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Place dossier plate
SheetTN-SMITHVILLE-TN · Smithville, TN 5,158 pop · income 2nd pct · 5 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Smithville
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Smithville on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Camilla · lowest
26,720
Camilla · lowest
26,720 median HH income
26.3% of the leader · rank #1
Port Gibson · near
29,500
Port Gibson · near
29,500 median HH income
29.0% of the leader · rank #2
Central Pacol… · near
29,500
Central Pacol… · near
29,500 median HH income
29.0% of the leader · rank #3
Smithville · this city
29,507
Smithville · this city
29,507 median HH income
29.0% of the leader · rank #4
Ramseur · near
29,508
Ramseur · near
29,508 median HH income
29.0% of the leader · rank #5
Randall · near
29,519
Randall · near
29,519 median HH income
29.1% of the leader · rank #6
Pleasant View · highest
101,591
Pleasant View · highest
101,591 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income, and FBI crime rate
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Smithville on ACS population and median household income
, plus FBI UCR reporting rate when the extract covers this place. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 5,158.
Agency-reported UCR totals per 100,000 population, not a neighborhood safety grade or a prediction of personal risk.
Smithville - the verdict
Nationally, Smithville sits in the 2nd percentile for household income and the 41st percentile for safety among US cities with a population of 1,000 or more. Source: Census ACS + FBI UCR.
2nd
percentile, household income
28th
percentile, home value
34th
percentile, median rent
41st
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: Smithville, TN
5,158 people live in Smithville, Tennessee - a small town by U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Smithville households earn a median of $29,507 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 26.5%. Smithville's housing stock carries a median value of $153,500, and the median resident age is 42.3 years. About 14.2% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 41.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
In 2024, 50 residential building permits were authorized in Smithville (Rapid Growth), up 28% from five years earlier, per Census BPS data. Smithville reports a comparatively low crime rate: the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting program logs 1650.3 total incidents per 100,000 residents here, below the national average (agency reporting is voluntary, so this measures reporting activity, not a definitive danger score). NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 56.9°F with 57.0 inches of precipitation per year and 3.1 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Tennessee run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Tennessee at 91.9 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,118 monthly. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Tennessee's average monthly utility costs around $218 (state average). On FEMA's National Risk Index, this area rates 52.5 out of 100 for natural-hazard exposure (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Smithville's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to schools and households to reported crime to comparison shortlist to population change to within-city variation to work and mobility to housing and income; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Smithville, city-specific coverage includes commute-mode shares, annual population history, FBI reported-crime rates, local building permits, within-city Census tract profiles, matched public-school count.
All six city-specific enrichment layers used by this profile are present.
Question 1
What physical conditions frame life in Smithville?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 56.9°F, with 57.0 inches of precipitation and 3.1 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Tennessee is 52.5 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
What does the education layer cover for Smithville?
The NCES join finds 4 public schools within the city match. 14.2% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Which cities make useful reference points for Smithville?
Within Tennessee, the closest population matches are Bolivar (5,171 residents, $38,575 income); Madisonville (5,184 residents, $45,274 income); Pleasant View (5,111 residents, $101,591 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Camilla, GA (5,158 residents); Bangor, PA (5,158 residents); Calistoga, CA (5,159 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching. The nationwide peer panel below adds a fourth FBI UCR reporting-rate lens, not personal risk.
What can 5 Census tracts reveal inside Smithville?
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Reported crime
What can the FBI record say about safety in Smithville?
Treat this as a reporting-rate comparison, not a prediction of personal risk or a neighborhood-level safety grade. Tourism, daytime population, reporting practices, and variation inside the city are not adjusted away. The state rank and same-state peer table are the narrower comparisons available on this page.
The joined FBI UCR record reports 1650.3 violent and property crimes per 100,000 residents, below the 2280.5 national reference used here. The difference is 28% lower in arithmetic terms, but agency participation is voluntary and reporting completeness varies.
Property rate
1251.4
Violent rate
399.0
Total reported rate
1650.3
FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, incidents per 100,000. Voluntary agency reporting; not a danger score.
Is Smithville growing, shrinking, or holding steady?
Recent estimates point upward. Growth can increase housing demand and service needs, but the permit record must move in the same direction before calling it a supply response; the two series measure different things.
Census PEP estimates show the population grew by +573 residents from 2020 to 2025, a +11.4% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 50 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
+11.4%
2025 estimate
5,620
2020 estimate
5,047
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
What does the journey to work look like in Smithville?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 70.7%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.
Public transit
0.0%
Work from home
0.0%
Drive alone
70.7%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 1,603 workers age 16+.
How far does income reach against housing in Smithville?
The home-value-to-income reference is comparatively stretched: the ACS median home value is 5.2 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 26.5%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median. That flags a question for comparison, not a verdict: tenure, household composition, financing costs, and the age of the ACS estimate can all change what a resident actually pays.
