Houston County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Houston County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 8,293. It is the 89th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Houston County is 44.2 years. This is 14% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Houston County is $54,475. This is 19% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 31% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 13.8%. This is about the same as the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 6.7%. This is 41% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $150,100. Housing costs are 42% lower than the state median of $256,800. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.8x, Houston County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 81.2% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 21% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Houston County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 90.6% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.9%. The Black or African American population (2.9%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.9%) is well below the state average of 7.1%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

13.7% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 55% 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 87.3%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Houston 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.