Chattanooga, Tennessee Population 2023

183,095

Chattanooga is a city located in Hamilton County Tennessee. Chattanooga has a 2023 population of 183,095. It is also the county seat of Hamilton County.Chattanooga is currently growing at a rate of 0.27% annually and its population has increased by 0.81% since the most recent census, which recorded a population of 181,624 in 2020.

The average household income in Chattanooga is $77,250 with a poverty rate of 17.59%. The median rental costs in recent years comes to - per month, and the median house value is -. The median age in Chattanooga is 36.7 years, 35.5 years for males, and 37.8 years for females.

Chattanooga is located in Hamilton County, Tennessee on Nickajack Lake and Chickamauga Lake in East Tennessee. Chattanooga is located about 120 miles southwest of Knoxville and 120 miles northwest of Atlanta, Georgia.

Population Density in Chattanooga

The larger Chattanooga metropolitan area has a population of 528,000. The Chattanooga Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which includes Marion, Sequatchie, and Hamilton counties in Tennessee as well as Dade, Catoosa, and Walker counties in Georgia, had a 9% population growth over the last ten years.

Chattanooga Facts

Chattanooga is unique as it's the first American city to receive its typeface, called Chatype. Launched in 2012, this is the first time a custom crowd-funded typeface has been used for any global city.

Chattanooga also claims to have Western Hemisphere's fastest internet service, earning it several nicknames like Gig City. EPB began offering exclusive fiber optic network service to the greater Chattanooga metro area in 2009. The next year, it became the first municipality-owned utility company in the country to offer internet access directly to the public with speeds of up to 1 gigabit per second. This network has already been emulated in several U.S. cities and internationally.

Chattanooga is home to a considerable number of manufacturing and service industries, including Chattem, the first Coca-Cola bottling plant in the world; the Chattanooga Bakery, and McKee Foods Corporation, which makes Little Debbie brand snacks. The city is home to many distribution and manufacturing facilities as well, including Ferrara Candy Company, DuPont, and Amazon.com.

Chattanooga Population Growth

Since the 2010 census, Chattanooga's population growth has outpaced Knoxville, making it the second fastest-growing big city in Tennessee. While Knoxville is still ahead of Chattanooga in terms of total population at 184,280 versus 173,800 in mid-2014, Chattanooga may soon surpass Knoxville as the largest city in East Tennessee.

Chattanooga is mainly attracting new residents with its low cost of living and diverse economy and jobs market. Chattanooga's population growth has outpaced the national average for more than 20 years, and this trend is expected to continue.

Chattanooga Demographics

According to the most recent ACS, the racial composition of Chattanooga was:

  • White: 59.53%
  • Black or African American: 30.59%
  • Two or more races: 4.89%
  • Asian: 2.7%
  • Other race: 2.13%
  • Native American: 0.14%
  • Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.03%
Land Area (mi²)
143.0 sq mi
Density (mi²)
1,280.70/sq mi
Growth Rate
0.27% (492)
Growth Since 2020
0.81% (1,471)
The current population of Chattanooga, Tennessee is 183,095 based on our projections of the latest US Census estimates.The last official US Census in 2020 recorded the population at 181,624.

Chattanooga, Tennessee Population 2023

Population by Race

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White

Black or African American

Two or more races

Asian

Other race

Native American

Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

Chattanooga Population by Race

Chattanooga Population Pyramid 2023

Chattanooga Median Age

36.7

Total

35.5

Male

37.8

Female

Chattanooga Adults

There are 144,094 adults, (30,232 of whom are seniors) in Chattanooga.

