Bedford County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Bedford County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 51,291. It is the 32nd most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 5 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Bedford County is 37.6 years. This is 3% lower than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Bedford County is $62,197. This is 7% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 21% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.6%. This is 1% lower than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 4.0%. This is 15% lower than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $255,300. Housing costs are about the same as the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 4.1x. 70.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 5% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Bedford County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 73.2% of the population. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 15.5%. The Black or African American population (7.1%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population is significantly higher than the state average (15.5% vs 7.1%). The Asian population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

16.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 44% lower than the state rate of 30.4%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 84.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Bedford County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Tennessee and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.