Bristol, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Bristol, TN Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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C
Health Below average
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D
Income Well below average
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,890 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 787.8 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.20% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 40.7 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,213 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Bristol grew by 3.8% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25,890 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Bristol is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 22.4% of residents. That is 2.2 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,203 20.1% -1.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,967 19.2% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,808 22.4% +2.2 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,180 20.0% +2.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Tennessee, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.9% of the people living in Bristol and men 48.1%.
- Women 51.9% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 48.1% Tennessee 49.1%
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Economy
Bristol has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $58,290 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.59% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.2% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Bristol is about 17% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $138,691 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $823 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 69.7% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Bristol is about 14.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $823 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Bristol spend about 37 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 154 hours, about 6.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.5 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.0 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 154 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,781 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 11.5% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,260 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,313 | 1,225 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Bristol is 19 minutes, shorter than the 22 minutes in Tennessee.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Bristol has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.9% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.26 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Health
Bristol has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Bristol | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.9% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.5% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bristol, Tennessee.
What is the population of Bristol, Tennessee?
About 25,890 people live in Bristol, Tennessee, in 11,213 households of 2.3 people on average. The median age is 40.7, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 3 years.
Is Bristol, Tennessee urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Bristol, Tennessee has 788 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 9.1 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Bristol, Tennessee?
The median home costs 2.4 times the median household income ($138,691 against $58,290), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $823 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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