Knoxville, Tennessee
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Knoxville.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Knoxville 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
- 193,721City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $50,994Incorporated place (ACS)35% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 77ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)23% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $214,000City limits (ACS)29% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,116City limits (ACS)17% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 2.5%County LAUS · not city-only1.7 pts below U.S. avgU.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 21 min16% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3327% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 667.3annualized per 100k · citywide11% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4350annualized per 100k · citywide41% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 87°FNear U.S. avg (87°F)U.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 32°F2.0°F below U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 51.9 in58% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 23611% below U.S. avgU.S. 266
Compare Knoxville with another city
Music/tourism hubs and auto manufacturing corridors sit under humid summers. With about 51.9 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 33/100. A recent county unemployment reading near 2.5% suggests a relatively tight local labor market. Violent-offense rates near 667.3 per 100k sit in a mid-to-elevated band versus many peer cities in this catalog.
Knoxville (pop. 193,721) sits in Tennessee. With median income around $50,994 and a cost index of 77, the market reads among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs. Entry home prices around $214,000 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Knoxville 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 Knoxville 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 (Knoxville city, 1600000US4740000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN470930000000003 (Knox 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 (USW00013891 KNOXVILLE MCGHEE TYSON AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28