Fentress County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Fentress County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 18,948. It is the 69th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 4 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Fentress County is 47.0 years. This is 21% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Fentress County is $50,865. This is 24% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 35% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 20.9%. This is 52% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. With more than one in five residents living below the poverty line, economic hardship is a significant challenge for the community. The unemployment rate is 4.4%. This is 7% lower than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $151,800. Housing costs are 41% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.0x. 80.6% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 20% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Fentress County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 94.4% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.0%. The Black or African American population (0.3%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.0%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.2%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

15.3% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 50% 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 83.2%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Fentress 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.