Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety26#687/924
Economy72#259/925
Housing64#333/925
Health41#545/925
Healthcare57#400/923
Environment13#801/917
Education66#317/925
Infrastructure72#261/925
Community50#467/925
Leisure & amenities53#438/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Distance to an airport · low10 mi
97/100Tennessee 31 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low22.0%
88/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Unemployment rate · low3.3%
82/100Tennessee 3.5%United States 4.3%2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsPartial year
Average weekly wage · high$1,259
82/100Tennessee $1,354United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Primary care physicians · high85 /100k
81/100Tennessee 69 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Food insecurity · low12.9%
81/100Tennessee 16.7%United States 15.6%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high8.9 µg/m³
10/100Tennessee 7.9 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · high27.4 /100k
14/100Tennessee 27.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
15/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high49
16/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Distance to an Amtrak station · high95 mi
18/100Tennessee 93 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Homicide rate · high6.9 /100k
19/100Tennessee 7.1 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties

Trends

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

PopulationRising
564,631 (2020) → 594,530 (2025)
+5.3%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 60% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+60 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
79.9% (2015-2019) → 90.2% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New business applicationsImproving
9.1 /1k (2020) → 12.8 /1k (2025)
+41%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
23.8% (Dec 2021) → 31.0% (Aug 2026)
+7.2 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$53,126 (2015-2019) → $72,161 (2020-2024)
+36%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, Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area improved on 12 of 30 measures with a comparison and declined on 4. 6 moved within the margin of error and 8 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Household income+36%$53,126 → $72,161
Bachelor's++4.9 points27.0% → 31.9%
High school++2.5 points87.4% → 90.0%
Broadband+10 points79.9% → 90.2%
Weekly wage+25%$1,008 → $1,259

Declined4

Price / income+0.7×3.1× → 3.8×
Uninsured+0.7 points11.6% → 12.3%
Pharmacies−12%2.4 /10k → 2.1 /10k
Traffic deaths+11%13.7 /100k → 15.2 /100k

All 30 measures

Change of every measure of Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.7 /10k2020	3.9 /10k2025	+6.3%	Improved	44%
Average commute time	23.6 min2015-2019	24.1 min2020-2024	+0.4 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Average weekly wage	$1,0082020	$1,2592025	+25%	Improved	65%
Bachelor's degree or higher	27.0%2015-2019	31.9%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Improved	89%
Broadband subscriptions	79.9%2015-2019	90.2%2020-2024	+10 points	Improved	65%
Child poverty rate	18.5%2015-2019	19.6%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Distance to an airport	10 mi2020	10 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	86%
Drug overdose deaths	34.6 /100k2020	27.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−21%	Improved	46%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.63%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	71%
Firearm deaths	17.5 /100k2020	16.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−4.1%	Little change	56%
Grocery stores	1.3 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+1.3%	Little change	56%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+5.8%	Improved	54%
High school diploma or higher	87.4%2015-2019	90.0%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Improved	71%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.8×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	26%
Homicide rate	8.2 /100k2020	6.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−15%	Improved	37%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,2322019	$67,8102024	+30%	Improved	35%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4712015-2019	0.4762020-2024	+0.005	Within the margin of error	41%
Median household income	$53,1262015-2019	$72,1612020-2024	+36%	Improved	88%
New business applications	9.1 /1k2020	12.8 /1k2025	+41%	Improved	42%
Pharmacies	2.4 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−12%	Declined	40%
Poverty rate	13.2%2015-2019	13.0%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	31%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	+1.5%	Little change	74%
Public transit commuters	0.8%2015-2019	0.4%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Little change	47%
Rent as share of income	28.7%2015-2019	28.0%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	72%
Rent-burdened households	47.2%2015-2019	45.0%2020-2024	−2.2 points	Within the margin of error	75%
Restaurants and bars	7.8 /10k2020	7.7 /10k2025	−1.6%	Little change	38%
Suicide rate	15.8 /100k2020	16.4 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+3.4%	Little change	54%
Traffic deaths	13.7 /100k2015-2019	15.2 /100k2020-2024	+11%	Declined	44%
Unemployment rate	6.5%2020	3.3%2025	−3.2 points	Improved	56%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	11.6%2015-2019	12.3%2020-2024	+0.7 points	Declined	24%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area 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, Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area itself moved +1.2 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

