City · Wayne County, Tennessee

Waynesboro, Tennessee

Waynesboro is a city in Wayne County, Tennessee. It has 2,296 residents. Waynesboro, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 12 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,743 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Tennessee it ranks #248 of 305 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), homicide rate (low) and public libraries (high). It ranks worst on dentists (low), depression (high) and public EV charging ports (low).

12Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,743 of 15,651 cities and towns
Tennessee: #248 of 305 in TN
Population: 2,296 (2020-2024)
Land area: 4 mi²
Density: 535.9 /mi²
FIPS code: 4778600

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 71 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.

Safety64#5,572/15,637
Economy4#15,057/15,631
Housing63#5,596/14,977
Health7#14,496/15,609
Healthcare2#15,369/15,650
Environment64#5,549/15,453
Education27#11,402/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,903/15,650
Community6#14,715/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,801/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Property crime rate · low242 /100k
98/100Tennessee 1,637 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureWayne County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Tennessee 7.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataWayne County value
Public libraries · high1.9 /10k
90/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWayne County value
Pharmacies · high2.4 /10k
88/100Tennessee 1.9 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.9×
88/100Tennessee 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Effective property tax rate · low0.50%
87/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090High uncertainty

Weaknesses

Dentists · low6 /100k
0/100Tennessee 57 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Depression · high31.7%
2/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Public EV charging ports · low0.0 /10k
3/100Tennessee 4.3 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyWayne County value
Frequent mental distress · high22.5%
4/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Primary care physicians · low18 /100k
4/100Tennessee 69 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWayne County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.2 /10k
4/100Tennessee 5.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWayne County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,745 (2015-2019) → 2,296 (2020-2024)
−16%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
66.8% (2015-2019) → 88.2% (2020-2024)
+21 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
13.2% (2015-2019) → 27.4% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
15.0% (2015-2019) → 21.5% (2020-2024)
+6.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Average commute timeWorsening
24.8 min (2015-2019) → 31.3 min (2020-2024)
+26%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
High school diploma or higherImproving
81.3% (2015-2019) → 85.5% (2020-2024)
+4.1 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, Waynesboro, Tennessee improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+21 points66.8% → 88.2%

Declined1

Uninsured+14 points13.2% → 27.4%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Waynesboro, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	24.8 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	+6.5 min	Within the margin of error	6%
Bachelor's degree or higher	15.0%2015-2019	21.5%2020-2024	+6.5 points	Within the margin of error	76%
Broadband subscriptions	66.8%2015-2019	88.2%2020-2024	+21 points	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	81.3%2015-2019	85.5%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Within the margin of error	77%
Home price to income ratio	1.9×2015-2019	1.9×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	78%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4842015-2019	0.5262020-2024	+0.041	Within the margin of error	20%
Median household income	$45,3132015-2019	$40,9772020-2024	−9.6%	Within the margin of error	3%
Poverty rate	25.5%2015-2019	26.7%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	34.0%2015-2019	36.0%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	40%
Rent-burdened households	56.5%2015-2019	56.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	57%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.2%2015-2019	27.4%2020-2024	+14 points	Declined	1%

“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 Waynesboro, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Waynesboro, 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, Waynesboro, Tennessee itself moved −1.6 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

2,296 residents (±463)

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

1,007 households (±208)

Waynesboro, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k38%†383
$25k–50k14%†146
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,007 households (±208)

Waynesboro, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own58%581
Rent42%†426

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

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

1,001 workers (±251)

Waynesboro, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone85%852
Carpool3.1%†31
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 Wayne County, the county holding most of Waynesboro's residents.

Wayne County has 216 employer establishments, 135 for every 10,000 residents (0.54× the US rate of 248; 0.64× Tennessee's), with 2,810 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,769. The Census Bureau also counts 1,029 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 216; 1,029 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 135; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 2,810
Average annual pay: $45,769; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	20	12.5	0.60×Fewer than typical	363	$50,964	24
Gasoline stations	16	10	3.07×More than typical	93	$14,183	—
Restaurants and other eating places	13	8.1	0.44×Fewer than typical	148	$15,439	4
Religious organizations	12	7.5	1.35×More than typical	37	$10,946	—
Specialty trade contractors	12	7.5	0.48×Fewer than typical	54	$35,019	160
Banks and credit unions	11	6.9	2.12×More than typical	162	$51,370	—
Full-service restaurants	6	3.7	0.49×Too few to compare	79	$13,911	—
General merchandise stores	6	3.7	2.12×Too few to compare	41	$21,732	6
Grocery and convenience stores	6	3.7	1.26×Too few to compare	85	$21,047	3
Offices of other health practitioners	6	3.7	0.62×Too few to compare	251	$35,542	9
Building finishing contractors	5	3.1	0.82×Too few to compare	30	$29,667	31
Health and personal care stores	5	3.1	1.18×Too few to compare	44	$32,205	7

Rank places for an industry Open Wayne County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 16,050 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 Waynesboro, 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

7.1KFY2017
8.4KFY2018
3.6KFY2019
8.4KFY2020
4.6KFY2021
1.6KFY2022
4.4KFY2023

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

Waynesboro, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Wayne County, TN ($17.2K 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: Waynesboro is mostly in Wayne County.

See federal money in Wayne 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.

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

House

Matt Van EppsR-TN-7 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 0.0%

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.

Wayne County11100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Wayne 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/4778600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends