Fayette County, Tennessee
Selected Statistical Information
I.  Geography & Demographics Tennessee Fayette County County Rank Percent of State
Total Land Area (sq. mi.)                 41,217                705 3rd  1.7%
Farmland (2007)          
Acres of Farmland            10,969,798         227,434  10th   2.1%
Number of Farms                 79,280                952  37th   1.2%
Average Size of Farms (Acres)                     138                239  10th   173.2%
Population            
2008 Estimate 6,214,888 38,173 40th  0.6%
2000 Census 5,689,283 28,806 49th  0.5%
1990 Census 4,877,203 25,559 49th  0.5%
Gain (1990 to 2000) 812,080 3,247 52nd  0.4%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 16.7% 12.7% 68th  76.3%
Population Density (per sq. mi.)         Comparison to State Figure
2008 Estimate                   150.8               54.2 40th  35.9%
2000 Census                   138.0               40.9 75th  29.6%
1990 Census                   118.3               36.3 75th  30.7%
Urban Population         Percent of State
2000 Census            3,618,968                  -   71st  0.0%
1990 Census            2,969,948                  -   72nd  0.0%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 21.9% n/a n/a n/a
Percent of Population in Urban Areas
2000 Census 63.6% 0.0% 71st  0.0%
1990 Census 60.9% 0.0% 72nd  0.0%
Median Age            
2000 Census 36 38 35th  106.1%
1990 Census 34 32 87th  96.7%
Population Percentages by Age Bracket        
2000 Census
under 18 24.6% 25.7% 20th 
18-24 9.6% 8.2% 61st 
25-44 30.2% 27.4% 75th 
45-64 23.2% 25.6% 29th 
65 & over 12.4% 13.0% 64th 
1990 Census
under 18 25.1% 29.9% 2nd 
18-24 10.9% 9.2% 70th 
25-44 31.8% 29.0% 57th 
45-64 19.6% 18.9% 85th 
65 & over 12.6% 12.9% 69th 
Population Growth by Age Bracket, 1990 to 2000  
Population Percentages by Race/Ethnicity (2000 Census)  
Tennessee Fayette County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Males per 100 Females (2007) 95.4 95.9 42nd  100.6%
Marriages Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 10.7 8.4 44th  78.5%
Divorces Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 4.7 4.1 27th  87.2%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
II.  Income & Poverty Tennessee Fayette County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Per Capita Personal Income          
2006 $32,172 $31,193 10th  97.0%
2000 $26,097 $25,292 13th  96.9%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.55% 3.56% 39th  100.21%
Median Household Income          
2007 $42,389 $54,271 3rd  128.0%
2000 $35,760 $40,027 12th  111.9%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 2.46% 4.45% 1st  180.75%
2007 Poverty Rate          
All Ages  15.8% 13.6% 19th  86.08%
Related Children Under 18 Years  22.5% 19.9% 16th  88.44%
2000 Census            
All Ages  13.1% 13.2% 32nd  100.40%
Related Children Under 18 Years 15.9% 17.0% 40th  106.65%
2007 Food Stamp Recipients (Monthly Average )          
Percent of Households 15.8% 19.5% 65th  123.49%
Percent of Individuals 14.1% 12.9% 23rd  91.34%
2007 Families First           
Percent of Households 2.5% 1.6% 37th  64.15%
Percent of Individuals 2.5% 1.2% 29th  49.14%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
III.  Health & Healthcare Tennessee Fayette County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2007 Pregnancy & Birth Rates           
Live births per 1,000 Population                    14.2               14.5 14th  102.1%
Percent of Live Births to Unmarried Parents 42.8% 42.1% 68th  98.4%
Percent Low Birth Weight 9.4% 9.6% 66th  102.1%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44                    80.7               74.2 34th  91.9%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-17                    13.9               11.5 45th  82.7%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-14                      1.3                  -   1st  0.0%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Mortality Rates           
Number of Deaths per 1,000 Population                      9.3                9.4 21st  101.1%
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Cause of Death
Diseases of the Heart                   233.2             229.8 29th  98.5%
Cancer (Malignant Neoplasm)                   215.3             227.0 35th  105.4%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
36th 
1st 
36th 
Tennessee Fayette County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Access to Healthcare          
Medical Doctors per 1,000 (2007)                      1.8                0.6 55th  30.6%
Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population (2006)                      4.2                1.3 69th  30.4%
Nursing Home Beds per 1,000 Pop. 65 & older (2006)                    49.2               38.8 77th  79.0%
2006 Charity Care--Percent of All Hospital Care  8.5% 42.0% 2nd  491.3%
IV.  Employment
Unemployment Rate   Tennessee Fayette County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2009 (February) 9.5% 10.1% 28th  105.9%
