2025 Census Data on Education, Income, Health Insurance, and Housing in Tennessee

The U.S. Census Bureau released new data in October 2026 on income, poverty, education, housing status, and health insurance coverage from 2025. (1) These metrics paint a picture of the social and economic circumstances across America. Use the dashboard below to explore the data. Key takeaways from Tennessee’s 2025 estimates are below the dashboard.

Education Levels

• An estimated 41% of Tennesseans ages 25+ had at least an associate’s degree in 2025 and 33% had a bachelor’s or more—both higher than past years and lower than national rates (Figure 1).
• Some differences in post-secondary education rates among white, black, and Hispanic Tennesseans are shrinking, but significant gaps remain (Figure 2).
• Between 2010 and 2025, median earnings grew after adjusting for inflation for Tennesseans at every educational level (Figure 3).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Income and Poverty

• After accounting for inflation, Tennesseans’ median household income grew in 2025 (Figure 4), while the proportion of Tennesseans in poverty fell (Figure 5).
• Racial and ethnic differences in the official poverty rate shrank between 2010 and 2025 (Figure 6). Meanwhile, income gaps narrowed between white and Hispanic Tennesseans and widened for black households (Figure 4).

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Health Insurance Coverage

• The number of uninsured Tennesseans increased by nearly 32,000 between 2024 and 2025 (Figure 7).
• The overall uninsured rate ticked up—particularly among working-age adults (Figures 7 and 8).

Figure 7

Figure 8

Housing Types and Costs

• In 2025, roughly 29% of Tennessee households were cost-burdened (i.e., spent 30% or more of their income on housing)—including 27% of mortgage holders, 10% of homeowners without a mortgage, and half of renters (Figure 9).
• The share of cost-burdened households has remained relatively stable in recent years (Figure 10).

Figure 9

Figure 10

References