Work and commuting in Gray
Working residents average 29 minutes each way (Tennessee 26, U.S. 26). The two grades for Gray are B for jobs and income and C− for walkability. Measured by household income, Gray is behind 58% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
The work figures that set Gray apart
Gray and Johnson City trade workers both ways
Johnson City is the top workplace for Gray residents (33%) and also where the most people who work in Gray come from (12% of its jobs). The commute map ↓
Most Gray residents work close to home
64% of working residents have their main job less than 10 miles from home, about two in three. How far ↓
Short distances, slow trips
Half of Gray’s working residents have a job less than 9 miles away, yet the average commute still takes 29 minutes, longer than the Tennessee average of 26. Time on the road ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey; with 555 working residents, small shifts move the shares.
Income, poverty and work: Gray’s grade explained
On income, poverty and job access, Gray is better than 56% of U.S. towns. Job access by car holds Gray’s grade up (ahead of 70% of U.S. towns); household income pulls it down ($69,947, U.S. $80,734).
Unemployment (0.0%) is left out: Gray’s labor force is under 1,000, too few workers for a steady figure.
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income and poverty, Gray could be anywhere from C− to A.
33% of working residents work in Johnson City
Where Gray clocks in
33% of workers
21% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The commute from Gray, by distance
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
About 29 minutes each way, longer than most of Tennessee
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 9.1 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Gray workers work from home, vs 13% across Tennessee. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 704 commuters (the 13% who work from home are left out). Across Tennessee: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
A workday in Gray: who goes, who stays, who comes
On a workday 550 residents head out to work, 5 work right here, and 540 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.98 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
What work there is in Gray: 545 jobs
545 jobs are based in Gray.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Gray, 2013 → 2023: 470 → 545. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Gray’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Gray is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Gray is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: hardly any commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 2.0% across Tennessee.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 808 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 0.0% of Gray households have no vehicle (Tennessee 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Gray’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 1,600 to 3,000, Gray ranks 1,838th of 5,102 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Chevy Chase Village MD | 1,978 | $250K | 1.2% | 2.6% | 3% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 51 | Lookout Mountain TN | 2,044 | $201K | 2.3% | 0.4% | 3% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 186 | Walden TN | 1,965 | $124K | 3.1% | 4.1% | 1% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 1,836 | Ross OH | 2,601 | $65K | 11.2% | 3.5% | 3% | B |
| 1,837 | Eagle Crest OR | 2,677 | $103K | 6.5% | 3.6% | 3% | B |
| 1,838 | Gray TN | 2,237 | $70K | 9.8% | 0.0% | 1% | B |
| 1,839 | Sparta Township IN | 2,846 | $82K | 10.8% | 3.4% | 5% | B |
| 1,840 | Milford NY | 2,748 | $73K | 6.8% | 1.8% | 8% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 5,102 | Lame Deer MT | 1,872 | $24K | 55.8% | 42.2% | 60% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Gray, the top three, the last and three more from Tennessee.
Gray and its neighbors: 33% work next door
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Gray workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gray | – | B | C− | 29 min | $69,947 |
| Johnson City | 33% | C | B+ | 19 min | $57,254 |
| Spurgeon | under 2% | B− | C | 20 min | $64,250 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Johnson City. Darker towns draw more of Gray’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Gray: questions
What is the median household income in Gray?
$69,947 (±$29,380) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,595 across Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Gray?
9.8%, against 13.8% across Tennessee and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Gray?
29 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Tennessee and 26 nationally. 13% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Gray work?
1% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Johnson City (33%, 8 mi), Kingsport (21%, 8 mi), Jonesborough (6%, 9 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Gray walkable?
Gray is more walkable than 24% of U.S. towns (Walkability C−): an EPA walkability index of 7.1 out of 20, and 0% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Gray without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 0% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Gray, from the people who make the trip.
More of Gray
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.