Housing data for Bluff City, TN
Bluff City, TN has an estimated 2,225 residents and 899 homes (US Census Bureau, 2020–2024 American Community Survey).
It is a city in Sullivan County.
37.7% of households rent.
The median gross rent is $931 a month.
Figures last updated on .
- Residents
- 2,225 (±364)
- Housing units
- 899 (±148)
- Households that rent
- 37.7%
- Median gross rent
- $931
- Residents since 2015–2019
- +7.9%
What stands out in Bluff City
Households without a vehicle: 0.5% (±0.7 points) in Bluff City, lower than in Sullivan County (4.8%).
Median real estate taxes: $867 (±$158) in Bluff City, lower than in Sullivan County ($1,234).
Median home value: $157,400 (±$14,818) in Bluff City, lower than in Sullivan County ($213,300).
Homes built before 1980: 35.4% (±9.9 points) in Bluff City, lower than in Sullivan County (55.0%).
- Commute and cars in Bluff City
- Property taxes in Bluff City
- Home values in Bluff City
- Age of homes in Bluff City
Housing in Bluff City at a glance
- Median rent: $931 median gross rent a month
- Rent by bedrooms: $853 median gross rent, 2 bedrooms
- Rent burden: 47.4% of renters pay 30% or more of income
- Renters and owners: 37.7% of households rent
- Income and affordability: $61,059 median household income
- Home values: $157,400 median home value
- Homeowner costs: $1,111 median monthly cost with a mortgage
- Property taxes: $867 median real estate taxes a year
- Types of homes: 13.2% of homes are in buildings of 5 or more units
- Bedrooms: 56.1% of homes have 3 or more bedrooms
- Age of homes: 35.4% of homes were built before 1980
- Vacancy rate: 0.0% rental vacancy rate (Small sample: wide margin of error)
- Heating fuel: 92.2% heat with electricity
- Commute and cars: 26.1 minutes average trip to work
- Crime reported to police: 488 violent crimes per 100,000 residents
- Growth: +7.9% residents since 2015–2019
- How long people stay: 27.6% moved in since 2020
- Crowding and facilities: 0.8% of homes have more than 1 person per room (Small sample: wide margin of error)
Bluff City against Sullivan County, its state and the nation
| Bluff City | Sullivan County | Tennessee | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,225 (±364) | 160,624 (exact) | 7,066,383 (exact) | 334,922,499 |
| Housing units | 899 (±148) | 76,324 (±125) | 3,143,670 (±903) | 143,775,355 |
| Households that rent | 37.7% (±10.8 points) | 27.9% (±1.3 points) | 33.1% (±0.3 points) | 34.8% |
| Median gross rent | $931 (±$102) | $889 (±$29) | $1,189 (±$7) | $1,413 |
| Median household income | $61,059 (±$5,728) | $58,807 (±$2,321) | $69,595 (±$429) | $80,734 |
| Median home value | $157,400 (±$14,818) | $213,300 (±$6,300) | $286,700 (±$1,492) | $332,700 |
| Median real estate taxes (a year) | $867 (±$158) | $1,234 (±$34) | $1,442 (±$8) | $3,119 |
| Built before 1980 | 35.4% (±9.9 points) | 55.0% (±2.0 points) | 40.7% (±0.3 points) | 49.7% |
| Average commute | 26.1 minutes (±6.4) | 21.9 minutes (±0.8) | 25.7 minutes (±0.1) | 26.4 minutes |
| Households with broadband | 95.8% (±3.7 points) | 88.1% (±1.0 points) | 89.2% (±0.2 points) | 91.0% |
| Median age of residents | 35.9 years (±8.4) | 45.0 years (±0.2) | 38.9 years (±0.1) | 38.9 years |
Bluff City covers 1.7 square miles of land, about 1,274 residents per square mile (Census Bureau Gazetteer).
How Bluff City has changed since 2015–2019
| 2015–2019 | 2020–2024 | Amount of change | Verdict | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residents | 2,062 (±368) | 2,225 (±364) | +7.9% | Not a measurable change |
| Housing units | 947 (±126) | 899 (±148) | −5.1% | Not a measurable change |
| Median gross rent | $771 (±$31) | $931 (±$102) | +20.8% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median home value | $109,000 (±$14,255) | $157,400 (±$14,818) | +44.4% | Up after inflation |
| Median household income | $43,036 (±$6,105) | $61,059 (±$5,728) | +41.9% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median owner cost with a mortgage | $960 (±$89) | $1,111 (±$83) | +15.7% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Median real estate taxes | $771 (±$112) | $867 (±$158) | +12.5% | No measurable change after inflation |
| Households that rent | 40.0% (±8.1 points) | 37.7% (±10.8 points) | −2.3 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
| Rental vacancy rate | 3.2% (±3.9 points) | 0.0% (±13.4 points) | −3.2 percentage points | Not a measurable change |
The Census Bureau publishes 2015–2019 dollars in 2019 dollars and 2020–2024 dollars in 2024 dollars.
Prices (the CPI-U, US Bureau of Labor Statistics) rose 22.7% between 2019 and 2024, so a dollar figure’s verdict compares the two after raising the earlier one by that much, using the Census Bureau’s test for a difference.
The two periods do not overlap, as the Census Bureau recommends for 5-year estimates.
Crime reported to police in Bluff City
In 2025, the Bluff City Police Department reported 488 violent and 1,411 property crimes per 100,000 residents to the FBI.
