Unicoi County, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Unicoi 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 average
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 76% of counties in Tennessee
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 17,742 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 95.2 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.13% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 47.4 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 7,793 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Unicoi County grew by 0.4% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 17,742 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Unicoi County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 23.5% of residents. That is 6.1 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 3,158 17.8% -3.5 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,278 18.5% -3.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 3,946 22.2% +2.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,161 23.5% +6.1 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 49.9% of the people living in Unicoi County and men 50.1%.
- Women 49.9% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 50.1% Tennessee 49.1%
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100% of everyone living in Unicoi County
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Economy
Unicoi County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $52,731 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.12% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.3% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Unicoi County is about 25% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $137,500 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $749 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 72.9% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Unicoi County is about 15.3 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $749 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Unicoi County spend about 44 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 182 hours, about 7.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.8 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.6 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 182 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,633 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 6.0% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,532 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 750 | 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 Unicoi County is about the same as 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
Unicoi County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.5% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.22 | 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
Unicoi County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Unicoi County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 75.1 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 19.9% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 25.1% | 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).
Unicoi County, TN Compared With Nearby Counties
Unicoi County, TN is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 17,742 residents against a local median of 56,703. Nothing separates Unicoi County, TN sharply from the counties around it. Each measure below lands within 15% of the local median, close enough that the differences are within what survey sampling alone would produce.
The largest of those small differences is median household income, 10% below the local median at $52,731 against $58,302. Unicoi County, TN has the 3rd highest median household income of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unicoi County, TN | 17,742 | $52,731 #3/4 | $137,500 #3/4 | 21.8 min #2/4 |
| Washington County, TN | 136,261 | $62,668 | $114,705 | 18.4 min |
| Carter County, TN | 56,703 | $50,141 | $144,997 | 21.8 min |
| Madison County, NC | 21,867 | $58,302 | $450,956 | 28.5 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Unicoi County, Tennessee.
How many people live in Unicoi County, Tennessee?
About 17,742 people live in Unicoi County, Tennessee, in 7,793 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 47.4, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 10 years.
How densely populated is Unicoi County, Tennessee?
Averaged over its land area, Unicoi County, Tennessee has 95 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 Unicoi County, Tennessee?
The median home costs 2.6 times the median household income ($137,500 against $52,731), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $749 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How educated are people in Unicoi County, Tennessee?
16.5% of adults in Unicoi County, Tennessee hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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