Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Alcoa grades C overall, ranked 98th of 175 in Tennessee, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 78% of the state's. On the other side, CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 78% of the country. Alcoa has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Vose School and Millennium Manor. Alcoa’s violent crime rate is 4 per 1,000 residents, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 2.6 and U.S. towns at 1.6. The biggest park or preserve is Springbrook Park, at 42 acres.
Where Alcoa beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Alcoa Elementary | PK–2 | 581 |
| Alcoa Intermediate School | 3–5 | 476 |
| Alcoa Middle School | 6–8 | 526 |
8,449 counted in 2010 and 10,978 in 2020; an estimated 13,689 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 24.6% since 2020, after 29.9% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Alcoa is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 3,358 in 1920, 10,978 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Alcoa. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
Big draw32 mi MountainKuwohi
10 mi LookoutSunsphere
22 mi MuseumAlcatraz EastDollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Sunsphere: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Alcoa, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Alcoa.
Alcoa draws workers from Knoxville and beyond, fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally.
17,395 jobs are based in Alcoa, 3.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Alcoa for work: only 15% work in town. Jobs based in Alcoa grew to 17,395 in 2023, 3,106 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Knoxville (26%), Maryville (17%) and Oak Ridge (3%).
| Alcoa | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Alcoa school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Alcoa High School, with 687 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 581 | – |
| Alcoa High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 687 | A− |
| Alcoa Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 476 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 55% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
30% of Alcoa adults have been diagnosed with depression. Alcoa tracks Tennessee closely on all 31 CDC measures. 40% of Alcoa adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Alcoa | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 29% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 19% | 14% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
4.1 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves.
| Alcoa | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.9% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Springbrook Park | — | 42 |
| 2. Rock Garden Park | — | 16 |
| 3. Blount County Access Area | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
At 30.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 58% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Alcoa has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 30° and about 5 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Alcoa.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Adults 35 to 64 are 33% of residents (38% statewide). Alcoa has grown 25% since 2020, to 13,689 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Alcoa’s median age is 35.6 years.
| Alcoa | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 35.6 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 23% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.7 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women. Median age: women 35.9, men 35.0.
| Alcoa | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.5% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 21.5% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.1% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.5% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.4% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.4% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 19.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.7% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.3% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The median property tax bill is $2,389, against $1,442 across Tennessee, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Alcoa home is worth about $320,000, up 2.5% in a year, close to the Tennessee typical home. The median rent in Alcoa is $1,282 a month.
| Alcoa | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,282 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Alcoa
About 4 of every 100 Alcoa residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
Where Alcoa’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 notable people were born in Alcoa.
City in Tennessee, United States
Alcoa is a city in Blount County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 10,978 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Knoxville, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area. As its name suggests, Alcoa was the site of a large aluminum smelting plant owned and operated by the Alcoa corporation (Aluminum Company of America). Formerly known as North Maryville, the town was incorporated under its present name in 1919.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Alcoa.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcoa | #98 | C | C | C | A− | C− |
| Eagleton Village | #50 | B− | A− | — | B+ | D |
| Rockford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Maryville | #16 | A− | C | B | A+ | C+ |
| Knoxville | #108 | C− | C+ | D | B+ | C |
| Louisville | #43 | B− | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
Eagleton Village and Louisville report no FBI crime data of their own. Rockford isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Alcoa with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Alcoa grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #98 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, C for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.4 years of the area's median household income ($72,422 across the Knoxville, TN metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including William Michaels and Lynn Swann.
