Johnson City, TN

Metro Area Profile

210,729 residents. Jobs, income, development, climate and physical risk across the Johnson City, TN metropolitan area.

69out of 100
Area Score
Top 11% of 834 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
OpportunityTop 39% of 835 metro and micro areas measured56
SchoolsTop 1% of 695 metro and micro areas measured93
GrowthTop 37% of 834 metro and micro areas measured58
Housing affordabilityTop 44% of 835 metro and micro areas measured75
ClimateTop 19% of 835 metro and micro areas measured75
Physical resilienceTop 29% of 835 metro and micro areas measured70
AccessTop 19% of 835 metro and micro areas measured94
Economic stability571st of 835 metro and micro areas measured34
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.5% and median household income $57,762, putting employment conditions in the middle range of metro and micro areas measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 47% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 1% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 860 units authorized over the past twelve months, 35% below the prior year.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
210,729
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$57,762
Bottom 21% nationally
Density
247/sq mi
853.9 sq mi of land
Median age
42.1
2024 ACS 5-Year
Area type
Metropolitan area
Tennessee
Nearest major airport
TRI
15 mi · Tri-Cities
Median home value
$219,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.5%, lower than in 77% of the 835 measured US metro and micro areas.

Employment fell 1.1% over the past year, to 94,599 employed residents.

Median household income of $57,762 is lower than in 79% of measured US metro and micro areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Median household income ±$1,7962024 ACS 5-Year$57,762Bottom 21%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$9822024 ACS 5-Year$34,444Bottom 42%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year14.4%Bottom 37%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.5 min2024 ACS 5-Year24.1 minTop 49%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year29.3%Top 36%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year79.1%65th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202694,599Top 27%of 835July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.6%Top 27%of 835July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.1%Bottom 42%of 835July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202698,05172nd percentileof 835July 2026
Labor force participation ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year73.3%Bottom 30%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wage2025 OEWS$54,750Bottom 18%of 3922025 OEWS
Median annual wage2025 OEWS$43,480Bottom 13%of 3922025 OEWS
Metro employment2025 OEWS81,69040th percentileof 3922025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.3%49th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.5%Top 30%of 835July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.5%Top 23%of 835July 2026
Worked from home ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year10.3%64th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.22.7
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.5% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Largest occupations — Johnson City, TN

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Fast Food and Counter Workers2,900$26,270
Registered Nurses2,740$77,660
Retail Salespersons2,330$29,820
Customer Service Representatives1,940$36,570
Cashiers1,920$27,160
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants1,580$36,570

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

47% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 45% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

Public schools
51
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
—
Math proficiency
46.8%
Top 9% in Tennessee
Reading proficiency
44.9%
Top 4% in Tennessee
The 12 largest of 51 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Science Hill High SchoolJohnson City2,359—62%61%
Daniel Boone High SchoolWashington County1,145—35%50%
David Crockett High SchoolWashington County1,122—27%54%
Liberty Bell Middle SchoolJohnson City987—59%45%
Jonesborough Elementary SchoolWashington County957———
Elizabethton High SchoolElizabethton886—30%45%
Boones Creek Elementary SchoolWashington County823———
Indian Trail Middle SchoolJohnson City786—59%45%
Ridgeview Elementary SchoolWashington County704—54%57%
Hampton ElementaryCarter County662—38%27%
University SchoolWashington County635—61%67%
Lake Ridge ElementaryJohnson City632—71%62%

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Tennessee’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 12% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 88.4, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for this area is up 63% over five years, and up 4.0% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,124 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.51% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,132, some 21% above the $939 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,132 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $45,300 a year, about 78% of the median household income here of $57,762.

The typical renter household here spends 29% of its income on rent, below the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $939 a month.

A median home at $219,200 costs 3.1 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $71,171, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Cost of living
88.4

Prices here run about 12% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Price level for all consumption in this metropolitan area against a national average of 100. Housing dominates the spread between places; goods vary far less.

Rent as a share of income
28.6%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.1×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,132
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$939
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$219,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Johnson City’s median household income of $57,762, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living index202388.4Top 14%of 3862023
Home price change (1 year)2026 Q2+4.0%61st percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)2026 Q2+63.4%98th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)2026 Q2+119.3%87th percentileof 3722026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.12024 ACS 5-Year3.1Bottom 31%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year68.2%40th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±962024 ACS 5-Year98,94477th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$893Top 50%of 818FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,398Top 45%of 818FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,132Bottom 47%of 818FY2026
Median gross rent ±$212024 ACS 5-Year$939Top 44%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$5,4942024 ACS 5-Year$219,20053rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$382024 ACS 5-Year$1,12418th percentileof 9332024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$1,6882024 ACS 5-Year$71,171Bottom 23%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.02%2024 ACS 5-Year0.51%16th percentileof 9322024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year28.6%Top 45%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2912024 ACS 5-Year1,17855th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year1.2%33rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year8.9%63rd percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±7872024 ACS 5-Year9,96575th percentileof 9352024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

58/ 100
Top 37% of 834 published metro profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2024 to 2025.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 4% since 2020, reaching 214,948 in 2024.

Population is still rising but the pace is easing: 214,948 residents in 2024, up 0.7% over the year, a smaller gain than the year before.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 860 units permitted over the past twelve months, only 4% are in buildings of five or more homes.

At 4.1 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US metro and micro areas.

Units permitted
860
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
4.1
Top 32% nationally
Year over year
−35%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
4.4%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

20202021202220232024215k207k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 3 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

Weather & climate

7 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 86°F and January a low of 26°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 44.0 inches, including 9.2 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station BRISTOL TRI CITY AP, 14.9 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND5.0"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals44.0"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals9.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals26°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals86°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals71991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals39°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

70 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, earthquake and strong wind, with inland flooding alone responsible for 67% of it. Inland flooding and strong wind are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 71% of measured US metro and micro areas.

LandslideModerate
EarthquakeModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, lightning, inland flooding, ice storm, hurricane, cold wave, wildfire, tornado, drought, winter weather, hail, heat wave, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. This value is the population-weighted mean of all component counties; expected annual loss is their sum. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. City profiles inside this area carry their own figure where their department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it do.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index by county, and only where a monitor sits, so a metropolitan area carries none of its own. The county profiles inside it show it where one exists.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

3 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Tri-Cities at 15 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±0.8%2024 ACS 5-Year87.2%Bottom 36%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle15 miTop 20%of 835NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 35%of 835NASR current cycle
No internet access ±0.7%2024 ACS 5-Year8.4%Top 49%of 9352024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Tri-CitiesTRI15 mi8,000 ft
Asheville RgnlAVL59 mi8,002 ft
Mc Ghee TysonTYS98 mi10,000 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

Customize your score

What matters to you?

Choose what you weight most heavily. Nothing is saved to an account — your preferences stay in this browser, and the Area Score never changes.

Area Score
69
Your Score
—

Select one or more priorities to see how this location scores against them.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.