Official Federal Data
Bedford County, Tennessee
FIPS 47003 · Shelbyville, TN · Population 52,237
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$67,225 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.4% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
25,880
Labor Force
17.2% ▲
Bachelor's+
35.7% national
Demographics & Population
Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 · 5-Year Estimates
Household Income
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
Median Household
$67,225 ▲
Per Capita
$32,163 ▲
Mean Household
$86,190 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.6% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Bedford County$67,225
Tennessee$69,595
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 25.3%
18-34 · 22%
35-54 · 25.5%
55-64 · 12.3%
65+ · 14.8%
Race & Ethnicity
Hispanic or Latino is an ethnic category and overlaps with the race categories above.
Educational Attainment
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · Population 25+
85.3%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▼ 4.3 pts
17.2%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▼ 18.5 pts
5.1%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 9.0 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
52,237
Population
25,880
Labor Force
Employed
24,781
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.4% ▲ +0.3 pts YoY
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.5%
Key Takeaways
- Income gap: Households earn meaningfully less than the national median, which directly affects retail demand, housing absorption, and tax base.
- Talent gap: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment trails the national average by 18.5 pts, relevant for advanced-services attraction strategy.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Manufacturing employs 3,516 workers (26.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $59,714.
- Wage stratification: Construction averages $90,696 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $22,366, a 4.1x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW.
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Industry Concentration
Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Goods-Producing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
4,780
Cluster Employment
1.95x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Truck Transportation
6.19x 992
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
3.81x 718
Health and Personal Care Retailers
3.39x 389
Repair and Maintenance
2.69x 425
1.95x 4,780
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods
1.72x 410
Specialty Trade Contractors
1.63x 921
Building Material and Garden Supply Retailers
1.58x 234
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
1.55x 56
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.26x
Amusement, Gambling, and Recreation Industries
53 employed
0.30x
Real Estate
59 employed
0.30x
Ambulatory Health Care Services
293 employed
0.33x
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
121 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Truck Transportation concentrates at 6.19x the national norm, top-decile concentration, the kind of signature sector that defines a region's economic identity to site selectors.
- Cluster depth: 9 sub-sectors register LQ ≥ 1.5, suggesting an interconnected industrial base rather than reliance on a single employer or sector.
- Attraction whitespace: 8 sub-sectors register LQ < 0.5, candidates for diversification or recruitment depending on labor-market fit.
Source: BLS QCEW sub-sector Location Quotients.
Housing & Affordability
Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026
Housing Overview
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$281,200 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,051 ▲
Rent/Mo
71.9% ▲
Owner-Occ
4.8% ▼
Vacancy
4.2x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$796/mo
1 Bedroom
$928/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,017/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,414/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,641/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,681/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.2x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- High home ownership: 71.9% owner-occupied; rental supply may be tight for incoming workers.
- Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,681/mo), a clear cost-of-living advantage for workforce attraction.
Source: Census ACS housing tables + HUD Fair Market Rents.
Workforce Pipeline
Labor force readiness, commuting, and workforce composition
Labor Market Overview
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B23025, B08303, B08301
31,243 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 2 min above national avg
28.4 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
10.5%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
81%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
17.2% ▲
HS Diploma+
85.3% ▲
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
26,245/yr
8,049/yr
4,862/yr
4,677/yr
3,604/yr
2,551/yr
2,502/yr
Aging Workforce
Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.5%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Elevated retirement risk, above the 20% threshold. Succession planning recommended.
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
29%
Service
15.3%
Sales & Office
16.9%
Construction / Maint.
15.4%
Production / Transport
23.2%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 24,781 employed workers.
Key Takeaways
- Talent pipeline: 6 regional institutions feed the workforce; the top three combined produce 17,588 annual credentials.
Source: ACS workforce data and College Scorecard.
AI Insights
AI-assisted analysis, drawn from 9 federal data sources
Sample AI Insight
Bedford County shows strong potential for truck transportation attraction, with a 6.19x concentration and 992 jobs in this sub-sector. It ranks in the top decile nationally.
The interconnected base across truck transportation, transportation equipment manufacturing, and health and personal care retailers creates supply-chain attraction leverage rather than single-employer risk, a structural advantage for industrial recruitment.
Industry Shift Analysis
Manufacturing Automation Risk
High
Healthcare Growth Forecast
+4.2% CAGR
Remote Work Migration
67/100
Prospect Match Scores
Advanced Manufacturing
92/100
Life Sciences
84/100
Data Centers
71/100
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Data Sources
Updated from official federal government data.
Census ACS 5-Year2024
BLS QCEW2025 annual
BLS LAUS (via FRED)2025 annual
BEA Regional GDP2024
Census CBP2023
HUD Fair Market RentsFY2026
FCC Broadband Map2024
USAspending.govFY2026
College ScorecardAY 2022-23
Frequently Asked Questions
Key economic and demographic figures for Bedford County, Tennessee, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Bedford County, Tennessee?
52,237 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Bedford County, Tennessee?
$67,225 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Bedford County, Tennessee?
3.4% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
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