Chattanooga Age Dependency

58.4

Age Dependency Ratio

26.6

Old Age Dependency Ratio

31.8

Child Dependency Ratio

Chattanooga Sex Ratio

Female94,68852.5%
Male85,66547.5%

Chattanooga Population by Age

Chattanooga Renter vs Owner Occupied by Household Type

3.07

Average Family Size

2.25

Average Household Size

51.6%

Rate of Home Ownership

Married

Male

Female

NonFamily

owner

renter

Chattanooga Households and Families

Male

Female

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Less Than 9th Grade

9th to 12th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Associates Degree

Bachelors Degree

Graduate Degree

Chattanooga Educational Attainment by Sex (over 25)

Chattanooga Educational Attainment by Race

High School Graduation Rate

Bachelors Rate

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The highest rate of high school graduation is among islander people with a rate of 83.33%.

The highest rate of bachelors degrees is among islander people with a rate of 72.92%.

Chattanooga Educational Attainment by Race

All

Male

Female

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$38,628

Average Earnings

$43,202

Average Male

$34,777

Average Female

Chattanooga Earnings by Educational Attainment

Chattanooga Language by Age

Only English

Spanish

Other Indo-European Languages

Asian and Pacific Island Languages

Other Languages

Chattanooga Language

89.78% of Chattanooga residents speak only English, while 10.22% speak other languages. The non-English language spoken by the largest group is Spanish, which is spoken by 6.06% of the population.

Chattanooga Language

Chattanooga Poverty by Race

rate

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17.59%

Overall Poverty Rate

16.37%

Male Poverty Rate

18.69%

Female Poverty Rate

Poverty in Chattanooga

The race most likely to be in poverty in Chattanooga is Islander, with 85.42% below the poverty level.

The race least likely to be in poverty in Chattanooga is Asian, with 7.79% below the poverty level.

The poverty rate among those that worked full-time for the past 12 months was 3.63%. Among those working part-time, it was 22.32%, and for those that did not work, the poverty rate was 26.46%.

Chattanooga Poverty

rate

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Chattanooga Poverty Rate by Education

rate

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Chattanooga Poverty Rate by Employment Status and Sex

Chattanooga Income by Household Type

Households

Families

MarriedFamilies

NonFamilies

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mean

median

Income by Household Type

Chattanooga Marital Status

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Marriage Rates

37.3%

Overall Marriage Rate

40.3%

Male Marriage Rate

34.7%

Female Marriage Rate

Chattanooga Married by Age and Sex

male

female

Chattanooga Marriage

The age group where males are most likely to be married is Over 65, while the female age group most likely to be married is 55-64.

Chattanooga Marital Status by Race

Married

Widowed

Divorced

Separated

NeverMarried

Chattanooga Marital Status

Second Gulf War

First Gulf War

Vietnam

Korea

World War II

9,413

Number of Veterans

8,545

Male Veterans

868

Female Veterans

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Chattanooga Veterans by War

count

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Chattanooga Veterans by Age

count

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Chattanooga Veterans by Race

Chattanooga Veterans by Education

Less Than 9th Grade

High School Graduate

Some College

Bachelors or Greater

10.55%

Veteran Poverty Rate

30.63%

Veteran Disability Rate

Chattanooga Veterans by Education

LaborForceParticipation

63%

Labor Force Participation

59.7%

Employment Rate

5.2%

Unemployment Rate

Chattanooga Employment by Age

LaborForceParticipation

Chattanooga Employment by Race

LaborForceParticipation

Chattanooga Employment by Education

Origin of Non-Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

Non citizens include legal permanent residents (green card holders), international students, temporary workers, humanitarian migrants, and illegal immigrants.

Origin of Naturalized Citizens

Europe

Asia

Africa

Oceania

Latin America

North America

56.62%

Born in Chattanooga

91.72%

Native Born

7.31%

Foreign Born

4.85%

Non Citizen

2.46%

Naturalized

Place of Birth

91.72% of Chattanooga residents were born in the United States, with 56.62% having been born in Tennessee. 4.85% of residents are not US citizens. Of those not born in the United States, the largest percentage are from Latin America.

Chattanooga Place of Birth

Note: data after 2021 is projected based on recent change

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Chattanooga Population by Year