City · Hamblen County, Tennessee

Morristown, Tennessee

Morristown is a city in Hamblen County, Tennessee, part of the Morristown, TN metro area. It has 31,527 residents. Morristown, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 15 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,241 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #210 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on natural hazard risk (low), pharmacies (high) and new homes permitted (high). It ranks worst on drug overdose deaths (high), public libraries (low) and depression (high).

15Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,241 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #210 of 305 in TN
Population: 31,527 (2020-2024)
Land area: 28 mi²
Density: 1,123.0 /mi²
FIPS code: 4750280

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety20#12,565/15,637
Economy5#14,816/15,631
Housing81#2,912/14,977
Health1#15,474/15,609
Healthcare26#11,518/15,650
Environment89#1,726/15,453
Education27#11,383/15,649
Infrastructure13#13,639/15,650
Community7#14,512/15,651
Leisure & amenities18#12,768/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Natural hazard risk · low2.0
97/100Tennessee 37.82025Federal Emergency Management AgencyHamblen County value
Pharmacies · high2.9 /10k
95/100Tennessee 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsHamblen County value
New homes permitted · high10.6 /1k
89/100Tennessee 5.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · low0.49%
88/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Child care cost burden · low22.4%
87/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHamblen County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Tennessee 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHamblen County value

Weaknesses

Drug overdose deaths · high54.4 /100k
1/100Tennessee 27.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100k2024Centers for Disease Control and PreventionHamblen County value
Public libraries · low0.2 /10k
2/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesHamblen County value
Depression · high31.0%
3/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Frequent mental distress · high22.9%
3/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Adult smoking · high23.9%
3/100Tennessee 21.0%United States 16.1%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high34.8%
4/100Tennessee 18.4%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

PopulationRising
29,782 (2015-2019) → 31,527 (2020-2024)
+5.9%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.7% (2015-2019) → 87.4% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
57.7% (2015-2019) → 44.9% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$32,193 (2015-2019) → $47,917 (2020-2024)
+49%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
New homes permittedWorsening
16.8 /1k (2021) → 10.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−37%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
High school diploma or higherImproving
78.2% (2015-2019) → 85.3% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%

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, Morristown, Tennessee improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved4

Rent / income−6.9 points34.4% → 27.5%
Rent burden−13 points57.7% → 44.9%
Household income+49%$32,193 → $47,917
Broadband+15 points72.7% → 87.4%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Morristown, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	21.0 min2015-2019	21.5 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	42%
Bachelor's degree or higher	14.9%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	28%
Broadband subscriptions	72.7%2015-2019	87.4%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	79%
Child poverty rate	35.1%2015-2019	34.7%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	47%
Effective property tax rate	0.67%2015-2019	0.49%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	54%
High school diploma or higher	78.2%2015-2019	85.3%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Within the margin of error	90%
Home price to income ratio	3.6×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.2×	Within the margin of error	69%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4812015-2019	0.4982020-2024	+0.018	Within the margin of error	36%
Median household income	$32,1932015-2019	$47,9172020-2024	+49%	Improved	84%
Poverty rate	26.6%2015-2019	26.0%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent as share of income	34.4%2015-2019	27.5%2020-2024	−6.9 points	Improved	88%
Rent-burdened households	57.7%2015-2019	44.9%2020-2024	−13 points	Improved	87%
Unemployment rate	7.7%2015-2019	7.1%2020-2024	−0.6 points	Within the margin of error	62%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	19.7%2015-2019	19.5%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	49%

“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 Morristown, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Morristown, 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, Morristown, Tennessee itself moved +11.8 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

31,527 residents (±50)

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

12,282 households (±396)

Morristown, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k28%3,460
$25k–50k24%2,916
$50k–75k17%2,042

Homes

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

Owners and renters

12,282 households (±396)

Morristown, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own55%6,745
Rent45%5,537

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+4.8 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

12,744 workers (±799)

Morristown, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone84%10,741
Carpool8.3%†1,052
Public transit0.0%0

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 Morristown, 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 Hamblen County, the county holding most of Morristown's residents.

Hamblen County has 1,339 employer establishments, 201 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.96× Tennessee's), with 30,301 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,129. The Census Bureau also counts 4,519 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,339; 4,519 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 201; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 30,301
Average annual pay: $45,129; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	138	20.7	0.99×About typical	1,757	$62,952	157
Restaurants and other eating places	119	17.9	0.97×About typical	2,860	$19,263	18
Religious organizations	73	11	1.98×More than typical	435	$22,269	—
Limited-service restaurants	63	9.5	1.18×About typical	1,457	$18,572	6
Specialty trade contractors	54	8.1	0.52×Fewer than typical	713	$70,262	411
Offices of physicians	49	7.4	1.14×About typical	463	$78,078	42
Full-service restaurants	39	5.9	0.76×Fewer than typical	1,177	$21,129	10
Gasoline stations	39	5.9	1.81×More than typical	287	$26,721	3
Construction of buildings	37	5.6	0.73×Fewer than typical	306	$53,931	186
Lessors of real estate	36	5.4	0.44×Fewer than typical	113	$30,947	439
Automotive repair and maintenance	35	5.3	1.04×About typical	169	$38,864	64
Services to buildings and dwellings	33	5	0.74×Fewer than typical	366	$47,158	489

Rank places for an industry Open Hamblen County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 66,582 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 $316.4K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Morristown, Tennessee: $10.04 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $316.4K; −25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $10.04; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$159.8K51%
Defense Logistics Agency$146.8K46%
Federal Acquisition Service$7,9712.5%
United States Mint$9240.3%
Federal Emergency Management Agency$8720.3%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

4.7MFY2017
3.8MFY2018
552.4KFY2019
704.4KFY2020
878.9KFY2021
290.6KFY2022
308.9KFY2023
811.6K

Top industries (NAICS)

Footwear manufacturing · 3162$233.2K74%
Other electrical equipment and component manufacturing · 3359$147.5K47%
Commercial and service industry machinery manufacturing · 3333$44.4K14%
Household and institutional furniture and kitchen cabinet manufacturing · 3371$7,9712.5%
Services to buildings and dwellings · 5617$7,4272.3%
Other specialty trade contractors · 2389

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

Morristown, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Hamblen County, TN and Jefferson County, TN ($1.6M in FY2026), never added to them: 20% of that total.

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

See federal money in Hamblen 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.

Morristown, Tennessee is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

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

Hamblen County28100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Morristown, TN20

Other cities and towns in Hamblen County

Largest first.

Russellville684

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/4750280

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends