County · Tennessee
Cheatham County, Tennessee
Cheatham County, Tennessee has a quality-of-life score of 44 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #1,770 of 3,143 US counties. Within Tennessee it ranks #15 of 95 counties. It ranks best on severe housing problems (low), unemployment rate (low) and child care cost burden (low). It ranks worst on injury deaths (high), average commute time (high) and depression (high).
- Quality-of-life score
- #1,770 of 3,143 counties
- Tennessee
- #15 of 95 in TN
- Population
- 42,778 (2025)
- Land area
- 302 mi²
- Density
- 141.4 /mi²
- FIPS code
- 47021
Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 75 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.
Scores by category
Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US counties.
- Safety22#2,404/3,096
- Economy96#136/3,143
- Housing49#1,598/3,140
- Health24#2,405/3,144
- Healthcare48#1,644/3,143
- Environment32#2,124/3,108
- Education53#1,465/3,144
- Infrastructure63#1,172/3,144
- Community35#2,032/3,144
- Leisure & amenities36#2,000/3,143
Strengths · Weaknesses
Indicators where Cheatham County, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US counties (score = percentile, 100 = best).
Strengths
- Severe housing problems · low8.4%91/100Tennessee 13.3%United States 16.8%2017-2021University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Unemployment rate · low2.9%
- Child care cost burden · low20.3%89/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Food environment index · high8.8
- Lack of reliable transportation · low6.9%89/100Tennessee 9.2%United States 8.3%2022Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
- Median household income · high$89,490
Weaknesses
- Injury deaths · high155 /100k3/100Tennessee 122 /100kUnited States 87 /100k2019-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Average commute time · high33.5 min
- Depression · high29.4%5/100Tennessee 29.0%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
- Dentists · low14 /100k11/100Tennessee 57 /100kUnited States 75 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute
- Drug overdose deaths · high16.8 /100k12/100Tennessee 27.1 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional data
- Students per teacher · high16.2×
Trends
The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.
- Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 42% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+42 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
- Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.2 /10k (2020) → 0.7 /10k (2025)
+188%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
- Drug overdose deathsImproving
74.7 /100k (2021) → 16.8 /100k (Mar 2025–Feb 2026)
−78%5 yearsUS 30.8 /100k → 18.4 /100k
- Arts, entertainment and recreationImproving
2.4 /10k (2020) → 4.2 /10k (2025)
+73%5 yearsUS 4.8 /10k → 5.5 /10k
- Restaurants and barsImproving
3.4 /10k (2020) → 5.6 /10k (2025)
+65%5 yearsUS 8.8 /10k → 9.0 /10k
- New homes permittedWorsening
9.8 /1k (2021) → 4.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−51%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
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.
Counties like Cheatham County, Tennessee five years ago that improved
The places whose measures looked most like those of Cheatham County, 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.
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).
Income
How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.
Homes
Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.
Getting to work
How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.
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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TNLocal 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.
Federal contract spending
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.
Public money & outcomes
Federal money per resident by fiscal year next to how the place changed, and, when its money jumped, how it compares with similar counties. A comparison, not cause and effect.
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.
Metro area
The metro or micro area Cheatham County belongs to. A county is in at most one.
Cities and towns in Cheatham County
Places whose residents live mostly in Cheatham County, largest first.
Neighboring counties
Places that share a border, best score first.
Similar counties
Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).
- Robertson County, TN34Alike on Depression, Child care cost, Home value
- Sumner County, TN61Alike on Depression, Poverty, Price level
- Blount County, TN60Alike on Depression, Home value (Zillow), Property tax
- Dickson County, TN45Alike on Depression, Commute, Price level
- Wilson County, TN69Alike on Unemployment, Price level, Students / teacher
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
- National Risk IndexFederal Emergency Management Agency · release v1.20.0
- Health Professional Shortage AreasHealth Resources and Services Administration · release 2026-10-03
- Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
- Common Core of DataNational Center for Education Statistics · release 2024
- 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
- 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
