White County, Tennessee Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
White 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 70% of counties in Tennessee
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D
Income Well below average
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F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 72% of counties in Tennessee
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 28,160 | 7,058,506 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 74.2 | 167.5 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.82% | 0.94% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 41.1 | 37.3 | 37.3 |
| Households | 11,226 | 2,819,839 | 130,235,071 |
Population in White County grew by 13.1% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 28,160 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in White County is Boomers, aged 61–79, at 21.2% of residents. That is 3.9 points above Tennessee as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,207 18.5% -2.9 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,422 19.3% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,806 20.6% +0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 5,973 21.2% +3.9 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 51.2% of the people living in White County and men 48.8%.
- Women 51.2% Tennessee 50.9%
- Men 48.8% Tennessee 49.1%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in White County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
White County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $54,822 | $69,901 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.52% | 5.19% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in White County is about 22% lower than in Tennessee.
Housing
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $162,499 | $255,786 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $848 | $1,188 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 76.9% | 66.9% | 65.2% |
The median home price in White County is about 16.0 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $848 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in White County spend about 40 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 167 hours, about 7.0 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.1 | 22.4 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.2 | 44.8 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 167 | 187 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,188 | $5,785 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 10.5% | 12.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,708 | 9,259 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 940 | 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 White County is 20 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
White County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 13.0% | 27.5% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.48 | 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
White County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | White County | Tennessee Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.6 | 74.8 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 20.6% | 19.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 26.5% | 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).
White County, TN Compared With Nearby Counties
White County, TN is the 3rd largest of the 4 counties compared here, 28,160 residents against a local median of 42,165. White County, TN's median home price, at $162,499, runs 26% below the $218,410 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves sit within $41,009 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and White County, TN, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. White County, TN has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White County, TN | 28,160 | $54,822 #3/4 | $162,499 #4/4 | 20.1 min #2/4 |
| Putnam County, TN | 82,558 | $58,838 | $218,410 | 17.3 min |
| DeKalb County, TN | 20,959 | $54,540 | $255,882 | 22.6 min |
| Warren County, TN | 42,165 | $55,751 | $214,873 | 20.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about White County, Tennessee.
How many people live in White County, Tennessee?
About 28,160 people live in White County, Tennessee, in 11,226 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 41.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 4 years.
Is White County, Tennessee mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, White County, Tennessee has 74 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is White County, Tennessee an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.0 times the median household income ($162,499 against $54,822), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $848 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in White County, Tennessee?
13.0% of adults in White 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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