Too few to compare	122	$16,959	8
Gasoline stations	8	6.5	2.00×Too few to compare	35	$19,800	—
Ambulatory health care services	7	5.7	0.27×Too few to compare	36	$44,028	28
Building equipment contractors	7	5.7	0.94×Too few to compare	43	$52,395	25
Building finishing contractors	6	4.9	1.28×Too few to compare	18	$27,722	52
Construction of buildings	6	4.9	0.64×Too few to compare	16	$26,563	49
Electrical contractors and wiring installation	5	4	1.64×Too few to compare	39	$51,513	9
Full-service restaurants	5	4	0.53×Too few to compare	78	$17,603	—
Lessors of real estate	5	4	0.33×Too few to compare	15	$15,333	55
Offices of physicians	5	4	0.62×Too few to compare	22	$50,955	3
General merchandise stores	4	3.2	1.83×Too few to compare	26	$26,192	12

Rank places for an industry Open Jackson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,355 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Dodson Branch, Tennessee: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; 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

Spending by fiscal year

5.4KFY2020
0FY2021

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 Dodson Branch, Tennessee, so they do not add up across cities.

Dodson Branch, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Jackson County, TN ($34.9K 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: Dodson Branch is mostly in Jackson County.

See federal money in Jackson 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.

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

House

John W. RoseR-TN-6 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 5.8%

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.

Jackson County6100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Cookeville, TN26

Other cities and towns in Jackson County

Largest first.

Gainesboro111,064

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

JSON · /api/v1/places/4720930

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends