Scores by category

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

Safety42#532/924
Economy84#152/925
Housing55#415/925
Health19#753/925
Healthcare75#230/923
Environment46#499/917
Education66#315/925
Infrastructure53#433/925
Community29#657/925
Leisure & amenities45#509/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

New homes permitted · high8.1 /1k
91/100Tennessee 5.7 /1kUnited States 4.2 /1kSep 2025–Aug 2026U.S. Census BureauProvisional data
Effective property tax rate · low0.45%
90/100Tennessee 0.52%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Distance to an airport · low17 mi
89/100Tennessee 31 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Flu vaccinations · high51.3%
88/100Tennessee 44.0%United States 44.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mammography screening · high54.7%
87/100Tennessee 46.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · high$1,309
85/100Tennessee $1,354United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Weaknesses

Depression · high31.0%
2/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Drug overdose deaths · high44.0 /100k
3/100Tennessee 27.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Injury deaths · high144 /100k
4/100Tennessee 122 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Frequent mental distress · high20.2%
14/100Tennessee 22.0%United States 18.6%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · high105 mi
15/100Tennessee 93 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Median Air Quality Index · high48
19/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Trends

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

PopulationRising
906,075 (2020) → 968,137 (2025)
+6.8%5 yearsUS 331,578,104 → 341,784,857
Drought exposureWorsening
1% (2021) → 40% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+40 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New business applicationsImproving
7.5 /1k (2020) → 13.5 /1k (2025)
+81%5 yearsUS 13.1 /1k → 16.6 /1k
Homicide rateImproving
7.7 /100k (2021) → 3.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−61%5 yearsUS 7.8 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Cost of buying a home todayWorsening
23.0% (Dec 2021) → 34.0% (Aug 2026)
+11 pts5 yearsUS 26.4% → 34.1%
Property crime rateImproving
1,993 /100k (2020) → 1,010 /100k (2025)
−49%5 yearsUS 1,929 /100k → 1,535 /100k

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, Knoxville, TN metro area improved on 16 of 32 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 4 moved within the margin of error and 7 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.

Improved16

New businesses+81%7.5 /1k → 13.5 /1k
Property crime−49%1,993 /100k → 1,010 /100k
Poverty−2.4 points14.6% → 12.2%
Gyms+24%1.0 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Household income+33%$54,636 → $72,422

Declined5

Price / income+0.9×3.1× → 4.0×
Libraries−7%0.6 /10k → 0.5 /10k
Pharmacies−18%2.5 /10k → 2.1 /10k
Grocery stores−5.7%1.4 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Suicides+12%19.0 /100k → 21.3 /100k

All 32 measures

Change of every measure of Knoxville, TN metro area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	3.2 /10k2020	3.8 /10k2025	+19%	Improved	73%
Average commute time	23.9 min2015-2019	24.4 min2020-2024	+0.5 min	Within the margin of error	48%
Average weekly wage	$1,0402020	$1,3092025	+26%	Improved	72%
Bachelor's degree or higher	29.7%2015-2019	32.7%2020-2024	+3 points	Improved	55%
Broadband subscriptions	79.7%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+9 points	Improved	52%
Child poverty rate	19.2%2015-2019	15.0%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Improved	70%
Distance to an airport	17 mi2020	17 mi2025	−0 mi	Little change	84%
Drug overdose deaths	61.4 /100k2020	44.0 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−28%	Improved	55%
Effective property tax rate	0.62%2015-2019	0.45%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	64%
Firearm deaths	16.6 /100k2020	17.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+2%	Little change	46%
Grocery stores	1.4 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	−5.7%	Declined	33%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.0 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+24%	Improved	75%
High school diploma or higher	89.0%2015-2019	90.9%2020-2024	+1.9 points	Improved	57%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+0.9×	Declined	17%
Homicide rate	6.0 /100k2020	3.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−50%	Improved	78%
Income adjusted for local prices	$52,9882019	$71,7512024	+35%	Improved	74%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4672020-2024	−0.008	Little change	76%
Median household income	$54,6362015-2019	$72,4222020-2024	+33%	Improved	77%
New business applications	7.5 /1k2020	13.5 /1k2025	+81%	Improved	88%
Pharmacies	2.5 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	−18%	Declined	24%
Poverty rate	14.6%2015-2019	12.2%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Improved	79%
Property crime rate	1,993 /100k2020	1,010 /100k2025	−49%	Improved	84%
Public libraries	0.6 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	−7%	Declined	17%
Public transit commuters	0.5%2015-2019	0.3%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	62%
Rent as share of income	28.6%2015-2019	28.9%2020-2024	+0.3 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	46.3%2015-2019	47.3%2020-2024	+1 points	Within the margin of error	49%
Restaurants and bars	6.9 /10k2020	7.0 /10k2025	+1.2%	Little change	51%
Suicide rate	19.0 /100k2020	21.3 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+12%	Declined	35%
Traffic deaths	15.6 /100k2015-2019	15.8 /100k2020-2024	+1%	Little change	61%
Unemployment rate	6.2%2020	3.2%2025	−3 points	Improved	51%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	10.3%2015-2019	10.3%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	42%
Violent crime rate	392 /100k2020	297 /100k2025	−24%	Improved	64%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 708 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; Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master files; 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 Knoxville, TN metro area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Knoxville, TN 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, Knoxville, TN metro area itself moved +4.1 points in standing on average over the same 30 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

