Fewer people are out of work in Chattanooga Valley (0.7%) than in 96% of U.S. towns
Chattanooga Valley grades C for jobs and income and D for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 84% of U.S. towns. Working from home is the commute for 8% of workers, where Georgia as a whole has 16%.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The short version on getting to work from Chattanooga Valley
Many Chattanooga Valley workers cross into Tennessee
51% of Chattanooga Valley workers work outside Georgia, most of them in Tennessee, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Chattanooga Valley is a place people come home to
There are 303 jobs based in Chattanooga Valley, about two for every ten working residents, so almost everyone works somewhere else. On a workday Chattanooga Valley has about 3,200 people in it, 30% fewer than live here. Day and night ↓
38% of Chattanooga Valley works in Chattanooga
639 working residents, 38%, have their main job in Chattanooga, TN, 11 miles away. That’s 38 times as many as work in Chattanooga Valley itself. The commute map ↓
Fewer jobs are based in Chattanooga Valley than ten years ago
Jobs counted in Chattanooga Valley fell from 433 in 2014 to 303 in 2024, −30%. That can be real closings or a large employer now reporting its workers at another address; the data can’t tell the two apart. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
Jobs & income in Chattanooga Valley: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Chattanooga Valley is better than 32% of U.S. towns, #149 of 263 in Georgia. Unemployment holds Chattanooga Valley’s grade up; the poverty rate pulls it down (31.0%, U.S. 12.5%).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Chattanooga Valley could be anywhere from C− to B.
38% of working residents work in Chattanooga
Where Chattanooga Valley clocks in
38% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The daily flow of workers through Chattanooga Valley
On a workday 1,653 residents head out to work, 21 work right here, and 282 people come in from elsewhere.
About 3,200 people are in Chattanooga Valley on a workday afternoon, 30% fewer than live here.
0.18 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
The kinds of work in Chattanooga Valley
303 jobs are based in Chattanooga Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Chattanooga Valley, 2014 → 2024: 433 → 303. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Chattanooga Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How long Chattanooga Valley spends getting to work: about 28 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 8.8 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Chattanooga Valley workers work from home, vs 16% across Georgia. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,610 commuters (the 8% who work from home are left out). Across Georgia: 84% drive alone, 1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
Near or far: the trip to work from Chattanooga Valley
About 18% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
The commute in Chattanooga Valley is mostly behind the wheel
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Chattanooga Valley is more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns, #256 of 263 in Georgia. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 3.1% across Georgia.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,750 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 2.4% of Chattanooga Valley households have no vehicle (Georgia 5.9%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Chattanooga Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
2,789th of 3,938: where Chattanooga Valley ranks among U.S. towns of 3,200 to 6,200
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 3% | A+ |
| 2 | Mission Hills KS | 3,522 | $250K | 1.2% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 72 | Grayson GA | 5,569 | $131K | 3.5% | 1.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 100 | Avondale Estates GA | 3,543 | $124K | 6.3% | 0.9% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 271 | Ball Ground GA | 3,470 | $118K | 1.8% | 1.8% | 2% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,787 | Williamsport Township KS | 4,334 | $56K | 22.3% | 3.9% | 2% | C |
| 2,788 | Brookridge FL | 4,923 | $54K | 8.1% | 6.3% | 5% | C |
| 2,789 | Chattanooga Valley GA | 4,601 | $53K | 31.0% | 0.7% | 1% | C |
| 2,790 | North Hobbs NM | 6,034 | $83K | 12.8% | 6.1% | 3% | C |
| 2,791 | Shelbyville IL | 4,537 | $52K | 13.2% | 3.2% | 34% | C |
| … | |||||||
| 3,938 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 19% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Chattanooga Valley, the top three, the last and three more from Georgia.
Next door to Chattanooga Valley
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Chattanooga Valley workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chattanooga Valley | – | C | D | 28 min | $52,813 |
| Fairview | under 2% | C+ | D | 26 min | $64,050 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Chattanooga Valley’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Chattanooga Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Chattanooga Valley?
$52,813 (±$26,108) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $77,353 across Georgia and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Chattanooga Valley?
31.0%, against 13.4% across Georgia and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Chattanooga Valley?
28 minutes each way on average, against 28 across Georgia and 26 nationally. 8% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Chattanooga Valley work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Chattanooga (38%, 11 mi), Fort Oglethorpe (5%, 6 mi), LaFayette (4%, 15 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Chattanooga Valley walkable?
Chattanooga Valley is more walkable than 10% of U.S. towns (Walkability D): an EPA walkability index of 5.4 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Chattanooga Valley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Chattanooga Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Chattanooga Valley
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.