Johnson County, Tennessee: commercial real estate data.
Johnson County, Tennessee had an estimated 18,506 residents on July 1, 2024, up 3.1 percent since the 2020 census base of 17,952, across 298 square miles. County output reached $596.0 m in 2024, 256 establishments operate here.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Johnson County
How many people live in Johnson County
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202418,196
- Households7,298
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$53,129
- Median age46.7
- Median gross rent$674 per month
- Median owner-occupied home value$178,600
- Home value to household income3.4 times
- Annual rent as a share of median income15.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher17.5 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree5.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over13,900
- Population under 183,033
- Share under 1816.7 percent
- Population 65 and over4,273
- Share 65 and over23.5 percent
- Working age population, 18 to 6410,890
- Civilian labor force6,962
- Unemployment rate3.2 percent
- Labor force participation, adults 18 and over45.9 percent
- Rank by population among Tennessee counties70th of 95
- Rank by population among US county-equivalents, Puerto Rico included1981st of 3,222
Johnson County is the 70th largest of 95 Tennessee counties by population. A median home costs 3.4 times median household income, which is moderately unaffordable by national standards. Residents 65 and over outnumber those under 18, at 23.5 percent against 16.7 percent, which points demand at health care, services and single story product rather than schools.
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Johnson County
Is Johnson County's population growing?
- Population, July 1, 202418,506
- Census 2020 base population17,952
- Population change since the 2020 census base3.09 percent
- Population change, 2023 to 2024130
- Births, 2024163
- Deaths, 2024319
- Natural change, 2024-156
- Net domestic migration, 2024264
- Net international migration, 202424
- Total net migration, 2024288
- Cumulative net domestic migration, 2021 to 20241,053
- Rank by growth among US county-equivalents845th of 3,144
The county has grown 3.09 percent since the 2020 census base. Deaths exceeded births in 2024 and the population still grew, so all of the growth came from people moving in. A market held up by migration is more sensitive to a change in relative cost than one growing from household formation.
US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
Johnson County
Where are people moving to Johnson County from?
- Tax returns filed by households arriving432
- People arriving, from those returns779
- Tax returns filed by households leaving318
- Net household movement114
- Adjusted gross income arriving$42.4 m
- Net adjusted gross income movement$28.1 m
- Average income of an arriving household$98,213
- Average income of a leaving household$45,006
- Largest single originWatauga County (30 households)
- Largest single destinationCarter County (50 households)
| Origin | Households | People | Adjusted gross income |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watauga County | 30 | 51 | $2.4 m |
| Carter County | 21 | 46 | $1.1 m |
Households arriving report $53,207 more average income than households leaving, so the migration is raising local spending power rather than just moving it around. The largest single source of arrivals is Watauga County, which is the catchment a retail or multifamily study should look at first.
US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Johnson County
What is the Johnson County economy?
- County GDP, 2024$596.0 m
- County GDP, 2023$574.9 m
- GDP change, 2023 to 20243.7 percent
- GDP change over five years27.6 percent
- Rank by GDP among the Tennessee areas BEA publishes73rd of 95
- Rank by GDP among the US county areas BEA publishes2280th of 3,127
- GDP per resident$32,755
Output grew 3.7 percent in the latest year and 27.6 percent over five, which is the trend line a lender will read behind any single year figure.
US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional, table CAGDP2, CAGDP2, through 2024.
Johnson County
Employment by industry in Johnson County
- Covered employment, annual average4,274
- Establishments reporting378
- Average annual pay$53,592
- Average weekly wage$1,031
- Manufacturing, employment722
- Manufacturing, average annual pay$68,974
- Retail trade, employment406
- Retail trade, average annual pay$28,825
- Accommodation and food services, employment365
- Accommodation and food services, average annual pay$19,118
- Construction, employment210
- Construction, average annual pay$63,232
- Finance and insurance, employment133
- Professional, scientific and technical services, employment84
| Sector | Employment | Establishments | Average annual pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 722 | 22 | $68,974 |
| Retail trade | 406 | 45 | $28,825 |
| Accommodation and food services | 365 | 35 | $19,118 |
| Construction | 210 | 30 | $63,232 |
| Finance and insurance | 133 | 20 | $94,192 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 84 | 38 | $81,697 |
| Other services, except public administration | 74 | 19 | $36,282 |
| Real estate and rental and leasing | 15 | 11 | $25,639 |
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 722 jobs, 16.9 percent of covered employment.
US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
Johnson County
How many businesses are in Johnson County?
