Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Etowah gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $213K, 3.5 years of the Athens area’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 90th of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $39K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its National Register listings include Etowah Depot and Beth Salem Presbyterian Church. Only 7 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower median household income than Etowah. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Etowah beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Etowah is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,685 in 1910, 3,603 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 4 maps from 1935 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Etowah, 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 Etowah.
Etowah fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has household incomes well below the Tennessee norm.
Against the 2,174 U.S. towns with household incomes like Etowah’s, it is healthier than 55%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 63% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
45% of Etowah adults have obesity, above both Tennessee’s towns (39%) and U.S. towns (35%). 13% of Etowah adults binge drink. Etowah beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 39% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Etowah | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.3% | 14.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Etowah school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Etowah ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 332 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests
70.3% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.8% across Tennessee.
Etowah’s median rent is $741 a month, where Tennessee’s towns sit at $950 a month and U.S. towns at $1,185 a month. Typical home values rose 5.8% in the year to September 2026. 61% of households own their home in Etowah.
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $741 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 61% | 66% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1999, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Etowah.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 11.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 87% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
Etowah’s violent crime rate is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Etowah has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Etowah is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Most working residents leave Etowah for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Etowah has lost 181 jobs, to 1,179 in 2023. The top destinations are Athens (23%), Cleveland (9%) and Chattanooga (8%).
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.9% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median household earns $39,291, against $69,595 across Tennessee, one input to its D for jobs and income.
People 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide). Etowah has grown 5.2% since 2020, to 3,786 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 23% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.1 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Etowah | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.6% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.6% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.4% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.4% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.4% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.5% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.5% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 14% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 44% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.5% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.6% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.8% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.1% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,800, single groups can be off by several points
| Etowah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 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. L&N Depot Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Etowah
About 2 of every 100 Etowah residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 places in Etowah on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Etowah.
City in McMinn County, Tennessee, United States
Etowah is a city in McMinn County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 3,613 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Etowah grades C overall, better than 28% of U.S. towns and #90 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Leon Daniel and Tom Saffell.