2000 4.0% 4.6% 45th  114.8%
2007 Youth Unemployment Rate  15.7% 20.0% 68th  127.7%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Employment Percentages by Major Industry   Tennessee Fayette County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Total Employment All Industries 2,745,397 6,623 56 0.2%
Natural Resources and Mining 0.4% 0.9% 50 233.4%
Construction 4.9% 9.1% 31 186.9%
Manufacturing 13.8% 30.9% 48 223.1%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 22.1% 12.9% 67 58.5%
Information 1.8% 0.1% 77 6.8%
Financial Activities 5.2% 3.5% 59 66.5%
Professional and Business Services 11.8% 5.3% 48 45.1%
Education and Health Services 12.4% 6.2% 71 49.9%
Leisure and Hospitality 10.1% 6.1% 59 60.7%
Other Services 2.6% 1.9% 51 72.2%
Government 14.9% 23.1% 41 154.8%
Federal 1.8% 0.9% 62 51.1%
State 3.3% 0.3% 51 10.7%
Local 9.9% 21.8% 37 220.9%
2007 Average Annual Wage by Major Industry         County Rank
17th 
61st 
23rd 
13th 
45th 
49th 
30th 
1st 
64th 
55th 
26th 
82nd 
62nd 
47th 
58th 
V.  Value of Farmland and Agricultural Products Sold
Tennessee Fayette County Rank
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $           467,420  $      771,945 5th 
(Average Per Farm)
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $               3,378  $         3,231 57th 
(Average Per Acre)
Total Market Value of Agicultural Products Sold   $  2,617,394,000  $ 35,200,000 24th 
VI.  County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
2001-2002 Revenue by Source (in thousands)   Tennessee Percent of Total Fayette County Percent of State Total
Grand Total  $         8,062,012 100.0%  $    37,579 100.00%
Total State Revenue  $         2,504,883 31.1%  $    15,288 40.7%
Public Schools            1,949,045 24.2%        11,558 30.8%
All Other               555,838 6.9%         3,729 9.9%
Federal Revenue  $           511,055 6.3%  $      5,165 13.7%
Total Local Revenue  $         5,046,074 62.6%  $    17,126 45.6%
Property Tax            2,720,971 33.8%         8,782 23.4%
Local Sales Tax            1,123,100 13.9%         2,681 7.1%
Other Local             1,202,003 14.9%         5,663 15.1%
 Tax Base (in thousands)   Tennessee Fayette County County Rank Percent of State
2007 Equalized Assessed Property Value  $     131,625,598  $      799,620
Tax Base Per Capita $21,179 $20,947 33rd  98.9%
2007 County Property Tax Rate (per $100) $1.74 87th 
2008 Total Taxable Sales   $       69,005,974  $      160,470
Tax Base Per Capita $11,103 $4,204 39th  37.9%
2008 County Sales Tax Rate 2.25% 41st 
VII.  Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
Estimated Costs, 2007 - 2012 (in thousands)   Tennessee Fayette County County Rank Percent of State
Project  Type
Transportation  $       17,106,712  $      110,131 41st 0.6%
Water & Wastewater            3,855,355           18,193 46th 0.5%
K-12 New School Construction            1,798,581           12,000 33rd 0.7%
Existing School Improvements            1,899,735             2,475 59th 0.1%
Industrial Sites & Parks               241,362             1,800 41st 0.7%
Public Buildings               526,288             1,700 36th 0.3%
Law Enforcement            1,826,201             1,580 59th 0.1%
Fire Protection               220,725                700 31st 0.3%
Recreation            1,118,527                680 81st 0.1%
Non K-12 Education            3,015,869                    - 43rd 0.0%
Other Utilities               598,698                    - 32nd 0.0%
Business District Development               375,758                    - 23rd 0.0%
Stormwater               371,227                    - 39th 0.0%
Community Development               367,547                    - 50th 0.0%
Public Health Facilities               323,093                    - 30th 0.0%
Libraries, Museums, & Historic Sites               285,785                    - 52nd 0.0%
Housing               100,189                    - 14th 0.0%
School System-wide Need                 63,021                    - 16th 0.0%
Solid Waste                 54,314                    - 30th 0.0%
Other Facilities                 32,755                    - 9th 0.0%
Telecommunications                 17,009                    - 5th 0.0%
Property Acquisition                   3,956                    - 8th 0.0%
Grand Total  $       34,202,707  $      149,259 52nd 0.4%
VIII.  Adult & Post-secondary Education
Adult Educational Attainment     Tennessee Fayette County County Rank
2000 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 75.9% 70.6% 36th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 19.6% 12.8% 27th 
2008 Estimate
1990 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 67.1% 55.5% 53rd 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 16.0% 8.0% 51st 
 Number of Post-secondary Institutions (2008)      
Four-year Colleges and Universities 77 0
Public 14 0
Private 63 0
Other Public Institutions 93 0
Community Colleges 13 0
