Macon County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Macon County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 25,793. It is the 57th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Macon County is 38.3 years. This is 2% lower than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Macon County is $56,269. This is 16% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 28% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 15.2%. This is 10% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 3.6%. This is 23% lower than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $211,200. Housing costs are 18% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.8x. 71.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 7% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Macon County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 88.7% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 6.8%. The Black or African American population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Asian population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

11.8% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is among the lowest rates in the state, which may correlate with employment and income patterns. This is 61% 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 81.6%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Macon 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.