Chattanooga, TN

Census Place

2024 Population

185,783

US Senator

Marsha Blackburn

Republican Party

US Senator

Bill Hagerty

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

36.3

0.82% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.1%

8.61% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$64,523

5.73% 1-year growth

Population & Diversity

Chattanooga, TN is home to a population of 186k people, from which 94.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 8.32% of Chattanooga, TN residents were born outside of the country (15.5k people).

In 2024, there were 2.01 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (103k people) in Chattanooga, TN than any other race or ethnicity. There were 51.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 6.79k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

94.2%

2024 Citizenship

94.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 94.2% of Chattanooga, TN residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Chattanooga, TN was 94.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Chattanooga, TN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Chattanooga, TN

White (Non-Hispanic)
103k ± 1.81k
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
51.2k ± 1.73k
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
6.79k ± 1.13k

9.99%

Hispanic Population

18.6k people

9.99% of the people in Chattanooga, TN are hispanic (18.6k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Chattanooga, TN as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Tennessee.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
95,077 ± 7,519 people
Guatemala
31,959 ± 4,379 people
Honduras
26,792 ± 4,011 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Tennessee was Mexico, the natal country of 95,077 Tennessee residents, followed by Guatemala with 31,959 and Honduras with 26,792.

Foreign-Born Population

8.32%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

15.5k people

7.7%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

14.1k people

As of 2024, 8.32% of Chattanooga, TN residents (15.5k people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Chattanooga, TN was 7.7%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Chattanooga, TN compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
2,852 ± 390
Gulf War (2001-)
1,765 ± 363
Gulf War (1990s)
1,411 ± 311

Chattanooga, TN has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.62 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Chattanooga, TN.

Economy

The economy of Chattanooga, TN employs 91.9k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Chattanooga, TN were Health Care & Social Assistance (12,485 people), Manufacturing (11,983 people), and Retail Trade (10,001 people), and the highest paying industries were Management of Companies & Enterprises ($181,250), Utilities ($113,523), and Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($97,250).

Employment

Occupations

91.9k

2024 Value

± 2,608

1.34%

1 Year growth

± 4.06%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chattanooga, TN grew at a rate of 1.34%, from 90.7k employees to 91.9k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Chattanooga, TN, are Management Occupations (9,953 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (9,299 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (8,981 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Chattanooga, TN.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Tennessee.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Tennessee (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

91.9k

2024 Value

± 2,608

1.34%

1 Year growth

± 4.06%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Chattanooga, TN grew at a rate of 1.34%, from 90.7k employees to 91.9k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Chattanooga, TN, are Health Care & Social Assistance (12,485 people), Manufacturing (11,983 people), and Retail Trade (10,001 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Chattanooga, TN, though some of these residents may live in Chattanooga, TN and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$48,630

Median earning men ± $1,298

$41,244

Median earning women ± $1,221

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($68,148), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($62,636), and Public Administration ($58,750).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($68,542), Wholesale Trade ($60,685), and Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($55,256).

Education

The student population of Chattanooga, TN in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 8,790 male students and 15,845 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Chattanooga, TN are White (3,643 and 64.7%), Black or African American (1,114 and 19.8%), Hispanic or Latino (402 and 7.14%), and Two or More Races (268 and 4.76%).

The largest universities in Chattanooga, TN by number of degrees awarded are The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga (2,656 and 46.7%), Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga (1,344 and 23.6%), and Chattanooga State Community College (1,100 and 19.3%).

The most popular majors in Chattanooga, TN are Liberal Arts & Sciences (466 and 8.19%), General Business Administration & Management (443 and 7.79%), and Medical Insurance Coding Specialist (356 and 6.26%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $8,458 for in-state students and $16,522 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Chattanooga, TN, the percentage of applicants admitted was 81.1%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 29.2%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 24,635 (35.7% men and 64.3% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 24,635 students enrolled in Chattanooga, TN, 35.7% men and 64.3% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 15,213 records, of which 61.7% were women and 38.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Psychology
241 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
196 degrees awarded
General Business Administration & Management
134 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Chattanooga, TN was General Psychology with 241 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Bachelors Degree from schools in Chattanooga, TN according to their major.

Universities

Gender

Race

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga
2,656 degrees awarded
Miller-Motte College-Chattanooga
1,344 degrees awarded
Chattanooga State Community College
1,100 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga with 2,656 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 1,751 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Chattanooga, TN, which is 0.445 times less than the 3,938 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 3,643 degrees mean that there were 3.27 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 1,114 degrees awarded.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Universities

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($12,684) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,990) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Private for-profit, 4-year or above ($3,840) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Chattanooga, TN was $283,200 in 2024, which is 0.851 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $259,200 to $283,200, a 9.26% increase. The homeownership rate in Chattanooga, TN is 52.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Chattanooga, TN have an average commute time of 18.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Chattanooga, TN is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$283,200

Median Property Value 2024

±$8,317

$41,437

Median Property Taxes

±$1,667

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Chattanooga, TN the largest share of households pay taxes in the $3k+ range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Chattanooga, TN compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

52.4%

Homeownership

2024

64.6%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.4% of the housing units in Chattanooga, TN were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 53.1%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Chattanooga, TN compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$64,523

Median Household Income

± $1,964

79.1k

Number of Households

± 2,458

In 2024, the median household income of the 79.1k households in Chattanooga, TN grew to $64,523 from the previous year's value of $61,028.

The following chart displays the households in Chattanooga, TN distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Chattanooga, TN is from Tennessee.

0.457

2024 Wage GINI in Tennessee

0.459

2023 Wage GINI in Tennessee

In 2024, the income inequality in Tennessee was 0.457 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.505% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Tennessee was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Tennessee in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Tennessee across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (73.6%)
Worked At Home (13.6%)
Carpooled (8.76%)

In 2024, 73.6% of workers in Chattanooga, TN drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (13.6%) and those who carpooled to work (8.76%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

18.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Chattanooga, TN have a shorter commute time (18.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.812% of the workforce in Chattanooga, TN have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Chattanooga, TN compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Chattanooga, TN distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Chattanooga, TN have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

19.1% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Chattanooga, TN (34.4k out of 180k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 25 - 34, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Chattanooga, TN is Black, followed by White and Hispanic.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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