Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Only 3 of the 178 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower share of residents 65 or older than Bell Buckle. Martin House and Bell Buckle Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bell Buckle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Bell Buckle beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 298 in 1880, a peak of 715 in 1890, 410 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1989 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Bell Buckle, 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 Bell Buckle.
Bell Buckle’s median age is 29.7 years, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 40 years and U.S. towns at 40.5 years. Adults 18 to 34 are 37% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 8% of residents (17% statewide). 30% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Bell Buckle | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 29.7 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
Somewhere between 37% and 62% women
The Census survey reached too few of Bell Buckle’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±12.5 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Bell Buckle | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 18.3% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 18.9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.1% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.3% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.1% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 3.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.9% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.1% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.2% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.8% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.7% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.9% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.2% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Webb School PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 411 | – |
NCES · EDFacts
The typical Bell Buckle home is worth about $432,000, up 0.6% in a year, 31% above the Tennessee typical home. 76% of Bell Buckle households own their home, above Tennessee’s towns (66%) and close to U.S. towns (73%).
| Bell Buckle | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 76% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,208 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Bell Buckle has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
0.5% of Bell Buckle working residents work locally. Since 2013, Bell Buckle has added 65 jobs, to 187 in 2023. 19% of Bell Buckle workers work from home.
| Bell Buckle | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 19% | 9.5% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.5% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $86,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Bell Buckle beats the Tennessee average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 43% of adults have obesity in Bell Buckle.
| Bell Buckle | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 20% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Bell Buckle | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.5% | 16.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.9% | 13.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Bell Buckle. Close and well known come first.
16 mi Ancient siteOld Stone Fort
18 mi National BattlefieldStones River National Battlefield455K visitors a year16 mi MuseumBeechcraft Heritage Museum
38 mi MuseumMcLemore House39 mi MuseumTennessee Agricultural MuseumOld Stone Fort: Mike Finn from Worcester, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0 · Stones River National Battlefield: Kenneth Everett, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McLemore House: Skye Marthaler, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Bell Buckle; the nearest are
About 9 of every 100 Bell Buckle residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 notable people were born in Bell Buckle.
Town in Tennessee, United States
Bell Buckle is a town in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 410 at the 2020 census. The downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Bell Buckle Historic District.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Bell Buckle has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
3 notable people were born here, including Lynn Bomar and Horace Whiteside.
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