Alcoa and Oak Ridge receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.
Signals
Alcoa
Oak Ridge
Opportunity
68 · Top 25%
vs69 · Top 24%
Growth
88 · Top 1%
vs70 · Top 17%
Climate
77 · Top 23%
vs77 · Top 23%
Physical resilience
61 · Top 47%
vs49 · Bottom 42%
Housing affordability
74 · Bottom 39%
vs90 · Top 32%
Schools
50 · Bottom 47%
vs70 · Top 27%
Access
97 · Top 29%
vs84 · Bottom 28%
Economic stability
54 · Bottom 39%
vs49 · Bottom 30%
Measured values
| Metric | Alcoa | Oak Ridge | Source period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 12,222 | 32,693 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median household income | $65,714 | $72,311 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Per capita income | $40,886 | $42,285 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Population density | 821/sq mi | 383/sq mi | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median home value | $277,100 | $270,200 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median gross rent | $1,282 | $1,131 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Homeownership rate | 66.6% | 65.8% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Unemployment rate | 3.3% | 3.6% | June 2026 |
| Employment change (year over year) | -1.1% | -1.2% | June 2026 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.1% | 40.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Poverty rate | 12.9% | 12.2% | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Housing units permitted (12 months) | 258 | 220 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permits per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 6.7 | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Permit change (year over year) | 177.4% | -3.1% | 12 months ending July 2026 |
| Average July high | 88°F | 87°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Average January low | 30°F | 29°F | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Annual precipitation | 51.9" | 59.7" | 1991-2020 Normals |
| Distance to major airport | 1 mi | 20 mi | NASR current cycle |
| Average commute | 26.2 min | 23.4 min | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Median age | 35.6 | 39.3 | 2024 ACS 5-Year |
| Public schools | 4 | 8 | 2024-25 school year |
| Math proficiency | 37.8% | 42.6% | 2019-20 school year |
| Reading proficiency | 30.7% | 36.2% | 2019-20 school year |
A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.
Physical risk tradeoff
Alcoa
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, lightning, tornado.
Oak Ridge
Elevated or high exposure: earthquake.
Full profiles: Alcoa, TN · Oak Ridge, TN · How this is calculated: methodology