Rhea County, Tennessee Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Rhea County is located in Tennessee with a total population of 33,299. It is the 45th most populous county out of 95 in Tennessee. The county encompasses 3 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Rhea County is 41.0 years. This is 5% higher than the state median of 38.9 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Rhea County is $58,133. This is 13% lower than the state median of $67,097. It is also 26% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 15.3%. This is 11% higher than the state poverty rate of 13.8%. The unemployment rate is 6.3%. This is 33% higher than the state rate of 4.7%. The median home value is $178,500. Housing costs are 30% lower than the state median of $256,800. The home-value-to-income ratio is 3.1x. 73.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 9% higher than the state average of 67.0%.

Race & Ethnicity

Rhea County has a predominantly White (non-Hispanic) population, comprising 87.5% of all residents. Hispanic or Latino residents account for 6.1%. The Black or African American population (1.6%) is well below the state average of 15.7%. The Asian population (0.7%) is well below the state average of 1.8%.

Education

17.4% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 43% 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 84.1%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Rhea 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.