ExecutivePulse
Official Federal Data

Hamilton County, Tennessee

FIPS 47065 · Chattanooga, TN-GA · Population 376,192
9 Sources Updated June 22, 2026
$76,183
Median Income
$80,734 national
3.3%
Unemployment
4% national
$37.3B
GDP
37.5%
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
$76,183
Per Capita
$45,341
Mean Household
$108,057
Poverty Rate
13.1%
Median Income Comparison
Hamilton County$76,183
Tennessee$69,595
National$80,734

Population Profile

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
65+: 18.4% (69,086 residents) 55-64: 12.7% (47,689 residents) 35-54: 25.1% (94,349 residents) 18-34: 22.8% (85,757 residents) Under 18: 21.1% (79,311 residents) 40 Median Age
Cohorts
Under 18 · 21.1%
18-34 · 22.8%
35-54 · 25.1%
55-64 · 12.7%
65+ · 18.4%
Race & Ethnicity
White70.2%
Black or African American17%
Asian2.1%
Hispanic or Latino(any race)8%
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+
91.5%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +1.9 pts
37.5%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +1.8 pts
14%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▼ 0.1 pts

Employment Overview

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
376,192
Population
196,110
Labor Force
Employed
187,312
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3.3% ▲ +0.2 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.3%
Key Takeaways
  • Broadly in line with U.S. norms across income, poverty, and education.

Economy & Industry

Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis

$37.3B
Gross Domestic Product · 2024
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis · CAGDP1 Regional GDP

Top Industries by Employment

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics · Quarterly Census of Employment & Wages 2025 Annual
Top industries by employment in Hamilton County, Tennessee, with employment, share of top sectors, and average wage
IndustryEmploymentShare of Top 10Avg Wage
1Health Care and Social Assistance
34,978 20.9%
$71,198
2Manufacturing
28,144 16.9%
$79,061
3Accommodation and Food Services
21,338 12.8%
$26,566
4Retail Trade
21,307 12.8%
$40,662
5Transportation and Warehousing
14,587 8.7%
$72,148
6Administrative and Support and Waste Management
13,468 8.1%
$47,675
7Finance and Insurance
12,323 7.4%
$106,452
8Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
10,397 6.2%
$100,156
9Other Services (except Public Administration)
6,709 4.0%
$53,478
10Educational Services
3,720 2.2%
$47,928
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Key Takeaways
  • Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 34,978 workers (20.9% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $71,198.
  • Economic scale: Regional GDP of $37.3B (2024).
  • Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $106,452 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $26,566, a 4.0x spread in the same local economy, with implications for workforce development and talent strategy.
Source: BLS QCEW + BEA Regional GDP.
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Industry Concentration

Location Quotient measures regional specialization vs. national average. LQ > 1.0 = concentrated.

Location Quotient Analysis

Concentrated Industries
Source: BLS QCEW · 3-digit NAICS sub-sector · Location Quotient vs. national employment share
Same source as the Top Industries table above, sub-sector view surfaces the specialization the supersector view masks (e.g., Plastics & Rubber Manufacturing inside the Manufacturing supersector).
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
3.34x
8,175
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
3.06x
778
Paper Manufacturing
3.05x
1,509
Truck Transportation
2.76x
5,760
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
2.50x
9,162
Textile Product Mills
2.21x
289
Food Manufacturing
1.93x
4,842
Support Activities for Transportation
1.91x
2,208
Machinery Manufacturing
1.77x
2,709
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
1.76x
3,538

Cluster Depth

Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Manufacturing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
21,062
Cluster Employment
3.34x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
3.34x 8,175
Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar
3.06x 778
Paper Manufacturing
3.05x 1,509
Truck Transportation
2.76x 5,760
Insurance Carriers and Related Activities
2.50x 9,162
Textile Product Mills
2.21x 289
Food Manufacturing
1.93x 4,842
Support Activities for Transportation
1.91x 2,208
Machinery Manufacturing
1.77x 2,709
Fabricated Metal Product Manufacturing
1.76x 3,538

Attraction Opportunities

LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.10x
Support Activities for Agriculture and Forestry
56 employed
0.14x
Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing
191 employed
0.27x
Furniture and Related Product Manufacturing
129 employed
0.28x
Telecommunications
238 employed
0.42x
Wood Product Manufacturing
238 employed
0.45x
Electrical Equipment, Appliance Manufacturing
275 employed
Key Takeaways
  • Top specialization: Transportation Equipment Manufacturing concentrates at 3.34x the national norm, strong concentration that anchors the local economy and supports supply-chain attraction strategy.
  • Cluster depth: 10 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.
Hamilton County's Top Sectors by Workforce Share
Each rectangle's area is proportional to that sector's share of total private-sector employment across all NAICS supersectors. Hover for exact employment.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW 2025 Annual · Private sector, NAICS supersectors

Housing & Affordability

Census ACS · HUD Fair Market Rents FY2026

Housing Overview

Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates · Tables B25001, B25077, B25064
$312,800
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,253
Rent/Mo
63.9%
Owner-Occ
8.2%
Vacancy
4.1x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average

HUD Fair Market Rents

Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,211/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,263/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,390/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,734/mo
4 Bedroom
$1,853/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,905/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
  • In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.1x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
  • Broadly affordable rents: All 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,905/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
227,795
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.1 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.3%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
83%
of prime-age population
Labor force participation rate: 66.1% of working-age population (18-64) 66% Participation
▲ vs 2019

Education & Talent Pipeline

Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
37.5%
HS Diploma+
91.5%
Regional / Statewide Institutions
Total credentials awarded
26,245/yr
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville 8,049/yr
University of Memphis 4,862/yr
Middle Tennessee State University 4,677/yr
East Tennessee State University 3,604/yr
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga 2,551/yr
Tennessee Technological University 2,502/yr

Aging Workforce

Source: Census Bureau ACS · Derived from age & employment tables
20.9%
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
43.3%
Service
14.9%
Sales & Office
20.2%
Construction / Maint.
7%
Production / Transport
14.6%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 187,312 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

Hamilton County shows meaningful potential for transportation equipment manufacturing attraction, with a 3.34x concentration and 8,175 jobs in this sub-sector.

The interconnected base across transportation equipment manufacturing, museums, historical sites, and similar, and paper manufacturing 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
Illustrative example

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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 Hamilton County, Tennessee, from federal data sources.

What is the population of Hamilton County, Tennessee?

376,192 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the median household income in Hamilton County, Tennessee?

$76,183 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).

What is the unemployment rate in Hamilton County, Tennessee?

3.3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).

What is the GDP of Hamilton County, Tennessee?

$37.3B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).