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Hamblen County, TN

Migration of people and income, 20222023 filing years

At a glance (2023)

Cost of living
87
13% below the U.S. average
Median home value
$188,800
national $303,400
Home prices, 5 years
+74.6%
over the 5 years to 2023
Monthly rent
$838
national $1,348
Homeownership
68%
national 65%
Unemployment
3.6%
national 3.6%
Household income
$52,794
national $78,538
Median age
40.8 yrs
national 38.7

Cost of living is the metro-area price level for Morristown, TN.

The cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. The median home is valued at $188,800 (nominal). Home prices have risen about 75% over the five years to 2023. Median rent is about $838 a month. Unemployment averaged 3.6% in 2023 (national 3.6%). Median household income is $52,794. These figures describe all residents, not just tax filers, come from separate sources than the migration data on this page, and do not indicate why anyone moved.

Between the 2022 and 2023 filing years, Hamblen County, TN saw a net gain of 356 tax-filing households and a net gain of 813 individuals. Against a population of about 66,216, that is a net inflow of about 12 per 1,000 residents. On net, the area gained $42M in associated adjusted gross income (AGI, nominal dollars). The largest inflow, about 334 households, came from Jefferson County; the largest outflow, about 305 households, went to Jefferson County. In the prior (2022) filing year, the area saw a net gain of 1,070 individuals. These figures cover federal income tax filers only and do not indicate why people moved.

Net income (AGI)
+$42M
nominal dollars
Net households
+356
tax returns
Net people
+813
exemptions

+12.3 net people per 1,000 residents (population 66,216)

Income (AGI) in and out

Moved in$116.6M
Moved out$74.6M
Net +$42M (nominal)
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Hamblen County within Tennessee

Hamblen County is outlined, with arrows tracing its largest moves to and from other Tennessee counties. Hover any county for its figures; click to open it.

Net outNet in(AGI $)
Hover an area to trace its top 5 inbound (in) and outbound (out) moves.
Net income (AGI) that moved in minus out, in nominal dollars (not adjusted for inflation).Net tax returns (filing households) that moved in minus out.Net people per 1,000 residents, so larger and smaller areas compare fairly.
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Where movers came from

  1. 1Jefferson County, TN334$15.7M
  2. 2Knox County, TN163$8.8M
  3. 3Grainger County, TN116$5.3M
  4. 4Hawkins County, TN102$4.3M
  5. 5Sevier County, TN94$5.8M
  6. 6Greene County, TN69$2.9M
  7. 7Cocke County, TN69$2.8M
  8. 8Blount County, TN38$1.7M
  9. 9Claiborne County, TN34$1.2M
  10. 10Washington County, TN29$1.8M
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Where movers went

  1. 1Jefferson County, TN305$12.6M
  2. 2Knox County, TN161$8.2M
  3. 3Hawkins County, TN116$4.5M
  4. 4Grainger County, TN114$4.9M
  5. 5Greene County, TN86$3.7M
  6. 6Cocke County, TN79$2.7M
  7. 7Sevier County, TN59$3M
  8. 8Sullivan County, TN34$1.6M
  9. 9Washington County, TN32$1.6M
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Churn by county · both directions at once

The biggest two-way exchanges of filing households, 20222023. Moved in and moved out are gross one-way counts; net is the difference. Click a column to sort.

Jefferson County, TN334305+29+$3.1M
Knox County, TN163161+2+$568K
Grainger County, TN116114+2+$459K
Hawkins County, TN102116-14-$196K
Greene County, TN6986-17-$822K
Sevier County, TN9459+35+$2.7M
Cocke County, TN6979-10+$135K
Washington County, TN2932-3+$271K
Blount County, TN38
Claiborne County, TN34
Sullivan County, TN34
Hancock County, TN20

Counts are filing households (IRS returns), matching the lists above; income is nominal AGI. A dash means the IRS published only one direction of that exchange (small flows are suppressed), so no net is computed.

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Net migration by year

Net 2012–2023: +$216.1M (+3,563 people)
20122023
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Net AGI and net people by year (nominal dollars)
YearNet AGINet people
2012+$63.2M-127
2013+$31.7M-277
2014+$4.7M+35
2015-$23.7M-92
2016+$2.6M+189
2017+$13M+691
2018+$2.7M+111
2019+$3.9M+394
2020+$14.2M+179
2021+$21.9M+577
2022+$40M+1,070
2023+$42M+813
Migration in context

How big is this move, relative to the county?

In the 20222023 filing year, about 813 more people moved into Hamblen County, TN than left (counting tax filers and their dependents) — a net gain of about $42M in income (nominal) — in a county of 66,582 people.

