PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Knoxville, TN

41.9
Life Score / 100
C
Grade (curved)
#306
of 387 metros
21%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Knoxville ranks #306 of 387 US metros, ahead of 21% - carried by its childcare (67/100) and held back most by safety (2/100).

67
strongest: Childcare
59
then: Cost of Living
2
weakest: Safety
7
weighted dimensions

Where Knoxville sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

42 21th percentile higher than 21% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). This entry sits in this band. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Above this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Above this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). Above this entry. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. 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 PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Knoxville Life Score

Knoxville's composite score of 41.9 out of 100, a grade of C, places the metro at rank #306 of 387, ahead of 21% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (67/100) and Cost of Living (59/100), which pull the composite upward, while Safety (2/100) and Rent (33/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 92.6 (rent-RPP 82.8). BLS median salary $63,333, 415,720 jobs (Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand). HUD 2BR FMR $1,471/mo (studio $1,177).

FBI UCR (TN): 602 violent, 2058 property/100K. NCES: 15.3:1 ratio, 6.2% charter. DOL infant childcare $7,860/yr. EPA: 26 Superfund sites (TN). Ranks #303-#309 below.

Dimension detail

How Knoxville scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 59/100 (20%)
Wages 41/100 (20%)
Rent 33/100 (15%)
Safety 2/100 (15%)
Schools 51/100 (10%)
Childcare 67/100 (10%)
Environment 48/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

92.6
Cost Index (RPP)
$63,333
Avg Median Salary
$1,471
2BR Fair Market Rent
602
Violent Crime/100K (TN)
15.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$7,860
Infant Childcare/yr (TN)
26
Superfund Sites (TN)
415,720
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Knoxville With...

Knoxville vs Kingsport Compare → Knoxville vs Morristown Compare → Knoxville vs Memphis Compare → Knoxville vs Wildwood Compare → Knoxville vs Waterloo Compare → Knoxville vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Knoxville outranks 21% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#303 Worcester, MA 42.1 C
#304 Abilene, TX 42.1 C
#305 Rochester, NY 42.3 C
#306 Knoxville, TN 41.9 C
#307 Bangor, ME 41.9 C
#308 Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC 41.9 C
#309 Hinesville, GA 41.9 C

TN Metro Scores

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA B 53.9 Morristown, TN B- 49.3 Memphis, TN-MS-AR C+ 47.4 Jackson, TN C+ 47.3 Johnson City, TN C+ 47.1 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN C 42.5

Using Knoxville's Life Score

Knoxville is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (67/100) and its weakest is safety (2/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Knoxville head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Knoxville lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Knoxville's biggest strengths? ▼
Knoxville's strongest dimensions are Childcare (67/100), Cost of Living (59/100), Schools (51/100).
What are Knoxville's weakest areas? ▼
Knoxville's lowest-scoring dimensions are Safety (2/100), Rent (33/100), Wages (41/100). Safety weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Knoxville compared to the national average? ▼
Knoxville's Regional Price Parity is 92.6 (7.4% less than national); rent RPP 82.8.
What is the average salary in Knoxville? ▼
Knoxville median salary: $63,333, 415,720 jobs. Top: Fast Food and Counter Workers, Retail Salespersons, Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Knoxville's 41.9/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

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

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.