Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Dunlap gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $270K for a typical one, or 3.7 years of the Chattanooga metro’s $72K median household income. It grades C− overall, 128th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $46K, and 34% of residents live below the poverty line. 34% of residents live below the poverty line in Dunlap, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Dunlap has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sequatchie County Courthouse and Dunlap Coke Ovens. Only 9 of the 134 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower violent crime rate than Dunlap.
Where Dunlap beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
4,815 counted in 2010 and 5,357 in 2020; an estimated 6,089 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 13.8% since 2020, after 11.3% 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 Dunlap is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 133 in 1880, a low of 133 in 1880, 5,357 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1902 and 2 maps from 1936 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Dunlap, 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 Dunlap.
Dunlap trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it is a long drive from an emergency room and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly cold waves).
The nearest emergency room, Erlanger Bledsoe Hospital, is 20.9 miles away in a straight line.
33% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Dunlap. Dunlap beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Dunlap.
| Dunlap | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 29% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Dunlap | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 26.2% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.6% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 24.5% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Sequatchie County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Sequatchie Co High School, with 542 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Griffith ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 786 | B+ |
| Sequatchie Co High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 542 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 91% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $579 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Dunlap’s FEMA risk score is 76 of 100. Since 2003, 21 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Dunlap.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Dunlap has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 30° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $270K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
The typical Dunlap home is worth about $270,000, up 2.6% in a year, 18% below the Tennessee typical home. The median rent in Dunlap is $868 a month.
| Dunlap | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $868 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
1.8 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is John Griswold Recreation Park, at 70 acres.
| Dunlap | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.5% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. John Griswold Recreation Park | — | 70 |
| 2. Coke Ovens Park | — | 23 |
| 3. Harris Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Jobs based here grew from 2,192 in 2013 to 3,009.
About one in 4 of Dunlap’s working residents works in town. Since 2013, Dunlap has added 817 jobs, to 3,009 in 2023. The top destinations are Chattanooga (24%), Nashville (4%) and Knoxville (2%).
| Dunlap | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 15.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 73% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 105 to 37 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Dunlap; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Dunlap residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
5 places in Dunlap on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Dunlap.
City in Tennessee, United States
Dunlap is a city in and the county seat of Sequatchie County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 5,357 at the 2020 census and 4,815 at the 2010 census. Dunlap is part of the Chattanooga metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Dunlap grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #128 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health, B for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
4 notable people were born here, including Tom Stewart and Raymond H. Cooley.
