Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,151, settled in 1878. 63% more nonprofits per person than the typical Tennessee town.
Hohenwald earns a D, 132nd among Tennessee's 175 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $51K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. What it does well: a typical home costs about $238K, 4.2 years of the county’s $56K median household income. 30% of working residents work locally in Hohenwald, above both the Tennessee town median (12%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). On civic life, just 2 of Tennessee’s 232 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 75% of U.S. towns.
Where Hohenwald beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Hohenwald’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Hohenwald is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 742 in 1920, 3,668 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1937 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hohenwald. Close and well known come first.
Natchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hohenwald, 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 Hohenwald.
Hohenwald trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Columbia and beyond and fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally.
2,186 jobs are based in Hohenwald, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Hohenwald’s working residents works in town. Hohenwald’s average trip to work is 28 minutes. The top destinations are Nashville (8%), Columbia (7%) and Franklin (4%).
| Hohenwald | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lewis County school district. Three of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Volunteer State Virtual Academy High School, with 943 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lewis County ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 525 | – |
| Lewis Co High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 481 | B+ |
| Lewis County Intermediate SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 396 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 67% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
31% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Hohenwald. Hohenwald beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 10. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Hohenwald.
| Hohenwald | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hohenwald | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.8% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 29.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 58% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Hohenwald is 16.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Hohenwald | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.9 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $238K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 28 miles. The median property tax bill is $690, against $1,442 across Tennessee, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
82% of Hohenwald households own their home. The typical Hohenwald home is worth about $238,000, up 2.6% in a year, 28% below the Tennessee typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hohenwald has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 28° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 2002, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hohenwald.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Hohenwald | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 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. Memorial Park | 0.6 mi | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Hohenwald; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Hohenwald residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
2 places in Hohenwald on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
Hohenwald is a city in and the county seat of Lewis County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Hohenwald had a population of 3,668. The name "Hohenwald" derives from German meaning “High Forest". Meriwether Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, died and was buried seven miles east of the town at Grinder's Stand in 1809. Rod Brasfield, an old Grand Ole Opry comedy star, made his home in Hohenwald and referred to it in his routines. David Sisco, who in 1974 placed ninth in points in the Winston Cup Series, is a native of Hohenwald, as was author William Gay, whose books include The Long Home, Provinces of Night, I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down, and Twilight. The third…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hohenwald grades D overall, better than 14% of U.S. towns and #132 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, C for safety and B for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
6 mi
