Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A regional job hub with 2,310 jobs.
The best of Huntsville’s subject grades is a B+ for walkability; the weakest is a D− for health. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Huntsville, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 3 of Tennessee’s 291 towns do worse. The median household income is $31K, and 31% of residents live below the poverty line. Huntsville has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Old Scott County Jail (Additional Documentation) and First National Bank of Huntsville. Huntsville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Huntsville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Old Scott County Jail (Additional Documentation)| Widest gap | Huntsville | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37.5% | 14.6% |
Where Huntsville’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 Huntsville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Huntsville, 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 Huntsville.
Among adults in Huntsville, 43% sleep under 7 hours. No town among the 177 in Tennessee we compare has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Huntsville. In Huntsville, 30% of adults smoke cigarettes, and 19% have diabetes.
| Huntsville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
| What stands out | Huntsville | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 37.5% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 17% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 30.4% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Of its 3 schools, two are listed below, each with the reason. The largest public high school is Scott High School, with 653 students. The public schools here belong to the Scott County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 364 | B− |
| Scott High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 653 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Huntsville’s mean commuting time is 29 minutes. In Huntsville, about one in four working residents works in town. The top destinations are Oneida (11%), Knoxville (9%) and Oak Ridge (6%). Half of commuters travel less than 22 miles.
| Huntsville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $31,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Over the 12 months to September 2026, the typical home gained 6.4% in value. Of the 178 Tennessee towns we compare, none has a lower share of households owning their home than Huntsville. Also worth knowing: the median rent for Huntsville comes to $668 a month.
| Huntsville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 27% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $668 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the losses FEMA expects in Huntsville, 36% come from inland flooding and 25% from cold waves. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 68% of U.S. communities. Federal aid has come to Huntsville households in 2 declared disasters; the latest was in 2003.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Only 6 of the 178 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower peak summer temperature than Huntsville.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest park or preserve is Highschool Park, at 20 acres. 1.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Parks and preserves in Huntsville: 2, covering 27 acres.
| Huntsville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Highschool Park | — | 20 |
| 2. Flat Creek Park | — | 7 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Huntsville. Close and well known come first.
3 mi National RiverBig South Fork National River and Recreation Area774K visitors a year
20 mi State parkFrozen Head State Park
31 mi WaterfallCumberland Falls
34 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
30 mi MuseumMuseum of Appalachia
18 mi MuseumBlue HeronBig South Fork National River and Recreation Area: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0 · Frozen Head State Park: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0 · Cumberland Falls: ChrisKuehl, Public domain · Manhattan Project National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain · Museum of Appalachia: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0 · Blue Heron: Brian Stansberry, CC BY 3.0
None within 15 miles of Huntsville; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Huntsville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
2 places in Huntsville on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Huntsville.
Town in Tennessee, United States
Huntsville is a town in Scott County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 1,270 at the 2020 census and 1,248 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Scott County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Huntsville.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | — | — | C | — | C | D− |
| Helenwood | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Huntsville has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Huntsville reports no FBI crime data of its own. Helenwood isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Huntsville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($44,711 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.
3 notable people were born here, including Howard Baker and John Duncan.