575,812 residents

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

231,335 households (±1,284)

Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%35,925
$25k–50k20%45,184
$50k–75k17%38,673

Homes

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

Owners and renters

231,335 households (±1,284)

Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area
United States share

Own68%157,675
Rent32%73,660

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

271,811 workers (±2,135)

Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area
United States share

Drive alone75%203,803
Carpool9.0%24,439
Public transit0.4%†1,207

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The 10 largest occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA employ 61,640 people. 2 pay a median above the US median and 8 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Chattanooga, TN-GA by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators8,120 jobs	8,120	$45,330US $44,650	+2%	3.34×
Fast Food and Counter Workers7,770 jobs	7,770	$27,140US $31,200	−13%	1.17×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand7,730 jobs	7,730	$37,830US $40,240	−6%	1.52×
Retail Salespersons7,020 jobs	7,020	$31,460US $35,410	−11%	1.04×
Registered Nurses6,460 jobs	6,460	$79,770US $97,550	−18%	1.11×
Cashiers5,530 jobs	5,530	$28,440US $32,880	−14%	1.03×
Customer Service Representatives5,120 jobs	5,120	$45,030US $44,770	+1%	1.14×
Waiters and Waitresses4,790 jobs	4,790	$24,240US $35,230	−31%	1.22×
General and Operations Managers4,690 jobs	4,690	$102,920US $105,770	−3%	0.77×
Stockers and Order Fillers4,410 jobs	4,410	$34,410US $37,330	−8%	0.9×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Chattanooga, TN-GA.

Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025-05 (all industries and ownerships) bls.gov/oes

Reference period: 2025-05. BLS publishes metro areas, states and the nation (not counties or cities), so a county or city page shows its metro area.
Pay is not adjusted for the cost of living, so a higher median does not mean more purchasing power.
BLS caps the highest wages it publishes: where a figure is shown as “or more”, the real value is at least that much.
Some occupations (teachers, performers) are published by the hour or school year and shown here as an annual figure.

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.

Chattanooga, TN-GA has 12,621 employer establishments, 217 for every 10,000 residents (0.87× the US rate of 248), with 243,302 paid employees at an average annual pay of $54,489. The Census Bureau also counts 50,281 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 12,621; 50,281 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 217; US 248
Paid employees: 243,302
Average annual pay: $54,489; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Chattanooga, TN-GA by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	1,081	18.6	0.89×About typical	15,544	$68,673	2,338
Restaurants and other eating places	1,034	17.7	0.97×About typical	23,362	$21,825	226
Specialty trade contractors	664	11.4	0.74×Fewer than typical	7,866	$73,046	3,790
Religious organizations	531	9.1	1.64×More than typical	4,558	$26,001	—
Lessors of real estate	480	8.2	0.67×Fewer than typical	2,027	$68,400	4,593
Limited-service restaurants	478	8.2	1.02×About typical	10,112	$18,895	76
Full-service restaurants	432	7.4	0.97×About typical	11,468	$24,917	94
Offices of physicians	342	5.9	0.91×About typical	6,637	$94,707	568
Construction of buildings	323	5.5	0.73×Fewer than typical	2,517	$77,385	2,098
Gasoline stations	321	5.5	1.70×More than typical	2,010	$26,825	22
Offices of other health practitioners	311	5.3	0.88×About typical	1,867	$45,847	1,099
Services to buildings and dwellings	290	5	0.74×Fewer than typical	5,104	$31,984	3,498

