Jackson County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Jackson County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 11,882. It is the 85th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Jackson County is 48.0 years. This is 23% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Jackson County is $41,475. This is 38% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 47% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 20.7%. This is 50% 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 7.7%. This is 63% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $135,200. Housing costs are 47% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.3x. 83.3% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 24% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Jackson County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 92.8% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 2.5%. The Black or African American population (0.5%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Hispanic or Latino population (2.5%) is well below the state average of 7.1%.

Education

13.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 56% 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 82.6%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Jackson 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.