Chattanooga, Tennessee
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Chattanooga.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Chattanooga compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 182,832City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $61,028Incorporated place (ACS)22% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 86ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)14% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $259,200City limits (ACS)15% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,155City limits (ACS)14% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 2.9%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 21 min16% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 2936% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1070.1annualized per 100k · citywide78% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 5557.4annualized per 100k · citywide80% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 89°F2.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 34°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 55 in67% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 2429% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Chattanooga with another city
Music/tourism hubs and auto manufacturing corridors sit under humid summers. With about 55 inches of rain a year, wet-season drainage and mold checks are worth asking about. Average one-way commute time is about 21 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 29/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 2.9% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1070.1 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
About 182,832 people live in Chattanooga, TN. With median income around $61,028 and a cost index of 86, the market reads below the national housing-cost baseline. Entry home prices around $259,200 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Chattanooga is compact enough that a single wrong neighborhood choice is easy to feel day to day — visit at commute hour before signing. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Chattanooga with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Chattanooga city, 1600000US4714000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN470650000000003 (Hamilton County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013882 CHATTANOOGA LOVELL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28