Carter County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Carter County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 56,462. It is the 27th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 9 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Carter County is 45.8 years. This is 18% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Carter County is $48,435. This is 28% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 38% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 18.0%. This is 31% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 6.8%. This is 44% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $157,200. Housing costs are 39% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.2x. 74.1% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 11% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Carter County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 93.3% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.4%. The Black or African American population (2.0%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.4%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.3%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

20.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 32% 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 88.7%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Carter 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.