county

Carter County, TN

Demographic and economic profile of Carter County, TN, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Carter County, TN is a small Appalachian county of 56,462 residents with a workforce characterized by low educational attainment — only 20.7% hold a bachelor's degree or higher — and moderate earnings, with median worker earnings of $34,305 against a median household income of $50,135. Labor force participation is low at 52.1%, unemployment sits at 6.8%, and the poverty rate reaches 18.0%, reflecting a constrained local economy with a GDP per capita of just $20,074. Housing costs are among the lower ranges regionally, with a median home value of $157,200 and median gross rent of $738/month, and population growth has been essentially flat at +0.1% over five years.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

56,462

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$50,135

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

45.9 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

+0.1% since 2018

Carter County added population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone53,094 (93.6%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races1,422 (2.5%)
  • Black or African American Alone1,078 (1.9%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race573 (1.0%)
  • Some Other Race Alone402 (0.7%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone80 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish794
  2. 2.Arabic240
  3. 3.Other Indo-European72
  4. 4.German or other West Germanic67
  5. 5.Russian, Polish, or other Slavic54

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

17.9%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

59.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

22.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.7%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

4,073

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$20,074

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$29,232

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

6.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

18.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance6,026
  2. 2.Manufacturing (Group)3,098
  3. 3.Retail Trade (Group)3,006
  4. 4.Arts, Entertainment, & Recreation, & Accommodation & Food Services2,124
  5. 5.Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services2,022

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations7,585
  2. 2.Sales & Office Occupations5,365
  3. 3.Service Occupations4,317
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations3,763
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations2,535

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Retail Trade (LQ 1.24×)3,109
  2. 2.Manufacturing (LQ 1.22×)2,812
  3. 3.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.12×)6,049
  4. 4.Other Services (LQ 1.10×)1,193
  5. 5.Construction (LQ 1.07×)1,714

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$157,200

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$738/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

75.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $150,000 to $174,9992,517 (13.7%)
  • $200,000 to $249,9992,323 (12.6%)
  • $300,000 to $399,9991,944 (10.6%)
  • $100,000 to $124,9991,415 (7.7%)
  • $250,000 to $299,9991,332 (7.3%)
  • $125,000 to $149,9991,281 (7.0%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

20.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

88.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

52.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$34,305

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

24.3 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

5.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone19,197 (82.7%)
  • Carpooled1,723 (7.4%)
  • Worked At Home1,663 (7.2%)
  • Walked279 (1.2%)
  • Other226 (1.0%)
  • Public Transit103 (0.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.