Chattanooga is home to 185,783 people in Tennessee. Owners hold 52% of the housing stock. The average commute runs 18 minutes. 19.1% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Growth has run 19% since 2000, or 30,229 more people. Density works out to 1,305 people per square mile.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $64,523, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 36.3
US median: 38.9
Average education
36% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 87%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Chattanooga
What changed most since 1990
Median home value (2024 dollars)$129,364 → $283,200(+119%)US over the same years: +67%
White share64.5% → 55.5%(−9.0 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Black share33.6% → 27.6%(−6.1 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Chattanooga's population equals 49% of Hamilton County's. Its number of households without a car equals 76% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 72% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)20.5%(1,765)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)22.7%(1,953)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era34.8%(2,991)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War3.8%(325)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(59)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 8,597 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Chattanooga, decade by decade
Chattanooga population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
152,488
$53,274
$129,364
18.2%
58.8
2000
155,554
$58,304
$151,744
21.5%
65.4
2010
167,674
$52,760
$187,877
24.7%
70.4
2020
181,099
$57,166
$211,986
31.4%
75.9
2024
185,783
$64,523
$283,200
36.0%
75.4
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
