County profile

White 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
28,160
Median household income
$52,188
People below poverty
13.2%
Median home value
$207,200

Income

The median income of households in White County, Tennessee was $52,188. An estimated 3.3% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.2% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 3.3
$10,000 to $14,999 5.4
$15,000 to $24,999 11
$25,000 to $34,999 10.1
$35,000 to $49,999 16.5
$50,000 to $74,999 18.5
$75,000 to $99,999 15.4
$100,000 to $149,999 13.7
$150,000 to $199,999 3
$200,000 or more 3.2

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

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Dollars
Male 50083
Female 37493

An estimated 70.3% of households received earnings. An estimated 43.4% of households received Social Security and an estimated 31.1 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $22,356. 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 White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 70.3
Social Security 43.4
Retirement income 31.1
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 7.2
Cash public assistance income 1.9

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 13.2 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 16.9% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 11.6% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 12.3% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 13.2
Children under 18 years below poverty 16.9
People 65 years old and over below poverty 11.6
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 12.3

In 2020-2024, 13 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 35.1% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 44.6% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 25.9% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024, 87.7% had health insurance coverage and 12.3% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 56.9% and public coverage was 47.1%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 8.9%.


In 2020-2024, White County, Tennessee had a total population of 28,160 - 14,208 (50.5%) females and 13,952 (49.5%) males. The median age was 43.5 years. An estimated 21.6% of the population was under 18 years, 28.9% was 19 to 44 years, 26.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 21.2 % was 65 years and older.

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

Male Female
Under 5 826 710
5 to 9 911 851
10 to 14 860 818
15 to 19 767 831
20 to 24 704 637
25 to 29 892 801
30 to 34 935 943
35 to 39 750 829
40 to 44 789 845
45 to 49 856 830
50 to 54 919 913
55 to 59 891 1102
60 to 64 1061 910
65 to 69 1099 841
70 to 74 681 1027
75 to 79 459 480
80 to 84 405 586
85 and over 147 254

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 92.6% were White; 1% were Black or African American; 25.6% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.4% were Asian; 0.3% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 4.6% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 3.2% of the people in White County, Tennessee were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 91.9% of the people in White County, Tennessee were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 11,226 households in White County, Tennessee. The average household size was 2.48 people.

Married-couple households made up 47.9% of the households in White County, Tennessee while cohabiting couple households made up 7.4% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 25% of all households, while 19.7% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 13.6% of households were male householders living alone, and 14.8% were female householders living alone, for a total of 28.4% of all households.

In White County, Tennessee, 24.9% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 36.7% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

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

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Percent
Married-couple households 47.9
Cohabiting Couples 7.4
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
19.7
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
25

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 51.1% of males and 47.3% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 28.3 19.9
Now married, except separated 51.1 47.3
Separated 2.1 1.9
Widowed 4.7 13.6
Divorced 13.8 17.3

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In White County, Tennessee, 517 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 73.7% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.9% of the people living in White County, Tennessee were U.S. natives. 67.4% of the White County, Tennessee population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.1% of White County, Tennessee residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 53.3% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 64.7 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of White 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 White County, Tennessee.

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

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Percent
Latin America 31
Asia 11.3
Europe 32
Africa 13.7
Northern America 12
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024, 2.8 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2% of people at least five years old; 0.8% 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 White County, Tennessee in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2
Other Indo-European languages 0.7
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.1
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 89 % of the people at least one year old living in White County, Tennessee were living in the same house one year earlier.

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

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Percent
Same house 89
Different house, same county 3.7
Different county, same state 5.1
Different state 1.9
Abroad 0.3

Education

In 2020-2024, 84.3 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 15.1% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 15.6% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in White County, Tennessee was 5,288 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 101 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 4,351. College or graduate school enrollment was 836.

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

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 15.6
High school diploma or equivalency 39.6
Some college, no degree 22.3
Associate's degree 7.3
Bachelor's degree 9.8
Graduate or professional degree 5.3

Disability

In White County, Tennessee, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 18.2 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 1.9% of people under 18 years old, to 14.5% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 45.2% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In White County, Tennessee, 51.2 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 45.6% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 76.2% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 14.4% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 9 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 8,903 76.2
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,680 14.4
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 1,046 9

Industries

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

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

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 1.3
Construction 6.1
Manufacturing 21.1
Wholesale trade 1.9
Retail trade 10.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 7.8
Information 1.6
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 3
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 6.7
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 20.1
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 8.6
Other Services, except public administration 5.5
Public administration 5.8

Occupations

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

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 3,509 30
Service occupations 1,975 16.9
Sales and office occupations 2,516 21.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 946 8.1
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 2,738 23.4

Commuting to Work

An estimated 81.7% of White County, Tennessee workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 6.5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.7 minutes to get to work.

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

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 81.7
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 6.5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 0
Walked 0.5
Other means 0.8
Worked from home 10.5

In 2020-2024, White County, Tennessee had a total of 12,335 housing units. Of these housing units, 76.3% 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"). 4.9% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 18.8% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

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

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Percent
Single-family houses 76.3
Apartments in multi-unit structures 4.9
Mobile homes 18.8
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.1

11.2% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 6.5% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in White County, Tennessee was 5.7 rooms, and of these housing units 72.3% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, White County, Tennessee had 11,226 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,109 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 76.9% while renters occupied 23.1%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.38.

2.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 15.5% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 3.8% and another 28.8% had three or more vehicles available for use.

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

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

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Percent
Gas 46
Electricity 51.8
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.4
All other fuels 1.9
No fuel used 0

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in White County, Tennessee was $207,200.

Of the owner-occupied households, 45.3 % had a mortgage. 54.7% 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 $1,167 and for owners without a mortgage it was $365.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for White County, Tennessee was $849. 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.