Places near Bluff City
| Place | Distance | Median gross rent | Median home value | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blountville | 5.8 mi | $1,192 | $177,300 | 19.9% |
| Watauga | 6.4 mi | $588 | $156,900 | 5.4% |
| Biltmore | 7.0 mi | $781 | $125,300 | 36.7% |
| Walnut Hill | 7.5 mi | $1,219 | $219,900 | 7.6% |
| Bristol | 7.6 mi | $842 | $194,500 | 32.6% |
| Hunter | 8.1 mi | $756 | $169,500 | 11.2% |
| Elizabethton | 8.6 mi | $740 | $172,900 | 37.4% |
| Central | 8.7 mi | $952 | $151,800 | 23.6% |
Places in Tennessee most like Bluff City
| Place | Median gross rent | Median home value | Median household income | Households that rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordonsville | $889 | $251,400 | $57,688 | 36.4% |
| Baxter | $914 | $219,000 | $58,750 | 32.8% |
| Jefferson City | $851 | $213,200 | $60,638 | 48.9% |
| White Pine | $797 | $203,900 | $55,313 | 34.3% |
| Clinton | $962 | $225,000 | $68,882 | 37.0% |
| Mosheim | $828 | $160,700 | $48,986 | 31.7% |
Matched on rent, home value, income, the share who rent, the age of the homes, the share in apartment buildings and the commute, each measured against the spread across Tennessee.
HUD Fair Market Rent for Bluff City, fiscal year 2027
| Studio | 1 bedroom | 2 bedrooms | 3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $760 | $845 | $1,091 | $1,375 | $1,465 |
HUD income limits for Bluff City, fiscal year 2026
| Household size | Extremely low (30%) | Very low (50%) | Low (80%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | $17,200 | $28,650 | $45,850 |
| 2 people | $21,640 | $32,750 | $52,400 |
| 3 people | $27,320 | $36,850 | $58,950 |
| 4 people | $33,000 | $40,900 | $65,450 |
| 5 people | $38,680 | $44,200 | $70,700 |
| 6 people | $44,360 | $47,450 | $75,950 |
| 7 people | $50,040 | $50,750 | $81,200 |
| 8 people | $54,000 | $54,000 | $86,400 |
These are the limits HUD sets for its housing programs in the Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA, where HUD’s median family income for fiscal year 2026 is $81,800.
A program can use its own limits; tax-credit and local programs often do.
Survey years: 2020–2024 (American Community Survey 5-year estimates), compared with 2015–2019.
Margins of error are at the 90% confidence level.
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Questions about Bluff City
What is the average rent in Bluff City, TN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median rather than the average: the median gross rent in Bluff City is $931 (±$102) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey), so half of renting households pay less and half pay more.
How much is a one-bedroom apartment in Bluff City?
The median gross rent for a one-bedroom home in Bluff City, TN is $940 (±$256) a month (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Are renters in Bluff City rent-burdened?
47.4% of renting households in Bluff City pay 30% or more of their income in gross rent, the share housing researchers usually call rent-burdened (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
How many renters are there in Bluff City?
Bluff City has an estimated 313 (±113) renting households, 37.7% of its occupied homes (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the median household income in Bluff City?
The median household income in Bluff City is $61,059 (±$5,728) a year (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
What is the average home value in Bluff City, TN?
The Census Bureau publishes the median: $157,400 (±$14,818) for owner-occupied homes in Bluff City (2020–2024 American Community Survey).
Is Bluff City growing?
In Bluff City, the number of residents went from 2,062 in 2015–2019 to 2,225 in 2020–2024 (+7.9%), not a measurable change.
Sources
- Demographic and Housing Estimates (DP05), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Selected Housing Characteristics (DP04), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Selected Economic Characteristics (DP03), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Median Real Estate Taxes Paid by Mortgage Status (B25103), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Selected Social Characteristics (DP02), 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Total Population (B01003), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- Median Gross Rent (B25064), 2015–2019 ACS 5-year estimates — Bluff City city, Tennessee
- HUD Fair Market Rents, fiscal year 2027: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA
- HUD Income Limits, fiscal year 2026: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA MSA
- FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Crime Data Explorer: Bluff City Police Department (ORI TN0820300)
- FBI: Uniform Crime Reporting statistics and their proper use
- Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, all items, US Bureau of Labor Statistics: annual averages 2019 and 2024
- US Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files
To check these figures in the Census Bureau’s own API, request the variables below from the 2024 ACS 5-year data profile (acs/acs5/profile) for Bluff City city, Tennessee (place:06960, in state:47).
Each estimate (E or PE) has a margin of error beside it (M or PM).
The 2015–2019 figures are B01003_001E, B01003_001M, B25064_001E, B25064_001M from the 2019 release.
The API needs a free key.
DP05_0001E, DP05_0001M, DP04_0001E, DP04_0001M, DP04_0047PE, DP04_0047PM, DP04_0134E, DP04_0134M, DP03_0062E, DP03_0062M, DP04_0089E, DP04_0089M
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are published by the US Census Bureau, HUD, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the FBI; Seayora reproduces them and does not adjust them, except where a sentence says it compares dollar figures after inflation. They describe the whole place, not any one building or street, and are not an appraisal, a rent determination, a tax bill, a safety rating or legal advice.
Figures last updated on .