Town · Lake County, Tennessee

Ridgely, Tennessee

Ridgely is a town in Lake County, Tennessee. It has 1,796 residents. Ridgely, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 2 out of 100 (very low), ranking #15,397 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #302 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on students per teacher (low), public libraries (high) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on voter turnout (low), dental care shortage (high) and new business applications (low).

2Very low

Quality-of-life score: #15,397 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #302 of 305 in TN
Population: 1,796 (2020-2024)
Land area: 2 mi²
Density: 905.4 /mi²
FIPS code: 4763060

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 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.

Safety37#9,897/15,637
Economy0#15,572/15,631
Housing65#5,276/14,977
Health1#15,518/15,609
Healthcare0#15,595/15,650
Environment13#13,370/15,453
Education8#14,337/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,279/15,650
Community10#14,156/15,651
Leisure & amenities9#14,298/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Students per teacher · low10.3×
97/100Tennessee 15.1×United States 15.2×2023National Center for Education StatisticsLake County value
Public libraries · high3.2 /10k
96/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLake County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Tennessee 7.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataLake County value
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Tennessee 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLake County value
Rent as share of income · low26.9%
83/100Tennessee 29.5%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071
Property crime rate · low725 /100k
74/100Tennessee 1,637 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationLake County value

Weaknesses

Voter turnout · low35.1%
0/100Tennessee 58.6%United States 65.2%2024U.S. Election Assistance CommissionLake County value
Dental care shortage · high22.0
0/100Tennessee 9.8United States 5.7Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLake County value
New business applications · low5.4 /1k
0/100Tennessee 14.1 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauLake County value
Frequent mental distress · high25.5%
0/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Poverty rate · high43.6%
1/100Tennessee 13.3%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Median household income · low$24,390
1/100Tennessee $72,007United States $81,6042020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19013

Trends

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

Home price to income ratioWorsening
1.9× (2015-2019) → 3.4× (2020-2024)
+76%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
High school diploma or higherWorsening
78.4% (2015-2019) → 65.9% (2020-2024)
−13 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Child poverty rateWorsening
52.8% (2015-2019) → 63.9% (2020-2024)
+11 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
33.2% (2015-2019) → 43.6% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
21.0% (2015-2019) → 26.9% (2020-2024)
+5.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Median household incomeWorsening
$33,846 (2015-2019) → $24,390 (2020-2024)
−28%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, Ridgely, Tennessee improved on 0 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved0

No measure improved by more than its margin of error.

Declined2

High school+−13 points78.4% → 65.9%
Price / income+1.5×1.9× → 3.4×

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Ridgely, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.5 min2015-2019	21.6 min2020-2024	+4.1 min	Within the margin of error	14%
Bachelor's degree or higher	13.4%2015-2019	12.1%2020-2024	−1.2 points	Within the margin of error	20%
Broadband subscriptions	70.2%2015-2019	72.0%2020-2024	+1.7 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Child poverty rate	52.8%2015-2019	63.9%2020-2024	+11 points	Within the margin of error	11%
Effective property tax rate	0.92%2015-2019	0.76%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	51%
High school diploma or higher	78.4%2015-2019	65.9%2020-2024	−13 points	Declined	1%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	3.4×2020-2024	+1.5×	Declined	10%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5282015-2019	0.5382020-2024	+0.009	Within the margin of error	42%
Median household income	$33,8462015-2019	$24,3902020-2024	−28%	Within the margin of error	0%
Poverty rate	33.2%2015-2019	43.6%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	4%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	21.0%2015-2019	26.9%2020-2024	+5.9 points	Within the margin of error	19%

“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 Ridgely, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Ridgely, 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, Ridgely, Tennessee itself moved −13.2 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

1,796 residents (±239)

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

785 households (±143)

Ridgely, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k51%†403
$25k–50k21%†166
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

785 households (±143)

Ridgely, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own42%327
Rent58%458

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

492 workers (±116)

Ridgely, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone82%403
Carpool12%†61
Public transit0.0%0

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 Lake County, the county holding most of Ridgely's residents.

Lake County has 64 employer establishments, 100 for every 10,000 residents (0.40× the US rate of 248; 0.48× Tennessee's), with 545 paid employees at an average annual pay of $40,411. The Census Bureau also counts 324 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 64; 324 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 100; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 545
Average annual pay: $40,411; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	7	11	1.98×Too few to compare	21	$22,524	—
Ambulatory health care services	5	7.8	0.38×Too few to compare	60	$41,883	10
General merchandise stores	4	6.3	3.54×Too few to compare	33	$21,515	—
Lessors of real estate	4	6.3	0.51×Too few to compare	4	$17,000	11
Outpatient care centers	4	6.3	3.40×Too few to compare	50	$43,240	—
Restaurants and other eating places	4	6.3	0.34×Too few to compare	63	$21,603	—
Gasoline stations	3	4.7	1.45×Too few to compare	13	$38,462	—
Grocery and convenience stores	3	4.7	1.58×Too few to compare	60	$18,883	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	3	4.7	0.70×Too few to compare	35	$45,600	65
Traveler accommodation	3	4.7	2.60×Too few to compare	4	$24,750	4
Accounting, tax preparation and payroll services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	7
Advertising, public relations and related services	0	0	0.00×Too few to compare	0	—	—

Rank places for an industry Open Lake County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 6,385 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 Ridgely, Tennessee: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0; −100% vs FY2025
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

4.7KFY2018
16.5KFY2019
16.9KFY2020
8.3KFY2021
13.5KFY2022
16.4KFY2023
9.1KFY2024
6.7KFY2025

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

Ridgely, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Lake County, TN ($34.3K 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: Ridgely is mostly in Lake County.

See federal money in Lake 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.

Ridgely, 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.

Lake County0100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Lake 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/4763060

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends