City profile · Tennessee · Census ACS 2023

Oak Ridge, TN

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Oak Ridge - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

32,088
Residents
$71,000
Median income
$233,500
Median home
$1,471
Median rent (state)

Oak Ridge - the verdict

Nationally, Oak Ridge sits in the 51st percentile for household income and the 44th percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.

51st
percentile, household income
52nd
percentile, home value
58th
percentile, median rent
44th
percentile, safety
📝 How we sourced this

Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.

Data Snapshot: Oak Ridge, TN

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 32,088 residents in Oak Ridge, a small city within Tennessee. Median household income here is $71,000 per year, above the median for U.S. cities on this measure, with a poverty rate of 7.6%. Home values in Oak Ridge run a median of $233,500, and the median resident age is 39.2 years. 39.4% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 55.3% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 230 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 259% from five years earlier. Oak Ridge reports a comparatively low crime rate: FBI UCR figures show 1567.3 crimes per 100,000 residents, below the national average (reporting is voluntary across agencies, so treat this as reporting activity rather than a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 59.8°F with 55.5 inches of precipitation per year.

Living costs in Tennessee run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Tennessee scores 91.9 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,471 monthly. Statewide, average monthly utility bills in Tennessee run around $218, per EIA 2023 residential energy data. Natural-hazard exposure scores 73.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).

Population

32,088 residents

Census ACS 2023 - Tennessee

Median Household Income

$71,000 /yr

Poverty 7.6%

Cost of Living Index (state)

91.9 (US=100)

Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Tennessee average

How does Oak Ridge compare to other US cities?

Oak Ridge measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.

Household income 51% higher than other cities
Home value 52% pricier than other cities
Median rent 58% pricier than other cities
Safety 44% safer than other cities

"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

A national percentile can hide a lot of local variation: narrowed to Tennessee alone, Oak Ridge ranks #88 of 174 Tennessee cities by lowest crime rate - a different, more locally useful comparison than stacking it against the entire country.

How we calculate these percentiles & ranks

For each metric we count every US city with population 1,000+ and a non-null value, then compute what share of them fall below Oak Ridge's value: round(cities-below ÷ total × 100). Safety is inverted (percentile = share of cities with a higher crime rate) so a higher number always means safer. The in-state rank narrows that same crime-rate comparison to only the cities PlainCities tracks in Tennessee, breaking ties alphabetically. See the methodology page for the full source-to-figure lineage.

51stIncome percentile
44thSafety percentile

51st percentile nationally for median household income · 44th percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

Oak Ridge's profile vs. every US city

Income, affordability, and safety percentile

Oak Ridge's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown. 3-axis radar comparing 1 series across Income, Affordability, Safety. IncomeAffordabilitySafety 47 Avg. percentile National median
Oak Ridge's percentile rank on 3 favorable-direction measures (income, affordability, safety) vs. every tracked US city -- higher on every axis is more favorable. Not a composite quality score, just the arithmetic mean of the axes shown.

How Oak Ridge's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$233,500 48th percentile more affordable than 48% of 15,600 US cities

$0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Below this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Below this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Below this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). This entry sits in this band. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Oak Ridge $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023

Income distribution context

Household income distribution - Oak Ridge, TN Oak Ridge, TN's reported median household income shown against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern (not Oak Ridge, TN-specific quintile data). The Lorenz curve traces the national cumulative income share against cumulative population share, perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Oak Ridge, TN median $71,000/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Oak Ridge, TN's median household income (Census ACS 5-year estimate) plotted against the U.S. national income-quintile distribution pattern for context; the quintile shares and Lorenz curve are national figures, not computed specifically for Oak Ridge, TN. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 39.4%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 7.6%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 55.3%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
32,088
Median Income
$71,000
Median Home Value
$233,500
Median Age
39.2
Poverty Rate
7.6%
Labor force participation
55.3%
Bachelor's Degree+
39.4%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
1567.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
290.6
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1276.7
per 100,000 residents

Reflects incidents reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program — agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies by jurisdiction and year, so this reflects reporting activity, not a definitive danger score. Not adjusted for tourism, commuter, or daytime population.

Climate

Avg Temperature
59.8°F
Annual Precipitation
55.5"
Annual Snowfall
N/A

Schools

Total Schools
8
Public schools in this city

Population Change

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
30,000 residents32,000 residents34,000 residents36,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 31,716 residents 35,395 residents ▲ +11.6%
Oak Ridge's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
230
housing units authorized
Single-Family
139
detached homes
Multifamily
91
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
7.2
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 64
2020 307
2021 303
2022 285
2023 255
2024 230

Permit volume increased 259% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
71.4%
Carpool
11.6%
Public Transit
0.1%
Walk
2.1%
Work from Home
13.9%
Other
0.9%

Based on 13,712 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Tennessee - EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$120
avg/month
Natural Gas
$58
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$40
avg/month
Total Utilities
$218
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Tennessee state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Cost of living is a Tennessee state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Oak Ridge sits in

Cost of Living Index
91.9
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,471/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
73.2 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)

Similar Cities in Tennessee

Maryville
32,196 people
Morristown
30,983 people
Cookeville
35,544 people
Bristol
27,490 people
La Vergne
38,944 people
Farragut
24,309 people

Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide

Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Oak Ridge's 32,088 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).

Nacogdoches, TX
32,104 people
Needham, MA
32,059 people
Elk Grove Village, IL
32,132 people
O'Fallon, IL
32,139 people
North Olmsted, OH
32,031 people
Fair Oaks, CA
32,030 people

Cities with a Similar Household Income Nationwide

Median-household-income-matched peers from other states, closest to Oak Ridge's $71,000 (Census ACS 5-Year 2023, table B19013).

Venice Gardens, FL
$71,000 median income
McCullom Lake, IL
$71,000 median income
Vancleave, MS
$71,000 median income
Bolivia, NC
$71,000 median income
Bruin, PA
$71,000 median income
Orchidlands Estates, HI
$70,996 median income

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity - Oak Ridge, TN Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Oak Ridge, TN - Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE, sums to 100% 81.2% 6.2% 7.1% ETHNICITY, Hispanic or Latino (any race) 6.6% White 81.2% Black or African American 6.2% Asian 2.7% American Indian 0.6% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 1.9% Two or more races 7.1% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.

How Oak Ridge compares to nearby Tennessee cities

Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).

City Population Median Household Income
Oak Ridge (this city) 32,088 $71,000
Maryville 32,196 $79,340
Morristown 30,983 $44,811
Cookeville 35,544 $48,501
Census ACS 5-year FIPS TN FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Oak Ridge, TN?

What is the population of Oak Ridge, TN? +

Oak Ridge, TN has a population of 32,088 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Oak Ridge, TN? +

Oak Ridge households earn a median of $71,000 annually, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Oak Ridge? +

BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Oak Ridge; the closest available measure is the Tennessee state average, a cost of living index of 91.9 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Tennessee vary by metro area.

Is Oak Ridge, TN safe? +

Oak Ridge has a total crime rate of 1567.3 per 100,000 residents, which is below the national average. This reflects incidents reported to the FBI UCR program, not a definitive safety score -- agency reporting is voluntary and completeness varies by jurisdiction.

What is the median home value in Oak Ridge, TN? +

A typical home in Oak Ridge is worth $233,500, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Oak Ridge? +

The average annual temperature in Oak Ridge runs 59.8°F, 55.5 inches of precipitation. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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Every figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.