Census ACS 5-Year · 18 metrics compared
Tennessee vs Kentucky
Tennessee and Kentucky compared across 18 demographic and economic metrics. Tennessee leads in 9 of the comparable categories.
| Metric | Tennessee | Kentucky |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 6,986,082 | 4,510,725 |
| Median Age | 38.9 | 39.1 |
| Median Household Income | $67,097 | $62,417 |
| Per Capita Income | $37,866 | $34,960 |
| Poverty Rate | 9.9% | 11.8% |
| Unemployment Rate | 2.9% | 2.9% |
| Median Home Value | $256,800 | $192,300 |
| Median Rent | $1,122 | $933 |
| Homeownership Rate | 67.0% | 68.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree+ | 30.4% | 27.0% |
| High School+ | 89.6% | 88.5% |
| Work From Home | 11.4% | 9.1% |
| Avg Commute (min) | 25.7 | 24.0 |
| White | 73.5% | 83.7% |
| Hispanic | 1.3% | 1.1% |
| Black | 15.9% | 7.9% |
| Asian | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Foreign Born | 35.3% | 26.9% |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Tennessee has a population of 6,986,082 compared to Kentucky's 4,510,725.
Across the metrics compared, Tennessee leads in 9 categories while Kentucky leads in 3. However, "better" depends on what matters most to you, income, cost of living, education, climate, and personal preferences all play a role.
All data from the American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year estimates by the US Census Bureau.
Comparison based on American Community Survey 5-Year estimates. Green highlighting indicates the "better" value where applicable (higher income is better, lower poverty is better, etc.). Race and ethnicity metrics are not highlighted as there is no "better" value.
Comparing Tennessee and Kentucky on U.S. population demographics requires lining up the underlying the U.S. Census Bureau ACS and decennial files data side by side. The table above runs the comparison on the canonical fields; the narrative below identifies the factor or factors that drive the most meaningful difference between the two.
Practical use of the comparison: read the data above, then drill into the individual Tennessee and Kentucky detail pages for the underlying breakdown. A pairwise comparison answers the relative question; the per-entity pages answer the absolute question.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS, 2026.