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 582,536 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $800.3M on contracts performed in Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area: $1,346 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $800.3M; +948% vs FY2025
Per resident: $1,346; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 25%; 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

U.S. Marshals Service$497.5M62%
Department of the Army$199.1M25%
Environmental Protection Agency$54.1M6.8%
Offices, Boards and Divisions$17.1M2.1%
Office of Procurement Operations$8.9M1.1%
Public Buildings Service$5.2M0.6%
Defense Logistics Agency$3.7M0.5%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$3.5M0.4%

Top recipients

METROPOLITAN SECURITY SERVICES, INC.$514.5M64%
C. J. MAHAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LLC$195.3M24%
KEMRON/ARROWHEAD JV, LLC$46.9M5.9%
METRO EAST JOINT VENTURE LLC$8.9M1.1%
CH2M HILL, INC$4.2M0.5%

Spending by fiscal year

82.4MFY2017
94.2MFY2018
97.8MFY2019
128.3MFY2020
90.7MFY2021
54.7MFY2022
75.8MFY2023
142.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

Investigation and security services · 5616$523.4M65%
Other heavy and civil engineering construction · 2379$198.2M25%
Remediation and other waste management services · 5629$54.7M6.8%
Scientific research and development services · 5417$5.5M0.7%
Other food manufacturing · 3119$3.6M0.5%
Other residential care facilities · 6239$3.4M

Largest awards

CHICKAMAUGA LOCK CHAMBER - BASE CONTRACT$312.8M
SHIMMICK CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, INC.· Hamilton County, TN· Construction & real property· Sep 28, 2017 – Apr 29, 2026· W912P517C0007
CHICKAMAUGA LOCK APPROACH WALLS AND DECOMMISSIONING CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT WITH BASE AND OPTIONS.$232.6M
C. J. MAHAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LLC· Hamilton County, TN· Construction & real property· Feb 12, 2026 – May 20, 2026· W912P526CA002
UPSTREAM APPROACH WALLS, CHICKAMAUGA LOCK, CHATTANOOGA TN.$81M
C. J. MAHAN CONSTRUCTION COMPANY, LLC· Hamilton County, TN· Construction & real property· Sep 9, 2021 – May 27, 2026· W912P521C0009

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $7.3B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area: $12,276 per resident (US $12,975).

Assistance · FY2026: $7.3B; −4.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $12,276; US $12,975
Loan face value: $178.5M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$2.4B33%
93.774 · Medicare Supplementary Medical Insurance$1.8B24%
93.773 · Medicare Hospital Insurance$1.1B16%
93.770 · Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage$566.1M7.8%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$338.5M4.6%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$321.9M4.4%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$210.6M2.9%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$144.7M2.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$118M1.6%
NASHVILLE, TN
STVT-AAI EDUCATION INC$87.2M1.2%
CHATTANOOGA, TN
CHATTANOOGA HOUSING AUTHORITY$58.4M0.8%
CHATTANOOGA, TN
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE$30.7M0.4%
CHATTANOOGA, TN
CHATTANOOGA STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE$22.9M

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services$3.5B48%
Department of Health and Human Services
Social Security Administration$3B41%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$388M5.3%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$160.6M2.2%
Federal Highway Administration$100.6M

Assistance by fiscal year

5.4BFY2021
5.6BFY2022
6BFY2023
6.8BFY2024
7.6BFY2025
7.3BFY2026

County aggregates

95%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Chattanooga, TN-GA

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

States

The share of the area's residents living in each state.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

ChattanoogaPrincipal city185,783

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Tennessee

Areas based in Tennessee, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement
Zillow Home Value Index, Observed Rent Index and affordabilityZillow Research · release 2026-08

JSON · /api/v1/places/M16860

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined4

Metro and micro areas like Chattanooga, TN-GA metro area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Look up any occupation

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Chattanooga, TN-GA

States

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Tennessee

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined4

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Look up any occupation

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

What was bought

By type