Carter County, Tennessee
Population 56,712 · Elizabethton, Johnson City, Watauga
- Overall cost of living: −12.1% vs the US average, lower than 56% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Median household income: $50,135, lower than 88% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.1% | lower than 56% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Johnson City, TN metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $168,200 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Median rent | $739 | lower than 81% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $152/mo | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $5,720/yr | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | lower than 83% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| State income tax | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| Property tax paid / yr | $864 | lower than 83% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $50,135 | lower than 88% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +1.7% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 163 | lower than 84% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈189 days | lower than 78% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 85°F | lower than 63% of US counties |
| January low | 26°F | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 6 in | lower than 61% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 17 days | lower than 70% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 94 days | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 9.1% of weeks | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈61.6°F | lower than 60% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 48.1 in | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $134/yr | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $121/yr | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $0.68/yr | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $5.1/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $4/yr | lower than 68% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $0.54/yr | lower than 51% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 6.8 µg/m³ | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 254.2 mi | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈2,688.8 ft | higher than 88% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 89.5% | lower than 55% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 20.6% | lower than 58% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 7.3% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 9 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 14.1:1 | higher than 54% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 86.5% | lower than 69% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | N/A | |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.82 | higher than 50% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 2.86 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.5 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 30/100k | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 8 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 73.1 yrs | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 11.7% | higher than 68% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 68/100k | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 37/100k | lower than 57% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 79.3% | higher than 75% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 42 min | lower than 73% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 127 min | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 24 min | lower than 47% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 83.7% | lower than 73% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.4% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 7.2% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 145 min | higher than 59% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 23 per sq mi | higher than 50% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2.7 per 1k | higher than 65% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 14.4 per 1k | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Population | 56,712 | higher than 71% of US counties |
| Median age | 45.9 | higher than 81% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | +10.1 per 1k/yr | higher than 79% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 17.9% Dem | lower than 80% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 81.1% Rep | higher than 81% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 0.9% | lower than 66% of US counties |
| % White | 92.8% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 2.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Black | 1.9% | lower than 51% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.1% | lower than 84% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0% | the lowest in the US |
| % Two or more races | 2.5% | lower than 77% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.1% | lower than 67% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 759 parks | higher than 93% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 12.3 | lower than 67% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 1.6 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 64 min | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 1.9% | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 38 | higher than 82% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 24 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 1,419 km | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 28 km | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 43 | higher than 74% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 23 | higher than 58% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 38 | higher than 73% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 10 | higher than 86% of US counties |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 13 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 79 km | higher than 81% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data