Official Federal Data
Knox County, Tennessee
FIPS 47093 · Knoxville, TN · Population 494,148
9 Sources
Updated June 22, 2026
$74,222 ▲
Median Income
$80,734 national
3% ▲
Unemployment
4% national
$43.6B ▲
GDP
41% ▲
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
$74,222 ▲
Per Capita
$43,351 ▲
Mean Household
$104,460 ▲
Poverty Rate
12.2% ▼
Median Income Comparison
Knox County$74,222
Tennessee$69,595
National$80,734
Population Profile
Source: Census Bureau ACS 2020-2024 · Tables B01001, B02001, B03003
Cohorts
Under 18 · 20.9%
18-34 · 25.8%
35-54 · 24.9%
55-64 · 12%
65+ · 16.3%
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+
92.4%
High School+
National: 89.6%
▲ +2.8 pts
41%
Bachelor's+
National: 35.7%
▲ +5.3 pts
16.2%
Graduate+
National: 14.1%
▲ +2.1 pts
Employment Overview
Source: U.S. Census Bureau · American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates
494,148
Population
261,857
Labor Force
Employed
252,207
Unemployment Rate BLS LAUS 2025 annual
3% ▲ +0.1 pts YoY
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.4%
Key Takeaways
- Talent advantage: Bachelor's-or-higher attainment exceeds the national average by 5.3 pts, supports knowledge-economy and tech attraction.
Economy & Industry
Bureau of Labor Statistics QCEW · Bureau of Economic Analysis
Key Takeaways
- Largest sector: Health Care and Social Assistance employs 41,824 workers (21.1% of tracked sectors), at an average wage of $69,562.
- Economic scale: Regional GDP of $43.6B (2024).
- Wage stratification: Finance and Insurance averages $108,996 while Accommodation and Food Services averages $27,640, a 3.9x 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.
Cluster Depth
Source: BLS QCEW · Sub-sectors with LQ ≥ 1.5 indicate genuine cluster concentration
Dominant Cluster
Transportation & Warehousing Cluster
Coherent grouping of concentrated sub-sectors, signals supply-chain fit for site selectors
9,092
Cluster Employment
2.09x
Peak LQ
Concentrated Sub-Sectors
Truck Transportation
2.09x 5,212
Couriers and Messengers
2.05x 3,880
Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers
1.83x 3,517
Internet Publishing and Broadcasting
1.65x 939
Management of Companies and Enterprises
1.58x 6,924
Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods
1.55x 8,891
Furniture, Home Furnishings, and Other Retailers
1.54x 1,997
Attraction Opportunities
LQ < 0.5 with ≥ 50 employed, realistic diversification targets. Source: BLS QCEW
0.13x
Crop Production
112 employed
0.19x
Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers
144 employed
0.21x
Transportation Equipment Manufacturing
617 employed
Key Takeaways
- Top specialization: Truck Transportation concentrates at 2.09x the national norm.
- Cluster depth: 7 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
$320,900 ▲
Median Home Value vs 2019
$1,261 ▲
Rent/Mo
65.2% ▲
Owner-Occ
8% ▼
Vacancy
4.3x
Home Value to Income Ratio
vs. ~4.1x national average
HUD Fair Market Rents
Source: HUD · Fair Market Rents FY2026
Studio
$1,177/mo
1 Bedroom
$1,184/mo
2 Bedroom
$1,471/mo
3 Bedroom
$1,864/mo
4 Bedroom
$2,172/mo
30% of monthly median household income (~$1,856/mo) · rents above this line are typically considered cost-burdened.
Key Takeaways
- In line with national: Home value to income ratio of 4.3x sits near the ~4.1x national average; affordability is neither a clear advantage nor a recruitment friction.
- Affordable rent tiers: 3 of 5 HUD Fair Market Rent bedroom tiers sit below the 30%-of-median-income affordability threshold (~$1,856/mo).
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
310,238 ▲
Working Age (18-64) vs 2019
Mean Commute 4 min below national avg
22.2 min
Work From Home vs 15.1% national
14.4%
Prime-Age Employed (25-54)
82.7%
of prime-age population
▲ vs 2019
Education & Talent Pipeline
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table B15003 · College Scorecard
Bachelor's+
41% ▲
HS Diploma+
92.4% ▲
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
19.1%
55-64 of working-age population (18-64)
Workforce by Occupation
Source: Census ACS 2020-2024 · Table C24010 · Civilian employed population 16+
Management / Professional
45.1%
Service
15.5%
Sales & Office
21.5%
Construction / Maint.
7.1%
Production / Transport
10.9%
Bars scaled 2× for visual differentiation; percentage labels show actual share of 252,207 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
Knox County shows emerging potential for truck transportation attraction, with a 2.09x concentration and 5,212 jobs in this sub-sector.
The interconnected base across truck transportation, couriers and messengers, and clothing, clothing accessories, shoe, and jewelry 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
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 Knox County, Tennessee, from federal data sources.
What is the population of Knox County, Tennessee?
494,148 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the median household income in Knox County, Tennessee?
$74,222 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Knox County, Tennessee?
3% (2025 annual average, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, LAUS).
What is the GDP of Knox County, Tennessee?
$43.6B (U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, CAGDP1).
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