932,241 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

378,234 households (±1,532)

Knoxville, TN metro area
United States share

Under $25k16%58,914
$25k–50k19%72,786
$50k–75k17%63,777

Homes

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

Owners and renters

378,234 households (±1,532)

Knoxville, TN metro area
United States share

Own70%266,262
Rent30%111,972

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+1.7 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

441,842 workers (±3,421)

Knoxville, TN metro area
United States share

Drive alone77%341,550
Carpool7.2%31,660
Public transit0.3%1,400

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 Knoxville, TN employ 91,740 people. 1 pay a median above the US median and 9 below it.

Above the US median
Below the US median

The largest occupations in Knoxville, TN by employment, with median annual pay and how it compares with the United States
Occupation	Jobs	Median pay	vs USCompared with the US	Concentration
Fast Food and Counter Workers12,730 jobs	12,730	$27,720US $31,200	−11%	1.21×
Retail Salespersons12,430 jobs	12,430	$31,150US $35,410	−12%	1.17×
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand10,120 jobs	10,120	$37,400US $40,240	−7%	1.26×
Registered Nurses9,500 jobs	9,500	$77,240US $97,550	−21%	1.03×
General and Operations Managers8,660 jobs	8,660	$104,590US $105,770	−1%	0.91×
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers8,130 jobs	8,130	$59,100US $58,640	+1%	1.44×
Cashiers8,030 jobs	8,030	$29,110US $32,880	−11%	0.95×
Stockers and Order Fillers7,730 jobs	7,730	$35,410US $37,330	−5%	1.0×
Waiters and Waitresses7,260 jobs	7,260	$28,100US $35,230	−20%	1.17×
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners7,150 jobs	7,150	$31,200US $36,840	−15%	1.18×

Look up any occupation

Search more than 800 occupations and see what they pay in Knoxville, TN.

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.

Knoxville, TN has 19,652 employer establishments, 207 for every 10,000 residents (0.84× the US rate of 248), with 385,052 paid employees at an average annual pay of $58,972. The Census Bureau also counts 79,224 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 19,652; 79,224 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 207; US 248
Paid employees: 385,052
Average annual pay: $58,972; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	1,709	18	0.87×About typical	22,562	$68,889	3,608
Restaurants and other eating places	1,511	15.9	0.87×About typical	36,680	$21,632	261
Specialty trade contractors	1,161	12.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	16,350	$65,325	6,314
Religious organizations	805	8.5	1.53×More than typical	7,430	$25,693	—
Lessors of real estate	792	8.4	0.68×Fewer than typical	5,775	$82,808	8,340
Limited-service restaurants	728	7.7	0.96×About typical	17,042	$18,396	98
Services to buildings and dwellings	616	6.5	0.96×About typical	20,203	$32,520	5,898
Offices of physicians	615	6.5	1.00×About typical	9,215	$94,165	817
Full-service restaurants	578	6.1	0.79×Fewer than typical	16,572	$25,653	—
Construction of buildings	555	5.9	0.77×Fewer than typical	4,186	$72,871	3,366
Building equipment contractors	476	5	0.83×About typical	6,974	$67,450	1,338
Offices of other health practitioners	443	4.7	0.77×Fewer than typical	2,518	$46,659	1,547

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 947,525 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 $7.5B on contracts performed in Knoxville, TN metro area: $7,762 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $7.5B; +10% vs FY2025
Per resident: $7,762; US $1,994
Sole-source: 1.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.3%; 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

Department of Energy$7.2B95%
Department of Education$201.3M

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 $6.6B in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Knoxville, TN metro area: $6,833 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $6.6B; −4.2% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,833; US $12,955
Loan face value: $772.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.3%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$4B61%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$641.2M9.7%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$504.6M7.6%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$366.8M5.5%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$178.7M2.7%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$155.2M2.3%
14.195 · Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA)$119.2M1.8%
14.871 · Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers$49.9M0.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$118.1M1.8%
NASHVILLE, TN
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE$114.8M1.7%
KNOXVILLE, TN
SOUTH COLLEGE OF TENNESSEE, LLC$107.7M1.6%
KNOXVILLE, TN
KNOXVILLES COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORP$46.3M0.7%
KNOXVILLE, TN
METROPOLITAN KNOXVILLE AIRPORT AUTHORITY (THE) (" ")

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

Social Security Administration$5.1B76%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$737.8M11%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$189M2.9%
Assistant Secretary for Housing--Federal Housing Commissioner$121.5M1.8%
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Federal Highway Administration

Assistance by fiscal year

5.5BFY2021
5.6BFY2022
6.1BFY2023
6.3BFY2024
6.9BFY2025
6.6BFY2026

County aggregates

88%

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 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Knoxville, TN

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

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

KnoxvillePrincipal city195,185

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/M28940

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved16

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Knoxville, TN 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

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Knoxville, TN

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

Improved16

Declined5

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 programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Top buying agencies

By type

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

What was bought

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards