Grainger County, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Grainger County, 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 averageLess healthy than 77% of counties in Tennessee
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 88% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,266 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 80.2 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.78% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.2 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,660 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Grainger County grew by 7.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24,266 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Grainger County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.9% of residents. That is 3.6 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 4,351 17.9% -3.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,483 18.5% -3.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,799 23.9% +3.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,387 22.2% +4.9 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 49.8% of the people living in Grainger County and men 50.2%.
- Women 49.8% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 50.2% Tennessee 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Grainger County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Grainger County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,783 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.94% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.7% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Grainger County is about 27% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $212,931 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $745 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.1% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Grainger County is about 23.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $745 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Grainger County spend about 62 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 259 hours, about 10.8 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 31.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 62.3 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 259 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,044 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,831 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 908 | 1,225 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Tennessee:
Dyer County (15.9 min), Henry County (16.7 min), Obion County (17.1 min).
Slowest:
Cannon County (33.3 min), Union County (33.2 min), Fayette County (33.1 min).
The average commute time in Grainger County is 31 minutes, longer 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
Grainger County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.3% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.50 | 2.45 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.4), Davidson County (0.3), Knox County (0.3).
Lowest:
Lake County (0.1), Van Buren County (0.1), Lauderdale County (0.1).
Health
Grainger County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Grainger County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.3 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.7% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 27.7% | 25.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Tennessee:
Williamson County (0.8), Rutherford County (0.8), Wilson County (0.8).
Lowest:
Clay County (0.8), Lake County (0.8), Hancock County (0.8).
Grainger County, TN Compared With Nearby Counties
Grainger County, TN is the 4th largest of the 5 counties compared here, 24,266 residents against a local median of 44,650. Where Grainger County, TN breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 31% above the local median of $163,057 at $212,931.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 31.1 min against a local median of 24.2 min, 29% above it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, and it is the wrong way: Grainger County, TN reads weaker than its neighbours on all of them. The counties themselves spread $189,972 on median home price, so Grainger County, TN sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Grainger County, TN has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grainger County, TN | 24,266 | $50,783 #4/5 | $212,931 #2/5 | 31.1 min #4/5 |
| Jefferson County, TN | 56,834 | $66,976 | $118,803 | 27.7 min |
| Hamblen County, TN | 65,669 | $55,786 | $105,027 | 18.1 min |
| Claiborne County, TN | 32,466 | $49,273 | $207,311 | 20.6 min |
| Union County, TN | 20,431 | $63,970 | $294,999 | 33.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Grainger County, Tennessee.
How many people live in Grainger County, Tennessee?
About 24,266 people live in Grainger County, Tennessee, in 9,660 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 48.2, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Grainger County, Tennessee mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Grainger County, Tennessee has 80 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Grainger County, Tennessee?
The median home costs 4.2 times the median household income ($212,931 against $50,783), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $745 a month takes about 18% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
What share of adults in Grainger County, Tennessee have a college degree?
13.3% of adults in Grainger County, Tennessee hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 8), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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