Technology Centers 27 0
Two-Year Private Institutions 20 0
Off-campus Sites 33 0
2007 - 2008 Enrollment (full-time equivalent) at Post-secondary Institutions    
Four-year Colleges and Universities*          214,260                     -  
Public 134,696 0
Private 79,564 0
Other Public Institutions* 134,278 0
Community Colleges 80,454 0
Technology Centers 13,939 0
Two-Year Private Insitutions 11,049 0
Off-campus Sites 28,836 0
* Note: By location of instiution, not county of residence of students
IX.  Public School Systems  (Total number of school systems is 136)
Statewide Fayette County    
Number of Students
2007-2008                 944,738                    3,586               
Percent of Statewide 0.4%          
1997-1998                 834,318                    3,679               
Percent of Statewide 0.4%          
Increase/(Decrease)                 110,420 -94          
Percent Change 13.2% -2.5%          
2007-2008
Free or Reduced-price Meals 54.5% 78.8%
Federal Title 1 39.7% 98.0%
Special Education 14.7% 15.1%
English Language Learners 3.2% 2.2%
Statewide Fayette County    
2007-2008 Accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 
Elementary Schools 71.5% 100.0%
Secondary Schools 90.8% 100.0%
Students per Classroom Teacher*
2007-2008                      14.9                      13.2               
1997-1998                      15.8                      14.9               
Increase/(Decrease)                       (0.9)                       (1.7)                    
Progress Through School
Promotion Rate
2007-2008 98.0% 96.9%          
1997-1998 96.6% 90.5%
Dropout Rate
2007-2008 10.1% 10.5%
1997-1998 4.5% 8.8%
*Classroom teachers include art, music and physical education teachers.  Because these auxiliary teachers are
included, ratios of students to classroom teachers do not represent and tend to be lower than actual class sizes.
Statewide Fayette County    
Expenditures per Student
2007-2008 $7,742 $8,623
Percent of Statewide 111.4%          
1997-1998 $5,123 $5,188
Percent of Statewide 101.3%          
Increase/Decrease $2,618 $3,435          
Percent Change 51.1% 66.2%          
Classroom Teachers' Average Salary*
2007-2008 $44,820 $38,029
Percent of Statewide 84.8%
1997-1998 $34,584 $29,152
Percent of Statewide 84.3%
Gain $10,236 $8,877
Percent Change 29.6% 30.4%          
Revenue by Source (percent of total)
2007-2008
State 47.6% 51.6%
Federal 10.8% 21.5%
Local 41.6% 26.9%
System Rank for Percent Local 73rd 
2006-2007
State 45.5% 51.5%
Federal 11.0% 22.1%
Local 43.5% 26.4%
System Rank for Percent Local 79th 
Statewide Fayette County County Rank
2008-2009 County Area Fiscal Capacity        
Estimated Local Revenue per Student $2,782 $2,203 24th 
Sources of Information for County Profiles
I. Geography & Demographics
U.S. Bureau of the Census--all data except for marriage and divorce rates.
www.census.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
TN Dept. of Health - marriage and divorce rates.
http://health.state.tn.us/
II. Income & Poverty
U.S. Bureau of the Census--median household income data & poverty rates.
www.census.gov
TN Dept. of Human Services--Food Stamp data and Families First data.
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_fsp.htm
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_tanf.htm
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - per capita income data
www.bea.gov
III. Health & Healthcare
TN Dept.of Health, Health Statistics & Research--pregnancy, births, mortality & healthcare access data.
http://health.state.tn.us/statistics/healthdata.htm
IV. Employment
TN Dept. Of Labor and Workforce Development - unemployment data. 
http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/
U.S. Department of Labor - employment data.
ww.bls.gov/lau/home.htm
V. Value of Farmland and Agricultural Product Sold
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
VI. County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
TN County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS), Resource Center--county revenue data.
www.ctas.utk.edu
TN Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessment--equalized assessed property values.
http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/pa/taxaggr.htm
TN Dept. of Revenue--total taxable sales.
www.state.tn.us/revenue/files.htm
VII. Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--all data. 
http://tn.gov/tacir/infrastructure.html
VIII. Adult & Post-secondary Education
U.S. Bureau of the Census--educational attainment.
www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html
TN Higher Education Commission--post-secondary institution and enrollment data.
www.state.tn.us/thec
IX. Public School Systems (Total number of school systems is 136)
TN Department of Education--all data except fiscal capacity.
http://www.state.tn.us/education/mdata.shtml
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--education fiscal capacity.
http://tn.gov/tacir/fiscalcapacity.html
Prepared by TACIR