Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,715, settled in 1856.
Gatlinburg grades D overall, ranked 135th of 175 in Tennessee, mostly because of safety. Its police reported 13 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 82% of U.S. towns. 45% of working residents work locally in Gatlinburg, above both the Tennessee town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 27 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on hazard risk. Gatlinburg has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them John Ownby Cabin and Alex Cole Cabin.
Where Gatlinburg beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,301 in 1950, 3,577 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 4 maps from 1943 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Gatlinburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gatlinburg. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big drawin town National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw11 mi MountainKuwohi
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
18 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
6 mi MountainMount Le ConteDollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Mount Le Conte: No machine-readable author provided. Blinutne assumed (based on copyright claims, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gatlinburg, 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 Gatlinburg.
Gatlinburg draws workers from Sevierville and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Tennessee.
7,019 jobs are based in Gatlinburg, 4.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18.8 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
The average trip to work in Gatlinburg is 19 minutes. Since 2013, Gatlinburg has added 1,145 jobs, to 7,019 in 2023. 4.4% of Gatlinburg workers work from home.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 4.4% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Sevier County school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Gatlinburg Pittman High, with 409 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pi Beta Phi ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 315 | B− |
| Gatlinburg Pittman HighLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 409 | B− |
| Gatlinburg Pittman Junior HighTop results in townGrades 7–9 | Grades 7–9 | 377 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
5.0 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 1,070 acres with 2.3 miles of trail.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 2.3 mi | 1,070 |
| 2. Mills Park | 0.2 mi | 25 |
| 3. Mynatt Park | 0.1 mi | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 146 to 103 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Gatlinburg’s property crime rate is 24.1 per 1,000 residents. Gatlinburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. Gatlinburg’s violent crime rate is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 24.1 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 54 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gatlinburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 6,944 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gatlinburg’s, it is healthier than 61%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is healthier than 66% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
13% of adults binge drink in Gatlinburg.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 29% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Gatlinburg | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.8% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 7.4% | 9.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.3% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.5 years of the Sevierville area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $409K) costs more against local pay than in 89% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The typical value, about $409K, is 28% below its July 2022 peak.
The typical Gatlinburg home is worth about $409,000, down 1.9% in a year, 23% above the Tennessee typical home.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,098 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Gatlinburg has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 28° and about 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (23% statewide); people 65 and older are 23% of residents (17% statewide). Gatlinburg has grown 3.9% since 2020, to 3,715 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 32% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Gatlinburg | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 32% | 23% | 29% |
| Median age | 42 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
46% women, 54% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.2 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Gatlinburg | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.5% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16.8% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.4% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.5% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.8% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.1% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.3% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.7% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.3% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.9% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,700, single groups can be off by several points
None within 15 miles of Gatlinburg; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Gatlinburg residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Gatlinburg’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Gatlinburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
Gatlinburg is a city in Sevier County, Tennessee, United States. It is located 39 miles (63 km) southeast of Knoxville and had a population of 3,577 at the 2020 census. It is a popular mountain resort town, as it rests on the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park along U.S. Route 441.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Gatlinburg.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gatlinburg | #135 | D | C | D | B− | C |
| Pittman Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Pittman Center isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Gatlinburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gatlinburg grades D overall, better than 12% of U.S. towns and #135 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C for health, D for safety and B− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 6.5 years of the area's median household income ($62,581 across the Sevierville, TN 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.
