Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Lincoln Memorial University.
Harrogate grades D overall, ranked 138th of 175 in Tennessee, mostly because of incomes and schools. The median household income is $66K, and 12% of residents live below the poverty line. Its schools rank behind 76% of the state's. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 65% of U.S. towns. 15% of residents are under 18 in Harrogate, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Harrogate is home to Lincoln Memorial University. Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 1 have a lower January low than Harrogate.
Where Harrogate beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Harrogate is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,865 in 2000, 4,400 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1917 and 4 maps from 1927 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Harrogate, 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 Harrogate.
Harrogate is shaped by its college students, sends many workers across the state line to Middlesborough and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally.
Its public schools are run by the Claiborne County school district. Its three schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellen Myers PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 334 | A− |
| J Frank White Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 177 | – |
| H. Y. Livesay Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 278 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
The typical Harrogate home is worth about $235,000, up 3% in a year, 29% below the Tennessee typical home.
| Harrogate | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,154 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 65% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
Harrogate beats the Tennessee average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of adults report frequent mental distress in Harrogate.
| Harrogate | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Harrogate | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.6% | 13.3% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 6.6% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.6% | 86.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
22.8% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.4% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Harrogate | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37.9 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
56% women, 44% men
About 78 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±5.1 points). Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Harrogate | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.4% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 24.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.7% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.4% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.6% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.8% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.1% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.2% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.6% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.7% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,500, single groups can be off by several points
January nights average 25.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 99% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.9°.
Harrogate has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
22% of working residents cross a state line to work, Middlesborough among the top destinations. Harrogate has about as many jobs (1,759) as working residents, but only 205 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Harrogate for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Harrogate has added 339 jobs, to 1,759 in 2023. Harrogate’s average trip to work is 22 minutes.
| Harrogate | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.3% | 9.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 2011, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Harrogate.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.5 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Harrogate City Park, at 23 acres. The trail density in Harrogate is 0.1 miles per square mile.
| Harrogate | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.5% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harrogate City Park | 0.4 mi | 23 |
| 2. Harrogate Little League | — | 6 |
| 3. Soccer Fields | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
2 within 15 miles of the center of Harrogate
College town 23 of every 100 Harrogate residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
City in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States
Harrogate is the largest city in Claiborne County, Tennessee, United States. It is adjacent to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The community has been known as "Harrogate" since the 19th century, but did not incorporate by that name until 1993. As of the 2020 census, Harrogate had a population of 4,400. It is considered a college town with Lincoln Memorial University's main campus located entirely within Harrogate. Before incorporation, the United States Census Bureau treated Harrogate as a census-designated place (CDP) called Harrogate-Shawanee. At the time of the 2000 census the CDP had a population of 2,865.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Harrogate.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrogate | #138 | D | C+ | — | C− | C |
| Cumberland Gap | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Harrogate reports no FBI crime data of its own. Cumberland Gap isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Harrogate with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Harrogate grades D overall, better than 11% of U.S. towns and #138 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C for health and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.8 years of the area's median household income ($49,379 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
