county

Wayne County, TN

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

AI Overview

Wayne County, TN is a small, rural county of 16,251 residents with an economy reflected in a GDP per capita of $23,956 and median household income of $52,294, set against low housing costs — median home values of $126,600 and median gross rent of $619/month. The labor force is constrained, with participation at just 48.4% and only 12.5% of adults holding a bachelor's degree, though unemployment sits at 3.8% and median worker earnings reach $33,827. Population has declined 2.4% over five years, the median age is 44.4, and a poverty rate of 18.5% signals persistent economic pressure in the area.

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

Population

16,251

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$52,294

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

44.4 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-2.4% since 2018

Wayne County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • White Alone14,431 (89.3%)
  • Black or African American Alone692 (4.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races642 (4.0%)
  • Two Races Including Some Other Race243 (1.5%)
  • Some Other Race Alone108 (0.7%)
  • American Indian & Alaska Native Alone26 (0.2%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish327
  2. 2.German or other West Germanic55
  3. 3.French (incl. Cajun, Haitian)36
  4. 4.Tagalog (incl. Filipino)13
  5. 5.Korean3

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

17.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

63.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

19.3%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

1.9%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

937

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$23,956

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$29,526

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

3.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

18.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance1,709
  2. 2.Construction (Group)787
  3. 3.Manufacturing (Group)769
  4. 4.Retail Trade (Group)711
  5. 5.Public Administration (Group)440

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations2,267
  2. 2.Service Occupations1,190
  3. 3.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations1,101
  4. 4.Sales & Office Occupations932
  5. 5.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations835

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 2.30×)238
  2. 2.Construction (LQ 1.66×)743
  3. 3.Public Administration (LQ 1.59×)488
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.26×)1,917
  5. 5.Manufacturing (LQ 1.24×)800

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$126,600

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$619/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

80.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $150,000 to $174,999556 (11.6%)
  • $300,000 to $399,999488 (10.2%)
  • $200,000 to $249,999428 (8.9%)
  • $100,000 to $124,999400 (8.3%)
  • $125,000 to $149,999397 (8.3%)
  • $50,000 to $59,999257 (5.4%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

12.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

83.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

48.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$33,827

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

31.3 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

7.1%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone5,179 (82.7%)
  • Worked At Home636 (10.2%)
  • Carpooled377 (6.0%)
  • Other33 (0.5%)
  • Walked22 (0.4%)
  • Public Transit14 (0.2%)

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.