Johnson City, Tennessee

Area Profile

72,222 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Johnson City, in Washington County.

72out of 100
Area Score
Top 9% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 15 sources
OpportunityTop 33% of 4,199 cities measured64
SchoolsTop 3% of 4,162 cities measured89
GrowthTop 37% of 4,224 cities measured56
Housing affordabilityTop 42% of 4,218 cities measured69
ClimateTop 28% of 4,225 cities measured75
Physical resilienceTop 23% of 4,226 cities measured81
AccessTop 31% of 4,226 cities measured97
Economic stability3,265th of 4,226 cities measured41
The quick read

Unemployment is 3.4% and median household income $57,254, putting employment conditions in the middle range of cities measured.

Public schools test above most of the state: 56% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 3% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 273 units authorized over the past twelve months, 60% 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
72,222
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$57,254
Bottom 35% nationally
Density
1,651/sq mi
43.8 sq mi of land
Median age
35.4
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Tennessee
Nearest major airport
TRI
9 mi · Tri-Cities
Median home value
$268,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.4%, lower than in 84% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment fell 1.0% over the past year, to 35,011 employed residents.

42% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 83% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsWashington County, TN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$63,98234th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftWashington County, TN’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$63,00031st percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$2,9422024 ACS 5-Year$57,254Bottom 35%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,0322024 ACS 5-Year$36,833Top 41%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year17.1%Bottom 29%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year20.2 minTop 18%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year42.5%Top 17%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year75.1%43rd percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202635,011Bottom 39%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+1.2%Top 28%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026−1.0%Bottom 44%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202636,22738th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year78.2%Top 50%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageJohnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$54,750Bottom 5%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageJohnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$43,480Bottom 4%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year0.5%80th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026−0.6%Top 23%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.4%Top 16%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year12.5%69th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/074.02.5
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.4% 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.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202457k47k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $57,254 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

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.

56% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 51% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

Public schools
21
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
—
Math proficiency
55.9%
Top 8% in Tennessee
Reading proficiency
51.3%
Top 15% in Tennessee
The 12 largest of 21 public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Science Hill High SchoolJohnson City2,359—62%61%
Daniel Boone High SchoolWashington County1,145—35%50%
Liberty Bell Middle SchoolJohnson City987—59%45%
Boones Creek Elementary SchoolWashington County823———
Indian Trail Middle SchoolJohnson City786—59%45%
Ridgeview Elementary SchoolWashington County704—54%57%
University SchoolWashington County635—61%67%
Lake Ridge ElementaryJohnson City632—71%62%
Woodland ElementaryJohnson City537—62%42%
Fairmont ElementaryJohnson City530—72%57%
Gray Elementary SchoolWashington County512—61%47%
Happy Valley ElementaryCarter County506—45%40%

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 the Johnson City, TN Metro 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 $1,748 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.65% 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 11% above the $1,023 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 79% of the median household income here of $57,254.

The typical renter household here spends 30% of its income on rent, at the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,023 a month.

A median home at $268,200 costs 3.3 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $80,804, 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.

Published for the Johnson City, TN Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
29.8%
Below the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.3×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,132
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,023
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$268,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Johnson City’s median household income of $57,254, 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 indexthe Johnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure202388.4Top 3%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Johnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+4.0%66th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Johnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+63.4%98th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Johnson City, TN Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+119.3%86th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.3Bottom 28%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year51.3%10th percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±6302024 ACS 5-Year33,36099th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$893Top 14%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,398Top 13%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,132Top 16%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$372024 ACS 5-Year$1,023Bottom 45%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$12,6912024 ACS 5-Year$268,20068th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$962024 ACS 5-Year$1,74849th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$3,9562024 ACS 5-Year$80,804Top 47%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year0.65%24th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year29.8%Bottom 42%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±2032024 ACS 5-Year27195th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.8%60th percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year7.3%52nd percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±4742024 ACS 5-Year2,69898th percentileof 32,3302024 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

56/ 100
Top 37% of 4,224 published city profiles
The most recent move in permitting was downward, in a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

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 73,635 in 2024.

Permitting has turned downward after moving the other way the year before: 350 units authorized in 2025, 43% below the prior year.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 273 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Washington County, which contains Johnson City, gained about 1.4% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $63,982, close to the $63,000 of households that moved out.

At 3.8 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
273
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
3.8
Top 38% nationally
Year over year
−60%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202474k71k
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 holding roughly steady, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
+1.4%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
50%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$63,982
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$63,000
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Sullivan County, TN 1,457 people · 18% of arrivals
  2. Carter County, TN 991 people · 12% of arrivals
  3. Greene County, TN 446 people · 5.4% of arrivals
  4. Unicoi County, TN 263 people · 3.2% of arrivals
  5. Knox County, TN 193 people · 2.3% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Sullivan County, TN 1,315 people · 19% of departures
  2. Carter County, TN 1,002 people · 15% of departures
  3. Greene County, TN 516 people · 7.6% of departures
  4. Knox County, TN 268 people · 3.9% of departures
  5. Unicoi County, TN 266 people · 3.9% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Washington County, TN. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

202020212022202320242025615210
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−35%).

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, 9.1 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

81 / 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 64% 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 77% of measured US cities.

LandslideModerate
EarthquakeElevated
Cold waveModerate

Low or minimal exposure: strong wind, lightning, inland flooding, ice storm, hurricane, tornado, drought, wildfire, 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. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
417
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
2,137
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Johnson City's police department reported 417 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, higher than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 2,137.

Washington County has a modeled homicide rate of about 3.0 per 100,000 residents a year, because the CDC suppresses counts this small, near the middle of counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 16.6 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 19.5 per 100,000 residents in Washington County.

Homicide
3.0
per 100,000 residents · modeled, not measured
Firearm deaths, all intents
16.6
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
19.5
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
21.7
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Johnson City’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Johnson City (Washington County) rather than Johnson City itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

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.

Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
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 9 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year87.8%Bottom 42%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle9 miTop 24%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle3Bottom 20%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year6.4%Top 45%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Tri-CitiesTRI9 mi8,000 ft
Asheville RgnlAVL63 mi8,002 ft
Mc Ghee TysonTYS97 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.

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Area Score
72
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—

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Other cities in Johnson City, TN

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
ElizabethtonCarter County14,37457Elizabethton vs Johnson City

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Johnson City side by side with a similar place.

Johnson City vs KingsportJohnson City vs Bangor

Moving to Johnson City from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
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
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
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.

ZIP codes in Johnson City

4 ZIP areas

Every ZIP area in Johnson City with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Johnson City closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
3760439,097$52,345$259,600—
3760138,008$50,686$216,20066
3761522,821$77,525$294,90075
376869,495$84,264$352,20074