Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Elizabethton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $232K, 4 years of the Johnson City metro’s $58K median household income. It grades B− overall, 55th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country, and the median household income is $47K, and 19% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its public schools beat 86% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation. Elizabethton is home to Milligan University. Only 20 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on history. Elizabethton’s property crime rate is 21.5 per 1,000 residents, above both the Tennessee town median (11.5) and the median of U.S. towns (9.9).
Where Elizabethton beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Valley Elementary | PK–4 | 506 |
| East Side Elementary | PK–5 | 465 |
| West Side Elementary | K–5 | 367 |
Sycamore ShoalsSycamore Shoals is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 373 in 1850, 14,546 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1780 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Elizabethton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Elizabethton, 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 Elizabethton.
Elizabethton pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, draws workers from Johnson City and beyond and fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally.
9,014 jobs are based in Elizabethton, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Elizabethton’s working residents works in town. Elizabethton’s average trip to work is 21 minutes. Jobs based in Elizabethton grew to 9,014 in 2023, 906 more than in 2013.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $47,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $232K.
Its public schools are run by the Elizabethton school district. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| T A Dugger Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 619 | B+ |
| Elizabethton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 886 | B |
| West Side ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 367 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
4.0 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area, 44 acres with 1 miles of trail.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 3% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area | 1 mi | 44 |
| 2. Cat Island Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
| 3. Lyons Field Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 4,649 U.S. towns with household incomes like Elizabethton’s, it is less healthy than 59%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 58% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
32% of Elizabethton adults have been diagnosed with depression. Elizabethton beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 42% of Elizabethton adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| What stands out | Elizabethton | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The median rent in Elizabethton is $740 a month. The typical Elizabethton home is worth about $232,000, down 0.6% in a year, 30% below the Tennessee typical home. 63% of households own their home in Elizabethton.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $740 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 66% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 26.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 51% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 26.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 94% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.4°.
Elizabethton has chilly winters and warm summers. Only 5 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower January low than Elizabethton. About 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 26°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Tennessee average. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Elizabethton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.4 points). Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Elizabethton | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.9% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.9% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.3% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.4% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.9% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.6% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.3% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.1% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 65 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Elizabethton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
3 within 15 miles of the center of Elizabethton
About 10 of every 100 Elizabethton residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
6 places in Elizabethton on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Elizabethton.
City in Tennessee, United States
Elizabethton () is a city in, and the county seat of Carter County, Tennessee, United States. Elizabethton is the historical site of the first independent American government (known as the Watauga Association, created in 1772) located west of both the Eastern Continental Divide and the original Thirteen Colonies. The city is also the historical site of the Transylvania Purchase (1775), a major muster site during the American Revolutionary War for both the Battle of Musgrove Mill (1780) and the Battle of Kings Mountain (1780). It was within the secessionist North Carolina "State of Franklin" territory (1784–1788). The population of Elizabethton was enumerated at 14,546 during the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Elizabethton.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elizabethton | #55 | B− | A− | C | A | D |
| Pine Crest | — | — | A | — | D | D |
| Central | — | — | B | — | D | D− |
| Hunter | — | — | A | — | D | C− |
| Biltmore | — | — | A | — | D | D |
| Valley Forge | — | — | A | — | D | D− |
| Johnson City | #104 | C− | C− | C− | A | C |
Pine Crest, Central, Hunter, Biltmore and Valley Forge have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Pine Crest, Central, Hunter, Biltmore and Valley Forge report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Elizabethton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Elizabethton grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #55 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, C for safety and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
12 notable people were born here, including Landon Carter Haynes and Samuel P. Carter.
