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METRO AREA · 2020 ACS

Knoxville Metro

Knoxville, TN · 9 counties · 903,300 residents · 3,501 sq mi
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The short version

With 903,300 people, Knoxville is a metro area. The foreign-born share is 4%. The population is up 21% since 2000. Home values have more than doubled since 2000, reaching $181,696. 69% of homes are owner-occupied. The median household earns $56,890, about 14% below the national median.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $66,278
Older
median age 41.3
US median: 38.8
Average education
30% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 33%
Less affordable
home values up 36%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $265,253
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
903,300
+21%since 2000
from 748,259 in 2000
1990 – 2025
Population density
258 / sq mi
+21%since 2000
from 214 / sq mi in 2000
Median age
41.3
+10%since 2000
from 37.5 in 2000
US average: 38.8
Land area
3,501 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
624K708K792K876K960K19902000201020202024Knoxville
2024932K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2020
Under 55.2%(47,212)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 95.7%(51,094)
US avg: 6.1%
10 to 146.1%(54,808)
US avg: 6.5%
15 to 196.6%(59,894)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.6%(60,061)
US avg: 6.7%
25 to 3412.5%(112,574)
US avg: 13.5%
35 to 4411.9%(107,453)
US avg: 12.7%
45 to 5412.6%(114,015)
US avg: 12.3%
55 to 6413.7%(123,601)
US avg: 13.1%
65 to 7411.4%(103,017)
US avg: 10%
75 to 845.7%(51,906)
US avg: 4.9%
85 and over2%(17,665)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$56,890
+6%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $35,777 in 2000
US average: $66,278
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$32,001
+61%since 2000
from $19,876 in 2000
US average: $35,364
Households earning $100K+
37.3%
+12.1 ptssince 2009
from 25.1% in 2009
US average: 43.9%
Poverty rate
13.5%
+0.4 ptssince 2000
from 13.2% in 2000
US average: 12.8%
Workforce by industry, 2020
Information12.5%
US avg: 11.1%
Retail trade10.5%
US avg: 10%
Wholesale trade7.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Other services5.8%
US avg: 6.6%
Finance & insurance5.6%
US avg: 5.5%
Professional, scientific, technical4.4%
US avg: 4.7%
Public administration4.3%
US avg: 4.7%
Transportation & warehousing2.5%
US avg: 2.5%
Arts, entertainment, food1.8%
US avg: 2%
Education & health services1.1%
US avg: 0.8%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.8%
US avg: 1.7%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0.2%
US avg: 0.5%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$181,696
+36%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $88,747 in 2000
US average: $265,253
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$851
+24%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $458 in 2000
US average: $1,124
Owner-occupied
68.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2000
from 71.6% in 2000
31.1% rent
Persons per household
2.44 people
+2%since 2009
from 2.39 people in 2009
US average: 2.61
Afford Score
3.2
+4%since 2009
from 3.0 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic91.1%(681,666)
Black5.5%(41,078)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(8,718)
Asian0.9%(6,660)
Other0%
2020
White, non-Hispanic82.9%(748,819)
Black5.5%(49,398)
Hispanic / Latino5%(45,440)
Asian1.7%(15,151)
Other2.6%(23,860)
Segregation Score
38
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.3%(20,207)
Central American0.6%(5,226)
Puerto Rican0.4%(3,397)
Guatemalan0.3%(2,547)
South American0.3%(2,321)
Cuban0.2%(1,779)
Honduran0.2%(1,391)
Colombian0.1%(1,016)
Salvadoran0.1%(812)
Spaniard0.1%(569)
Argentine0%(378)
Panamanian0%(303)
+ 10 more hispanic origin groups with data
Venezuelan0%(275)
Peruvian0%(232)
Dominican0%(221)
Bolivian0%(181)
Chilean0%(125)
Ecuadorian0%(108)
Nicaraguan0%(100)
Asian origin
Asian Indian0.5%(4,085)
Chinese0.3%(2,858)
Korean0.2%(1,833)
Vietnamese0.2%(1,125)
Filipino0.1%(960)
Japanese0.1%(756)
Taiwanese0.1%(449)
Thai0.1%(411)
Pakistani0.1%(390)
Laotian0%(201)
Nepalese0%(113)
Hmong0%(109)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0.1%(411)
Chamorro0%(216)
Ancestry
American11.4%(100,680)
German11.3%(99,971)
English10.5%(92,606)
Irish10.4%(91,759)
Scotch-Irish3.5%(30,954)
Scottish2.7%(24,116)
Italian2.3%(20,657)
French1.7%(14,762)
Polish1.4%(12,507)
Dutch1.4%(11,982)
British1%(8,706)
Welsh0.8%(7,485)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Swedish0.6%(4,979)
Norwegian0.5%(4,803)
Russian0.3%(2,835)
French Canadian0.3%(2,786)
Greek0.2%(2,170)
Hungarian0.2%(1,848)
Swiss0.2%(1,816)
Czech0.2%(1,609)
Romanian0.2%(1,458)
Ukrainian0.2%(1,423)
Danish0.2%(1,295)
Lebanese0.1%(1,220)
Portuguese0.1%(1,200)
Austrian0.1%(1,080)
West Indian0.1%(1,068)
Canadian0.1%(1,005)
Iraqi0.2%(882)
Slovak0.1%(843)
Lithuanian0.1%(635)
Palestinian0.1%(561)
Finnish0.1%(555)
Iranian0.1%(520)
Brazilian0%(394)
Nigerian0.1%(372)
Belgian0%(331)
Egyptian0%(250)
Jordanian0%(246)
Syrian0%(236)
Armenian0%(223)
Haitian0%(220)
Turkish0%(203)
Serbian0%(195)
Ethiopian0%(195)
Arab0%(176)
Jamaican0%(172)
Croatian0%(171)
Slovene0%(169)
Latvian0%(162)
Australian0%(147)
Ghanaian0%(114)
Israeli0%(87)
Somali0%(75)
Kenyan0%(47)
Bulgarian0%(44)
Moroccan0%(24)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
30.4%
+8.2 ptssince 2000
from 22.1% in 2000
US average: 32.9%
High school or higher
89.4%
+11.7 ptssince 2000
from 77.7% in 2000
US average: 88.5%
Graduate degree
11.9%
+3.6 ptssince 2000
from 8.3% in 2000
US average: 12.7%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
24.4 min
+56%since 2000
from 15.7 min in 2000
US average: 26.9
Drive alone to work
82.7%
−1.6 ptssince 2009
from 84.3% in 2009
US average: 75.1%
No vehicle available
5.2%
−0.6 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 8.4%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
4.9%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 7.5% in 2011
US average: 5.4%
Labor force participation
60.3%
−0.9 ptssince 2011
from 61.2% in 2011
US average: 63.4%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
70.3%
US average: 73.3%
Management & professional
37.7%
+4.5 ptssince 2009
from 33.2% in 2009
US average: 39.3%
Section 08

