Knox County, TN

This county of 517,859 residents needs 20,443 more housing units over the next five years. Knox County is a CDBG-entitlement community, see how the ROAD to Housing Act could change that funding. Knox County is part of the Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization.

Housing snapshot

Population
517,859 (2026)
Households
206,419
Median household income
$82,803 (2026)
Typical home value
$366,398
Owner-occupied
60%
Five-year housing need
20,443 units

Comparison to other Tennessee counties

Knox County: $82,803 Median income (2026 estimate)
<$33K >$99K
Knox County: 1.31 jobs to household ratio
<0.28 >1.32
Knox County: Permits since 2021 represent 8.8% of housing
<0% >17.9%
On this page

How affordable is this community?

This chart tracks whether housing prices are keeping pace with local incomes. The gap between what homes cost and what households can afford reveals affordability trends over time.

How is the population changing?

Population growth patterns reveal how communities are evolving. This chart shows historical population changes by age group and projects future trends based on demographic patterns.

How has employment changed over time?

Jobs by industry sector since 2012. Switch between local jobs — counted where the jobs are located — and resident jobs, counted where the workers live. On the local view the most recent year is a nowcast: it grows the latest local LODES job mix forward using recent county employment growth from QCEW and the BLS local employment series, so the newest point tracks today's economy instead of data that is roughly two years old.

How are households changing by income?

Understanding how households at different income levels are growing or declining helps identify which groups face the greatest housing pressure and where new housing is most needed.

Who lives here today?

Households may have different structure type preferences depending on characteristics such as household size, income, employment, presence of children, age of individuals, and lifestyle choices. Understanding the housing stock in corresponding terms helps assess how well existing units align with existing households' ideals.

What does the housing stock look like?

The mix of housing types and ownership patterns shapes a community's character. This chart breaks down housing units by structure type and whether they're owner-occupied or rented.

How much new housing supply is needed?

To keep up with growth and fill current housing shortages, Knox County, TN needs 17,052 new units over the next 5 years.

12,955
Units needed to keep up with expected growth
Projected total household growth from 2026 to 2031.
6.3%
Projected household growth rate
Expected increase in total households from 205,192 in 2026 to 218,147 in 2031.
4,097
Units to address shortages in existing housing stock
Production needs to address vacancy rates and other factors.
1,880
Replacement housing
Effective annual loss rate is 1.7 per 1,000 units.
652
Ownership vacancy adjustment
Owner-occupied vacancy is 1.0%. This is below the minimum stable target of 1.5%.
1,565
Rental vacancy adjustment
Rental vacancy is 5.5%. This is below the minimum stable target of 7.4%.
17,052
Total 5-year housing production need (2026-2031)
3,410
Annual production pace
Average units needed per year to meet 5-year need
7.8%
Total housing unit growth
Percent increase in housing stock over 5 years
1.6%
Annual housing unit growth
Average percent increase in housing stock per year

Build Now Act: how could CDBG funding change?

The Build Now Act (Section 213 of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act) ties a CDBG entitlement community's grant to how much housing it is building. This is a CommunityScale estimate from public ACS data, not HUD's official determination — HUD calculates from Census Master Address File block counts.

How do these communities compare to each other?