County profile

Bedford County

Tennessee · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
52,237
Median household income
$67,225
People below poverty
12.6%
Median home value
$281,200

Income

The median income of households in Bedford County, Tennessee was $67,225. An estimated 3.8% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 6.6% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.8
$10,000 to $14,999 3.7
$15,000 to $24,999 6.2
$25,000 to $34,999 9.2
$35,000 to $49,999 12.4
$50,000 to $74,999 19.6
$75,000 to $99,999 16.4
$100,000 to $149,999 17.1
$150,000 to $199,999 5
$200,000 or more 6.6

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 55404
Female 42546

An estimated 77.9% of households received earnings. An estimated 31.3% of households received Social Security and an estimated 22.3 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $26,186. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 77.9
Social Security 31.3
Retirement income 22.3
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 5.7
Cash public assistance income 2.6

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 12.6 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 22.8% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 6.1% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 9.9% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 12.6
Children under 18 years below poverty 22.8
People 65 years old and over below poverty 6.1
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 9.9

In 2020-2024, 10.2 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 47.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 27.2% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 38.2% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024, 85.4% had health insurance coverage and 14.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 63.9% and public coverage was 34%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 13%.


In 2020-2024, Bedford County, Tennessee had a total population of 52,237 - 25,730 (49.3%) females and 26,507 (50.7%) males. The median age was 37.6 years. An estimated 25.3% of the population was under 18 years, 32.8% was 19 to 44 years, 24.5% was 45 to 64 years, and 14.8 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 1842 1531
5 to 9 1692 1662
10 to 14 2167 1962
15 to 19 1955 1652
20 to 24 1837 1458
25 to 29 1848 1796
30 to 34 1636 1689
35 to 39 1346 1662
40 to 44 2162 1724
45 to 49 1438 1729
50 to 54 1823 1452
55 to 59 1262 1684
60 to 64 1812 1659
65 to 69 1250 1249
70 to 74 937 1075
75 to 79 728 708
80 to 84 532 609
85 and over 240 429

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 75.3% were White; 6.4% were Black or African American; 12.7% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.8% were Asian; 2.7% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 11.8% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 16% of the people in Bedford County, Tennessee were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 72.8% of the people in Bedford County, Tennessee were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 19,505 households in Bedford County, Tennessee. The average household size was 2.64 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.5% of the households in Bedford County, Tennessee while cohabiting couple households made up 6.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 26.9% of all households, while 18.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.8% of households were male householders living alone, and 11.6% were female householders living alone, for a total of 24.4% of all households.

In Bedford County, Tennessee, 33.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 29% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.5
Cohabiting Couples 6.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
18.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
26.9

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 47.2% of males and 49.1% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 33 24.7
Now married, except separated 47.2 49.1
Separated 1.3 2.2
Widowed 2.7 9.1
Divorced 15.8 14.8

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Bedford County, Tennessee, 1,095 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 51.3% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 91.4% of the people living in Bedford County, Tennessee were U.S. natives. 62.8% of the Bedford County, Tennessee population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 8.6% of Bedford County, Tennessee residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 17% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 49.5 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Bedford County, Tennessee come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Bedford County, Tennessee.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 86.2
Asia 10.9
Europe 2
Africa 0
Northern America 0.8
Oceania 0.2

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024, 14.1 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 12.5% of people at least five years old; 5.8% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 12.5
Other Indo-European languages 0.4
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.5
Other languages 0.7

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 88 % of the people at least one year old living in Bedford County, Tennessee were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 88
Different house, same county 5.1
Different county, same state 4
Different state 2.2
Abroad 0.6

Education

In 2020-2024, 85.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 17.2% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 14.7% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Bedford County, Tennessee was 12,239 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 543 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 9,873. College or graduate school enrollment was 1,823.

Educational Attainment of People in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 14.7
High school diploma or equivalency 40.4
Some college, no degree 21.6
Associate's degree 6.1
Bachelor's degree 12.1
Graduate or professional degree 5.1

Disability

In Bedford County, Tennessee, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 15.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 4.9% of people under 18 years old, to 13.9% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 38.5% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Bedford County, Tennessee, 60.9 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 36.4% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 77.1% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 13.7% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 9.1 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 19,098 77.1
Federal, state, or local government workers 3,398 13.7
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 2,264 9.1

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Bedford County, Tennessee worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.3
Construction 11.9
Manufacturing 20.1
Wholesale trade 1.4
Retail trade 13.2
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 6.8
Information 0.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 5.4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 8.2
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 16.5
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 5.9
Other Services, except public administration 4.5
Public administration 4.2

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 7,193 29
Service occupations 3,801 15.3
Sales and office occupations 4,200 16.9
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 3,827 15.4
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 5,760 23.2

Commuting to Work

An estimated 74.8% of Bedford County, Tennessee workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 13.3% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 28.4 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 74.8
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 13.3
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 0.6
Other means 0.9
Worked from home 10.5

In 2020-2024, Bedford County, Tennessee had a total of 20,488 housing units. Of these housing units, 77.5% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 11.2% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 11.1% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 77.5
Apartments in multi-unit structures 11.2
Mobile homes 11.1
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.2

14.1% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 5.2% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Bedford County, Tennessee was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 71.4% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Bedford County, Tennessee had 19,505 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 983 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 71.9% while renters occupied 28.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.6 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.74.

4.1% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 8.3% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3% and another 36% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Bedford County, Tennessee:

House Heating Fuel Used in Bedford County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 21.1
Electricity 76.2
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.1
All other fuels 1.9
No fuel used 0.7

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Bedford County, Tennessee was $281,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 61.7 % had a mortgage. 38.3% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,461 and for owners without a mortgage it was $481.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Bedford County, Tennessee was $1,051. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.