Meigs County, Tennessee
Selected Statistical Information
I.  Geography & Demographics Tennessee Meigs County County Rank Percent of State
Total Land Area (sq. mi.)                 41,217                195 89th  0.5%
Farmland (2007)          
Acres of Farmland            10,969,798           49,116  79th   0.4%
Number of Farms                 79,280                367  82nd   0.5%
Average Size of Farms (Acres)                     138                134  41st   97.1%
Population            
2008 Estimate 6,214,888 11,790 83rd  0.2%
2000 Census 5,689,283 11,086 85th  0.2%
1990 Census 4,877,203 8,033 86th  0.2%
Gain (1990 to 2000) 812,080 3,053 58th  0.4%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 16.7% 38.0% 4th  228.3%
Population Density (per sq. mi.)         Comparison to State Figure
2008 Estimate                   150.8               60.5 83rd  40.1%
2000 Census                   138.0               56.9 56th  41.2%
1990 Census                   118.3               41.2 66th  34.8%
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 37 59th  102.2%
1990 Census 34 35 46th  104.5%
Population Percentages by Age Bracket        
2000 Census
under 18 24.6% 25.1% 26th 
18-24 9.6% 8.1% 67th 
25-44 30.2% 28.9% 42nd 
45-64 23.2% 26.3% 17th 
65 & over 12.4% 11.5% 81st 
1990 Census
under 18 25.1% 25.1% 44th 
18-24 10.9% 10.4% 23rd 
25-44 31.8% 30.6% 30th 
45-64 19.6% 21.7% 34th 
65 & over 12.6% 12.3% 77th 
Population Growth by Age Bracket, 1990 to 2000  
Population Percentages by Race/Ethnicity (2000 Census)  
Tennessee Meigs County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Males per 100 Females (2007) 95.4 97.5 15th  102.3%
Marriages Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 10.7 10.2 13th  95.3%
Divorces Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 4.7 3.6 17th  76.6%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
II.  Income & Poverty Tennessee Meigs County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Per Capita Personal Income          
2006 $32,172 $23,192 73rd  72.1%
2000 $26,097 $18,085 78th  69.3%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.55% 4.23% 17th  119.24%
Median Household Income          
2007 $42,389 $36,876 53rd  87.0%
2000 $35,760 $30,102 67th  84.2%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 2.46% 2.94% 8th  119.63%
2007 Poverty Rate          
All Ages  15.8% 20.9% 76th  132.28%
Related Children Under 18 Years  22.5% 32.4% 85th  144.00%
2000 Census            
All Ages  13.1% 10.0% 11th  75.92%
Related Children Under 18 Years 15.9% 12.7% 13th  79.47%
2007 Food Stamp Recipients (Monthly Average )          
Percent of Households 15.8% 21.9% 76th  138.57%
Percent of Individuals 14.1% 21.4% 80th  151.60%
2007 Families First           
Percent of Households 2.5% 1.3% 22nd  54.67%
Percent of Individuals 2.5% 31.7% 95th  1262.32%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
III.  Health & Healthcare Tennessee Meigs County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2007 Pregnancy & Birth Rates           
Live births per 1,000 Population                    14.2               12.2 58th  85.9%
Percent of Live Births to Unmarried Parents 42.8% 43.1% 71st  100.7%
Percent Low Birth Weight 9.4% 8.3% 31st  88.3%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44                    80.7               63.0 71st  78.1%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-17                    13.9               10.6 33rd  76.3%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-14                      1.3                7.7 95th  592.3%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Mortality Rates           
Number of Deaths per 1,000 Population                      9.3               10.4 42nd  111.8%
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Cause of Death
Diseases of the Heart                   233.2             228.5 28th  98.0%
Cancer (Malignant Neoplasm)                   215.3             203.1 15th  94.3%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
n/a
94th 
n/a
Tennessee Meigs County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Access to Healthcare          
Medical Doctors per 1,000 (2007)                      1.8                0.3 91st  14.1%
Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population (2006)                      4.2  n/a  n/a n/a
Nursing Home Beds per 1,000 Pop. 65 & older (2006)                    49.2               59.2 37th  120.4%
2006 Charity Care--Percent of All Hospital Care  8.5% n/a n/a n/a
IV.  Employment
Unemployment Rate   Tennessee Meigs County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2009 (February) 9.5% 13.2% 69th  138.4%
2000 4.0% 5.3% 72nd  132.2%
2007 Youth Unemployment Rate  15.7% 8.7% 4th  55.5%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Employment Percentages by Major Industry   Tennessee Meigs County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Total Employment All Industries 2,745,397 1,631 86 0.1%
Natural Resources and Mining 0.4% 18.7% 9 4739.6%
Construction 4.9% 1.8% 80 36.6%
Manufacturing 13.8% 36.5% 77 264.0%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 22.1% 16.2% 86 73.5%
Information 1.8% 0.0% 79 0.0%
Financial Activities 5.2% 2.1% 90 39.9%
Professional and Business Services 11.8% 3.9% 82 32.8%
Education and Health Services 12.4% 4.7% 94 38.1%
Leisure and Hospitality 10.1% 5.9% 88 59.1%
Other Services 2.6% 0.0% 87 0.0%
Government 14.9% 1.8% 87 11.9%
Federal 1.8% 1.8% 82 100.2%
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
32nd 
4th 
