Grainger County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Grainger County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 23,929. It is the 61st most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Grainger County is 45.7 years. This is 17% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Grainger County is $51,351. This is 23% 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 16.4%. This is 19% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 5.2%. This is 9% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $172,000. Housing costs are 33% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.3x. 78.7% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 17% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Grainger County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 93.0% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 3.5%. The Black or African American population (0.9%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (3.5%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

14.9% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 51% 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 83.8%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Grainger 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.