Houston County, Tennessee
Selected Statistical Information
I.  Geography & Demographics Tennessee Houston County County Rank Percent of State
Total Land Area (sq. mi.)                 41,217                200 88th  0.5%
Farmland (2007)          
Acres of Farmland            10,969,798           47,190  80th   0.4%
Number of Farms                 79,280                382  81st   0.5%
Average Size of Farms (Acres)                     138                124  56th   89.9%
Population            
2008 Estimate 6,214,888 8,137 87th  0.1%
2000 Census 5,689,283 8,088 87th  0.1%
1990 Census 4,877,203 7,018 89th  0.1%
Gain (1990 to 2000) 812,080 1,070 85th  0.1%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 16.7% 15.2% 51st  91.6%
Population Density (per sq. mi.)         Comparison to State Figure
2008 Estimate                   150.8               40.6 87th  27.0%
2000 Census                   138.0               40.4 76th  29.3%
1990 Census                   118.3               35.1 76th  29.6%
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 40 16th  110.0%
1990 Census 34 38 6th  113.1%
Population Percentages by Age Bracket        
2000 Census
under 18 24.6% 24.4% 35th 
18-24 9.6% 7.3% 90th 
25-44 30.2% 26.1% 91st 
45-64 23.2% 25.6% 30th 
65 & over 12.4% 16.7% 9th 
1990 Census
under 18 25.1% 24.2% 60th 
18-24 10.9% 8.5% 91st 
25-44 31.8% 26.8% 93rd 
45-64 19.6% 22.8% 11th 
65 & over 12.6% 17.7% 7th 
Population Growth by Age Bracket, 1990 to 2000  
Population Percentages by Race/Ethnicity (2000 Census)  
Tennessee Houston County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Males per 100 Females (2007) 95.4 96.2 32nd  100.9%
Marriages Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 10.7 7.8 67th  72.9%
Divorces Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 4.7 4.2 31st  89.4%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
II.  Income & Poverty Tennessee Houston County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Per Capita Personal Income          
2006 $32,172 $24,301 64th  75.5%
2000 $26,097 $19,071 69th  73.1%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.55% 4.12% 20th  116.12%
Median Household Income          
2007 $42,389 $36,158 55th  85.3%
2000 $35,760 $30,606 65th  85.6%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 2.46% 2.41% 27th  98.00%
2007 Poverty Rate          
All Ages  15.8% 18.3% 59th  115.82%
Related Children Under 18 Years  22.5% 26.8% 63rd  119.11%
2000 Census            
All Ages  13.1% 18.1% 77th  137.80%
Related Children Under 18 Years 15.9% 15.1% 26th  94.42%
2007 Food Stamp Recipients (Monthly Average )          
Percent of Households 15.8% 15.6% 30th  98.77%
Percent of Individuals 14.1% 15.9% 52nd  112.80%
2007 Families First           
Percent of Households 2.5% 2.1% 68th  86.70%
Percent of Individuals 2.5% 2.3% 72nd  90.71%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
III.  Health & Healthcare Tennessee Houston County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2007 Pregnancy & Birth Rates           
Live births per 1,000 Population                    14.2               12.4 53rd  87.3%
Percent of Live Births to Unmarried Parents 42.8% 46.5% 84th  108.6%
Percent Low Birth Weight 9.4% 10.9% 78th  116.0%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44                    80.7               75.2 25th  93.2%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-17                    13.9               21.5 95th  154.7%
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               13.4 88th  144.1%
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Cause of Death
Diseases of the Heart                   233.2             172.3 6th  73.9%
Cancer (Malignant Neoplasm)                   215.3             356.8 91st  165.7%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
n/a
1st 
n/a
Tennessee Houston County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Access to Healthcare          
Medical Doctors per 1,000 (2007)                      1.8                0.5 64th  27.3%
Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population (2006)                      4.2                3.1 41st  73.5%
Nursing Home Beds per 1,000 Pop. 65 & older (2006)                    49.2             115.8 12th  235.5%
2006 Charity Care--Percent of All Hospital Care  8.5% 0.2% 74th  2.3%
IV.  Employment
Unemployment Rate   Tennessee Houston County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2009 (February) 9.5% 11.1% 40th  116.4%
2000 4.0% 6.0% 83rd  149.7%
2007 Youth Unemployment Rate  15.7% 31.6% 93rd  201.6%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Employment Percentages by Major Industry   Tennessee Houston County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Total Employment All Industries 2,745,397 1,467 90 0.1%
Natural Resources and Mining 0.4% 1.0% 76 241.9%
Construction 4.9% 3.5% 77 73.0%
Manufacturing 13.8% 16.4% 89 118.2%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 22.1% 11.5% 93 52.1%
Information 1.8% 0.0% 79 0.0%
Financial Activities 5.2% 3.0% 88 57.4%
Professional and Business Services 11.8% 0.0% 92 0.0%
Education and Health Services 12.4% 20.6% 79 166.1%
Leisure and Hospitality 10.1% 5.9% 89 58.2%
Other Services 2.6% 1.2% 83 45.1%
Government 14.9% 1.2% 91 8.2%
Federal 1.8% 1.2% 87 69.2%
State 3.3% 0.0% 68 0.0%
Local 9.9% 0.0% 68 0.0%
2007 Average Annual Wage by Major Industry         County Rank
89th 
3rd 
74th 
73rd 
92nd 
79th 
36th 
92nd 
68th 
86th 
45th 
52nd 
93rd 
68th 