75th 
26th 
16th 
79th 
54th 
72nd 
92nd 
81st 
53rd 
29th 
71st 
68th 
68th 
V.  Value of Farmland and Agricultural Products Sold
Tennessee Meigs County Rank
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $           467,420  $      479,098 30th 
(Average Per Farm)
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $               3,378  $         3,580 38th 
(Average Per Acre)
Total Market Value of Agicultural Products Sold   $  2,617,394,000  $   6,384,000 76th 
VI.  County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
2001-2002 Revenue by Source (in thousands)   Tennessee Percent of Total Meigs County Percent of State Total
Grand Total  $         8,062,012 100.0%  $    15,381 100.00%
Total State Revenue  $         2,504,883 31.1%  $      9,006 58.6%
Public Schools            1,949,045 24.2%         6,529 42.4%
All Other               555,838 6.9%         2,477 16.1%
Federal Revenue  $           511,055 6.3%  $      1,843 12.0%
Total Local Revenue  $         5,046,074 62.6%  $      4,532 29.5%
Property Tax            2,720,971 33.8%         2,411 15.7%
Local Sales Tax            1,123,100 13.9%            756 4.9%
Other Local             1,202,003 14.9%         1,365 8.9%
 Tax Base (in thousands)   Tennessee Meigs County County Rank Percent of State
2007 Equalized Assessed Property Value  $     131,625,598  $      200,234
Tax Base Per Capita $21,179 $16,983 80th  80.2%
2007 County Property Tax Rate (per $100) $1.83 83rd 
2008 Total Taxable Sales   $       69,005,974  $       29,827
Tax Base Per Capita $11,103 $2,530 30th  22.8%
2008 County Sales Tax Rate 2.00% 34th 
VII.  Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
Estimated Costs, 2007 - 2012 (in thousands)   Tennessee Meigs County County Rank Percent of State
Project  Type
Transportation  $       17,106,712  $       18,704 85th 0.1%
Water & Wastewater            3,855,355           10,733 61st 0.3%
Libraries, Museums, & Historic Sites               285,785             2,100 17th 0.7%
Community Development               367,547             1,672 19th 0.5%
Existing School Improvements            1,899,735                960 71st 0.1%
Industrial Sites & Parks               241,362                500 62nd 0.2%
Other Utilities               598,698                250 30th 0.0%
Solid Waste                 54,314                250 22nd 0.5%
Recreation            1,118,527                246 87th 0.0%
School System-wide Need                 63,021                150 14th 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%
Public Buildings               526,288                    - 77th 0.0%
Business District Development               375,758                    - 23rd 0.0%
Stormwater               371,227                    - 39th 0.0%
Public Health Facilities               323,093                    - 30th 0.0%
Fire Protection               220,725                    - 57th 0.0%
Housing               100,189                    - 14th 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  $       35,565 92nd 0.1%
VIII.  Adult & Post-secondary Education
Adult Educational Attainment     Tennessee Meigs County County Rank
2000 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 75.9% 63.5% 74th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 19.6% 7.0% 85th 
2008 Estimate
1990 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 67.1% 52.7% 67th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 16.0% 6.6% 72nd 
 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 Meigs County    
Number of Students
2007-2008                 944,738                    1,841               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
1997-1998                 834,318                    1,610               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
Increase/(Decrease)                 110,420 231          
Percent Change 13.2% 14.3%          
2007-2008
Free or Reduced-price Meals 54.5% 68.6%
Federal Title 1 39.7% 72.2%
Special Education 14.7% 18.1%
English Language Learners 3.2% 0.0%
Statewide Meigs County    
2007-2008 Accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 
Elementary Schools 71.5% 0.0%
Secondary Schools 90.8% 0.0%
Students per Classroom Teacher*
2007-2008                      14.9                      14.8               
1997-1998                      15.8                      15.5               
Increase/(Decrease)                       (0.9)                       (0.7)                    
Progress Through School
Promotion Rate
2007-2008 98.0% 99.2%          
1997-1998 96.6% 99.3%
Dropout Rate
2007-2008 10.1% 10.6%
1997-1998 4.5% 4.0%
*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 Meigs County    
Expenditures per Student
2007-2008 $7,742 $6,962
Percent of Statewide 89.9%          
1997-1998 $5,123 $4,718
Percent of Statewide 92.1%          
Increase/Decrease $2,618 $2,244          
Percent Change 51.1% 47.6%          
Classroom Teachers' Average Salary*
2007-2008 $44,820 $43,396
Percent of Statewide 96.8%
1997-1998 $34,584 $31,029
Percent of Statewide 89.7%
Gain $10,236 $12,368
Percent Change 29.6% 39.9%          
Revenue by Source (percent of total)
2007-2008
State 47.6% 69.7%
Federal 10.8% 14.2%
Local 41.6% 16.1%
System Rank for Percent Local 123rd 
2006-2007
State 45.5% 68.7%
Federal 11.0% 14.8%
Local 43.5% 16.5%
System Rank for Percent Local 127th 
Statewide Meigs County County Rank
2008-2009 County Area Fiscal Capacity        
Estimated Local Revenue per Student $2,782 $818 90th 
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