Photo: AppalachianCentrist · CC BY-SA 4.0More people are out of work in Greeneville (8.4%) than in 90% of U.S. towns
Greeneville grades C− for jobs and income and B for walkability. Household incomes here are lower than in 88% of U.S. towns. About two in five stay in Greeneville for work; outside it, Johnson City is the main destination (8%, 27 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Greeneville
Greeneville has far more jobs than workers
Greeneville has 17,831 jobs, 3.1 for every working resident. On a workday afternoon about 28,000 people are in town, 74% more than the 16,000 who live here. Day and night ↓
Greeneville draws workers from far and wide
The 17,831 jobs in Greeneville are filled from a wide area. Greeneville’s own residents hold 14% and the ten next-biggest home towns 13%; the other 73% come from many towns beyond those. The commute map ↓
Commutes from Greeneville are quick
The average trip to work takes 19 minutes, against 26 across Tennessee. That’s about 54 hours a year less on the road than the typical Tennessee worker. Time on the road ↓
Greeneville’s biggest commute is a long one
The top workplace outside Greeneville is Johnson City, 27 miles away as the crow flies. 8% of working residents (495) make that trip; no town closer to home draws more of them. How far ↓
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.
What drives the Jobs & income grade in Greeneville
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Greeneville is better than 15% of U.S. towns, #145 of 177 in Tennessee. Job access by car holds Greeneville’s grade up (ahead of 58% of U.S. towns); unemployment pulls it down.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Greeneville could be anywhere from D to C.
Greeneville on a workday afternoon
On a workday 3,258 residents head out to work, 2,576 work right here, and 15,255 people come in from elsewhere.
About 28,000 people are in Greeneville on a workday afternoon, 74% more than live here.
3.1 jobs for every working resident, so more people commute in than out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
Who travels to work in Greeneville, and from where
Where Greeneville clocks in
8% of workers
4% of workers
4% 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 daily trip from Greeneville: about 19 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 6 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Greeneville workers work from home, vs 13% across Tennessee. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 5,480 commuters (the 10% 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.
Where in the region Greeneville works
About 16% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
What Greeneville’s employers do
17,831 jobs are based in Greeneville.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Greeneville, 2013 → 2023: 17,824 → 17,831. 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 Greeneville’s own residents hold wherever they work.
In Greeneville, the car does most of the work
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Greeneville is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns, #41 of 177 in Tennessee. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 2.0% of 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 6,056 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). 7.3% of Greeneville households have no vehicle (Tennessee 5.2%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Greeneville’s commuters take a bus or train.
Where Greeneville sits among U.S. towns of 11,000 to 22,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Albany OH | 11,803 | $238K | 1.4% | 0.9% | 11% | A+ |
| 2 | Plain Township OH | 13,257 | $219K | 2.1% | 0.8% | 10% | A+ |
| 3 | Rogers MN | 15,606 | $159K | 1.9% | 1.2% | 10% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 38 | Nolensville TN | 15,789 | $177K | 2.1% | 2.4% | 4% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 196 | Lakeland TN | 14,422 | $116K | 3.2% | 2.8% | 4% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 354 | Arlington TN | 15,703 | $135K | 4.9% | 3.4% | 9% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 2,057 | Macomb City Township IL | 14,530 | $44K | 25.1% | 10.4% | 45% | C− |
| 2,058 | Hibbing MN | 15,823 | $56K | 16.2% | 6.3% | 50% | C− |
| 2,059 | Greeneville TN | 16,141 | $50K | 18.5% | 8.4% | 44% | C− |
| 2,060 | Brattleboro VT | 11,872 | $58K | 17.8% | 7.2% | 52% | C− |
| 2,061 | Mattoon IL | 16,667 | $52K | 21.3% | 6.5% | 33% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 2,220 | Douglas AZ | 16,038 | $42K | 27.8% | 12.3% | 29% | 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 Greeneville, the top three, the last and three more from Tennessee.
The towns around Greeneville
The biggest share goes to Mosheim (1%).
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Greeneville workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greeneville | – | C− | B | 19 min | $49,889 |
| Tusculum | under 1% | B+ | A− | 20 min | $70,694 |
| Mosheim | 1% | C− | C− | 23 min | $48,986 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
Darker towns draw more of Greeneville’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 Greeneville: questions
What is the median household income in Greeneville?
$49,889 (±$5,240) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $69,595 across Tennessee and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Greeneville?
18.5%, against 13.8% across Tennessee and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Greeneville?
19 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Tennessee and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Greeneville work?
44% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Johnson City (8%, 27 mi), Kingsport (4%, 29 mi), Morristown (4%, 27 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Greeneville walkable?
Greeneville is more walkable than 57% of U.S. towns (Walkability B): an EPA walkability index of 7.8 out of 20, and 2% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Greeneville without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Greeneville, from the people who make the trip.
More of Greeneville
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.