People & community

Male
48.8%
+0.1 ptssince 2009
from 48.7% in 2009
Female
51.2%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 51.3% in 2009
Foreign born
4.2%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 2.9% in 2009
US average: 13.5%
Uninsured
8.4%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 11.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Computer in household
90.4%
US average: 91.9%
Same house as last year
85.6%
US average: 86.2%
Marital status (2024)
Men 15+
Never married31.9%(121,076)
Married53.8%(204,433)
Widowed3.4%(12,845)
Divorced10.9%(41,289)
Women 15+
Never married26.3%(104,137)
Married51.1%(202,883)
Widowed9.8%(39,069)
Divorced12.8%(50,606)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
8.4%
−3.5 ptssince 2013
from 11.9% in 2013
US average: 8.8%
Employer-based
55.2%
US average: 55.4%
Direct-purchase
15.5%
US average: 13.7%
Medicare
20.5%
US average: 17.6%
Medicaid
18.1%
US average: 20.0%
VA health care
2.6%
US average: 2.3%
Any private
69.7%
US average: 68.1%
Any public
36.4%
US average: 35.2%

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, 2020
Gulf War (2001 or later)18.6%(11,324)
US avg: 20.6%
Gulf War (1990s)21.7%(13,266)
US avg: 21.4%
Vietnam era37.6%(22,923)
US avg: 35.2%
Korean War7%(4,261)
US avg: 7.6%
World War II2.3%(1,390)
US avg: 2.9%

Share of the 61,042 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
In this metro

Largest cities

KnoxvilleCENTRAL202,021Oak Ridge35,395Maryville32,442Farragut25,121Seymour16,216Powell13,739Alcoa13,689Lenoir City12,530Clinton10,466Halls10,272Tellico7,414La Follette7,176Loudon6,963Kingston6,299Harriman6,192Rockwood5,607Eagleton5,598Louisville4,562Karns4,115Oliver Springs3,433Mascot3,277Bean Station3,190Coalfield2,754Maynardville2,723Plainview2,263Jacksboro2,235Caryville2,217Blaine2,212Jellico2,126Vonore1,715

The 30 most populous of 51 cities and towns in this metro. CENTRAL marks the metro's principal cities.

What's inside

9 component counties

Knox CountyCENTRAL511,453Blount CountyCENTRAL143,820Anderson CountyCENTRAL82,066Loudon CountyCENTRAL63,764Roane County57,395Campbell County40,290Grainger County25,739Morgan County22,160Union County21,450
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Knoxville

Albuquerque
Pop 925,279
Greenville
Pop 1,014,101
Bakersfield
Pop 927,068
Baton Rouge
Pop 888,699
Places similar to Knoxville
Head to head

Compare Knoxville side by side

KNOXVILLE VS
Albuquerque
Income$71,241+25%
Home value$288,193+59%
Population925,279−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KNOXVILLE VS
Greenville
Income$71,083+25%
Home value$265,762+46%
Population1,014,101+5%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KNOXVILLE VS
Bakersfield
Income$70,210+23%
Home value$338,300+86%
Population927,068−4%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
KNOXVILLE VS
Baton Rouge
Income$70,666+24%
Home value$240,565+32%
Population888,699−8%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Knoxville, TN?

Knoxville, TN has about 903,300 residents according to the 2020 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Knoxville, TN?

The typical household in Knoxville, TN earns about $56,890 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Knoxville, TN expensive?

In Knoxville, TN, the median home is worth about $181,696, and the typical rent is about $851 a month.

How educated are people in Knoxville, TN?

About 30.4% of adults age 25 and over in Knoxville, TN hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Knoxville, TN?

About 13.5% of people in Knoxville, TN live below the federal poverty line.

Has Knoxville, TN grown since 1990?

Yes, Knoxville, TN has grown since 1990. The population has added about 251,682 residents, a change of about 39 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →

Knoxville, TN (2020): population, income & housing data · CensusEasy