Household income
$29,507
Home value
$153,500
Value / income
5.2×
City-level Census ACS 2023 medians. The ratio divides two separate medians and is descriptive only.
Lowest-decile income · poverty 26.5% (Highest-decile poverty)
Cost of Living Index (state)
91.9 (US=100)
Affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Tennessee average
F
City profile score · Smithville, TN
24/100
5 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living B+
91.9 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Violent crime F
399 /100k
FBI UCR violent offenses per 100,000 residents; lower is stronger on this axis.
Bachelor's+ share F
14.2%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
26.5%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$29,507
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Smithville profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 78/100 (B+) · 91.9 index
Violent crime: 22/100 (F) · 399 /100k
Bachelor's+ share: 18/100 (F) · 14.2%
Poverty rate: 4/100 (F) · 26.5%
Household income: 0/100 (F) · $29,507
Where Smithville sits on home value vs crime among peer cities
Smithville's median home value and FBI crime rate plotted with similar-size and
same-state peers (padded with large cities when the peer set is thin). The second
read: pricey does not always mean safer, check which quadrant this city lands in.
Census ACS median home value vs FBI UCR crime rate - Smithville highlighted among 12 peers.Read the chart values
Smithville, TN (this city): home $153,500, crime 1,650/100k
Camilla, GA : home $74,400, crime 1,679/100k
Bangor, PA : home $167,100, crime 1,135/100k
Calistoga, CA : home $702,700, crime 1,359/100k
Cherokee, IA : home $119,400, crime 543/100k
Williamston, NC : home $108,900, crime 7,569/100k
Bolivar, TN : home $136,000, crime 3,751/100k
Madisonville, TN : home $202,600, crime 2,584/100k
Pleasant View, TN : home $362,700, crime 333/100k
Medina, TN : home $261,400, crime 407/100k
Ashland City, TN : home $259,900, crime 1,205/100k
Sparta, TN : home $200,600, crime 2,374/100k
How does Smithville compare to other US cities?
Here's how Smithville stacks up against the full field of US cities (population 1,000+), computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income2% higher than other cities
Home value28% pricier than other cities
Median rent34% pricier than other cities
Safety41% 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, Smithville ranks #95 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
Each percentile compares Smithville against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Tennessee only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Tennessee-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Smithville near the bottom of Tennessee's cities
Among the 482 Tennessee cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Smithville ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Smithville only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#446 of 458
3rd percentile in Tennessee
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 482
0th percentile in Tennessee
Median Home Value
#293 of 455
36th percentile in Tennessee
Poverty Rate
#45 of 482
90th percentile in Tennessee
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#289 of 482
39th percentile in Tennessee
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Tennessee only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
2nd percentile nationally for median household income · 41st percentile for safety (lower crime rate). Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
Smithville's profile vs. every US city
Income, affordability, and safety percentile
Smithville'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 Smithville's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$153,500Among the most affordablemore affordable than 72% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
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
Smithville's home-value-to-income ratio: 5.2×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
pressured
> 5.0×
National rank
#13,183 of 15,516
More affordable than 15% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#9,925 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)
At 5.2×, Smithville sits in the pressured band:
national rank #13,183 of 15,516 and #9,925 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000).
Housing value is high relative to the citywide income median, a comparison flag, not a verdict on any household.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$29,507Smithville, TN median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Smithville, TN median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Smithville, TN.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)14.2%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)26.5%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)41.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
5,158
Median Income
$29,507
Median Home Value
$153,500
Median Age
42.3
Poverty Rate
26.5%
Labor force participation
41.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
14.2%
Safety & Crime
Total Crime Rate
1650.3
per 100,000 residents
Violent Crime
399.0
per 100,000 residents
Property Crime
1251.4
per 100,000 residents
Crime reporting caveat
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
56.9°F
Annual Precipitation
57.0"
Annual Snowfall
3.1"
Schools
Total Schools
4
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Smithville's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
5,047 residents
2021
5,144 residents
2022
5,303 residents
2023
5,423 residents
2024
5,541 residents
2025
5,620 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📈 Rapid Growth
Total Permits (2024)
50
housing units authorized
Single-Family
50
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
9.7
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
39
39
0
$7.6M
2020
43
43
0
$8.4M
2021
52
52
0
$10.1M
2022
52
52
0
$10.1M
2023
49
49
0
$9.6M
2024
50
50
0
$9.8M
Permit volume increased 28% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
70.7%
Carpool
27.8%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
1.3%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 1,603 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Tennessee statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $218
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Tennessee at $218 (electricity about $120 , water and sewer about $40 ).
These are Tennessee statewide averages, not a meter reading for Smithville. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Tennessee's BEA cost-of-living index is 91.9 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Smithville is $1,118/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Tennessee statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 52.5 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Tennessee statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Smithville sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Smithville compares to similar-size Tennessee cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
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.