68th 
V.  Value of Farmland and Agricultural Products Sold
Tennessee Houston County Rank
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $           467,420  $      298,207 94th 
(Average Per Farm)
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $               3,378  $         2,414 86th 
(Average Per Acre)
Total Market Value of Agicultural Products Sold   $  2,617,394,000  $   4,415,000 88th 
VI.  County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
2001-2002 Revenue by Source (in thousands)   Tennessee Percent of Total Houston County Percent of State Total
Grand Total  $         8,062,012 100.0%  $    12,817 100.00%
Total State Revenue  $         2,504,883 31.1%  $      7,291 56.9%
Public Schools            1,949,045 24.2%         5,289 41.3%
All Other               555,838 6.9%         2,002 15.6%
Federal Revenue  $           511,055 6.3%  $        866 6.8%
Total Local Revenue  $         5,046,074 62.6%  $      4,659 36.4%
Property Tax            2,720,971 33.8%         2,135 16.7%
Local Sales Tax            1,123,100 13.9%            874 6.8%
Other Local             1,202,003 14.9%         1,649 12.9%
 Tax Base (in thousands)   Tennessee Houston County County Rank Percent of State
2007 Equalized Assessed Property Value  $     131,625,598  $      108,229
Tax Base Per Capita $21,179 $13,301 91st  62.8%
2007 County Property Tax Rate (per $100) $2.90 13th 
2008 Total Taxable Sales   $       69,005,974  $       29,042
Tax Base Per Capita $11,103 $3,569 48th  32.1%
2008 County Sales Tax Rate 2.75% 1st 
VII.  Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
Estimated Costs, 2007 - 2012 (in thousands)   Tennessee Houston County County Rank Percent of State
Project  Type
Transportation  $       17,106,712  $       35,975 77th 0.2%
Water & Wastewater            3,855,355             8,177 71st 0.2%
Recreation            1,118,527             2,584 50th 0.2%
Existing School Improvements            1,899,735             1,896 63rd 0.1%
Public Buildings               526,288             1,600 39th 0.3%
Libraries, Museums, & Historic Sites               285,785             1,500 20th 0.5%
Industrial Sites & Parks               241,362             1,400 47th 0.6%
Fire Protection               220,725                600 33rd 0.3%
Business District Development               375,758                300 20th 0.1%
Solid Waste                 54,314                100 26th 0.2%
Non K-12 Education            3,015,869                    - 43rd 0.0%
Law Enforcement            1,826,201                    - 74th 0.0%
K-12 New School Construction            1,798,581                    - 45th 0.0%
Other Utilities               598,698                    - 32nd 0.0%
Stormwater               371,227                    - 39th 0.0%
Community Development               367,547                    - 50th 0.0%
Public Health Facilities               323,093                    - 30th 0.0%
Housing               100,189                    - 14th 0.0%
School System-wide Need                 63,021                    - 16th 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  $       54,131 85th 0.2%
VIII.  Adult & Post-secondary Education
Adult Educational Attainment     Tennessee Houston County County Rank
2000 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 75.9% 70.1% 40th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 19.6% 10.3% 47th 
2008 Estimate
1990 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 67.1% 52.8% 66th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 16.0% 6.3% 76th 
 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 Houston County    
Number of Students
2007-2008                 944,738                    1,464               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
1997-1998                 834,318                    1,292               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
Increase/(Decrease)                 110,420 172          
Percent Change 13.2% 13.3%          
2007-2008
Free or Reduced-price Meals 54.5% 55.0%
Federal Title 1 39.7% 45.4%
Special Education 14.7% 20.1%
English Language Learners 3.2% 0.5%
Statewide Houston 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                      14.7               
1997-1998                      15.8                      16.8               
Increase/(Decrease)                       (0.9)                       (2.1)                    
Progress Through School
Promotion Rate
2007-2008 98.0% 98.3%          
1997-1998 96.6% 95.8%
Dropout Rate
2007-2008 10.1% 8.5%
1997-1998 4.5% 4.9%
*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 Houston County    
Expenditures per Student
2007-2008 $7,742 $6,899
Percent of Statewide 89.1%          
1997-1998 $5,123 $4,302
Percent of Statewide 84.0%          
Increase/Decrease $2,618 $2,597          
Percent Change 51.1% 60.4%          
Classroom Teachers' Average Salary*
2007-2008 $44,820 $40,692
Percent of Statewide 90.8%
1997-1998 $34,584 $30,055
Percent of Statewide 86.9%
Gain $10,236 $10,637
Percent Change 29.6% 35.4%          
Revenue by Source (percent of total)
2007-2008
State 47.6% 74.4%
Federal 10.8% 9.8%
Local 41.6% 15.8%
System Rank for Percent Local 126th 
2006-2007
State 45.5% 74.3%
Federal 11.0% 9.1%
Local 43.5% 16.6%
System Rank for Percent Local 124th 
Statewide Houston County County Rank
2008-2009 County Area Fiscal Capacity        
Estimated Local Revenue per Student $2,782 $999 86th 
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