- Establishments, all industries256
- Employment at those establishments3,415
- Annual payroll$163.2 m
- Establishments per 1,000 residents14.1
These are counts of establishments physically operating in the county, not listings, so they are the supply side a feasibility study measures demand against. County Business Patterns counts private establishments with paid employees in March 2023, while the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages above counts every unemployment-insured employer, public ones included, as a 2024 annual average, so the two establishment and employment counts differ.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Johnson County
Building permits in Johnson County
- Housing units authorized by permit, 20246
- Declared construction value permitted$954,030
- Single family units authorized6
- Multifamily units authorized0
- Multifamily share of units0.0 percent
- Average declared value per unit$159,005
- Units authorized per 1,000 households0.8
Single-family homes are 100.0 percent of units authorized, so the pipeline is predominantly single-family.
US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Johnson County
How large is Johnson County?
- Land area298 sq mi
- Rank by land area among Tennessee counties75th of 95
- Width, east to west22.9 mi
- Height, north to south24.1 mi
- Geographies sharing a boundary7
- Residents per square mile of land61
- Establishments per square mile0.86
US Census Bureau county boundary geometry, TIGER, adjacency computed from shared boundary vertices, TIGER county boundaries. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year. US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
Johnson County
Flood risk in Johnson County
- Participation of the county's own NFIP community Johnson County, unincorporated areasParticipating, community 470230
- Communities in the county in the NFIP Community Status Book2
- Of those, participating in the NFIP2
- NFIP participation rate100.0 percent
- Communities carrying a CRS class0
- Radon levels in Johnson County, EPA zone predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/LZone 2
The county's own community in the status book, unincorporated Johnson County (community 470230), participates in the National Flood Insurance Program and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies there. The EPA places Johnson County in radon zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. The zone is a screening prediction for the county and does not substitute for a test at an address. 100.0 percent of the county's listed communities participate in the National Flood Insurance Program, per Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26. US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Traffic counts, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Feasibility studies
When a Johnson County site needs a document a lender will accept.
The same data layer behind this page is the one the studies are written from. A study for a Johnson County site starts with the figures you are reading, carrying the same source and period into the credit file.
- Population, American Community Survey 2020-202418,196
- Households7,298
- Average household size2.49
- Median household income$53,129
- Median age46.7
Common questions
Johnson County questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Johnson County, Tennessee?
The Census Bureau estimates 18,506 residents on July 1, 2024 (US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024). The American Community Survey 2020-2024 five-year estimate is 18,196, in 7,298 households, ranking 70th of 95 Tennessee counties. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
Is Johnson County's population growing?
The population has grown 3.09 percent since the 2020 census base of 17,952, to 18,506 on July 1, 2024. In 2024 there were 163 births against 319 deaths, with net migration of 288. Source: US Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program, Vintage 2024, Vintage 2024, estimates 2020 to 2024.
What is the median household income in Johnson County?
$53,129. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $178,600, which is 3.4 times income, and median gross rent is $674 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 2020-2024 5-year.
How many businesses are in Johnson County?
256 establishments, employing 3,415 people with an annual payroll of $163.2 m. These are establishments physically operating in the county, not listings. Source: US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023.
What is employment by industry in Johnson County?
Manufacturing is the largest private sector at 722 jobs, 16.9 percent of covered employment. Covered employment averages 4,274 jobs at an average annual pay of $53,592, or $1,031 a week. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages.
How many building permits were issued in Johnson County?
6 housing units were authorized by permit in 2024, with a declared construction value of $954,030. Multifamily was 0.0 percent of units. Source: US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
What is the radon zone for Johnson County?
Zone 2, a predicted average indoor radon screening level from 2 to 4 pCi/L. Source: US EPA, Map of Radon Zones, county spreadsheet, 2024-05 publication, EPA 402/A-16/001.
Where do people moving to Johnson County come from?
The largest single origin is Watauga County, with 30 households. Arriving households report an average income of $98,213 against $45,006 for those leaving. Source: US Internal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income county migration flows, 2021 to 2022 filing years.
Are traffic counts available for Johnson County on this page?
No. Annual average daily traffic resolves in the platform rather than in this dataset, so no AADT figure is printed here. It is a gap we know about rather than a figure we estimated.
Is zoning published for Johnson County?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning, and where a statutory framework applies it is marked as the statewide frame, to be confirmed locally.
Johnson County
Cities and places in Johnson.
2 Census places lie wholly or partly in Johnson County. All 2 carry enough published place level data for a page of their own and are linked.
| Place | Type | Population | SBA 7(a) approvals, projects in this county | Lies in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain City | town | 2,542 | None recorded | Wholly in this county |
| Butler | CDP | 127 | None recorded | 90.6 percent here, 9.4 percent Carter County |