Population
66,582
Census 2023 estimate
Net migration rate
+12.2
net people per 1,000 residents
A town of 10,000 would net about +122 people.
Net income per resident
+$631
nominal dollars
+$42M total across 66,582 residents.

The rate lets you compare Hamblen County, TN with a countyof any size: it’s the net flow divided by population. The IRS counts tax filers; population counts all residents, so read the rate as a scale indicator, not a literal share of people.

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Components of population change · 2023 (Census)

Where the county’s overall change came from. Census counts all residents; the IRS migration above is one slice of the domestic-migration component.

Births
+776
Deaths
-921
Net domestic migration
+1,128
Net international migration
+277
Total change
+1,279

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program. Figures are people, not tax filers.

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Income & cost of living

What a dollar is worth here

Prices around Hamblen County, TN run about 13% below the national average. In plain terms: $100 spent here buys about what $115 buys in the average American community. The figures below apply that to income, each compared to the U.S. average of $70,002 per person.

Income per person
$50,537
what people here earn (BEA 2023, nominal)
28% below the U.S. average
Price level
87.2
100 = U.S. average prices (BEA price parity)
everyday costs about 12.8% lower than average
What that income buys
$57,946
local income restated at U.S.-average prices
17% below the U.S. average
Cheaper than U.S. avgU.S. average (100)Pricier

Cost of living shown for the Morristown, TN metro area (BEA publishes price parities by metro, not by county).

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Where the cost comes from · price parity by category

Index where 100 = U.S. average for that category. Housing is usually what separates one place from another.

Housing & rents57.5
Goods94.3
Utilities76.2
Other services97.1

Housing is measured from rents (including an estimated rental value for owner-occupied homes), so a run-up in purchase prices shows here only as it reaches rents. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer income above. How the data works.

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Who lives here

The people of Hamblen County, TN

American Community Survey, 2019–2023 (a 5-year average of all residents, not just tax filers).

Median age
40.8
years
Median household income
$52,794
per household (ACS 2019–2023, nominal)
33% below the U.S. median
College degree
20%
adults 25+ with a bachelor's or higher
Poverty rate
17.2%
residents below the poverty line
Average commute
22 min
mean travel time to work
Broadband at home
86%
households with any broadband
Race and ethnicity (share of residents)
White 78%Hispanic 15%Black 3%Asian 1%Other 4%

White, Black, and Asian counts are people who are not Hispanic or Latino; Hispanic or Latino can be of any race. Shares are rounded and may not total 100.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Covers all residents, a separate universe from the IRS filer data. A 5-year estimate is an average over 2019–2023; compare years at least five apart, since consecutive windows overlap. How the data works.

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Housing · what it costs to live here (ACS 2019–2023)

Median home value
$188,800
owner-occupied homes
38% below the U.S. median
Median rent
$838
gross rent per month
38% below the U.S. median
Homeownership
68%
of occupied homes are owner-occupied
Home-price appreciation · FHFA index, 2023
Past year
+10.6%
price change, 2022 to 2023
Past 5 years
+75%
price change, 2018 to 2023

A repeat-sales index (how much the same homes changed in price), so it tracks the market over time rather than the current level. Source: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual all-transactions HPI; the county series is FHFA’s developmental index.

New home construction · building permits, 2023
289new housing units authorized in 2023
Single-family 70%Multifamily 30%

Units authorized by residential building permits (new supply), summed from counties for the state and U.S. Permits are authorizations, not completions. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.

Home value is what owners estimate their homes are worth, not recent sale prices. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2019–2023), nominal dollars. How the data works.

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Local economy & risk

Jobs and natural hazards

Unemployment rate
3.6%
BLS 2023 annual average
Labor force
27,219
26,230 employed
Disaster declarations
major federal, 2023

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS) and FEMA. A disaster declaration marks federal assistance eligibility, not damage severity, and says nothing about why anyone moved. How the data works.

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Unemployment now
3.3%
April 2026 · ▲ 0.1 points vs April 2025
January 2024April 2026

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (LAUS). Monthly unemployment for this county, not seasonally adjusted. Updated every month, so it moves faster than the annual average above. How the data works.

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How Hamblen County, TN has voted. Certified returns, popular vote only. This is a separate dataset from the migration figures on this page.

YearDemocraticRepublicanOtherMarginTotal
20245,13220,154215R +58.925,501
20205,50018,811320R +54.024,631
20164,07515,857760R +56.920,692
20125,23414,522276R +46.420,032
20086,80715,508354R +38.422,669
20047,42614,733143R +32.822,302
20007,56411,824311R +21.619,699

Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab county returns (CC0). Margins are the popular-vote gap as a share of all votes cast.

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