Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Jonesborough grades B overall, ranked 33rd of 175 in Tennessee, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its public schools beat 76% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation and natural-hazard risk is low. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $74K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $337K, 5.8 years of the Johnson City metro’s $58K median household income. Only 18 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on history. Jonesborough’s average trip to work is 19 minutes, below both Tennessee’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes).
Where Jonesborough beats most towns.
Henry Hoss House
Its founding year, 1779, comes before those of 99% of the Tennessee towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 895 in 1880, 5,860 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1796 and 3 maps from 1935 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Jonesborough is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Jonesborough, 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 Jonesborough.
Jonesborough carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Tennessee (mostly inland flooding), draws workers from Johnson City and beyond and fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally.
4,204 jobs are based in Jonesborough, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.1 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
Most working residents leave Jonesborough for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Jonesborough grew to 4,204 in 2023, 359 more than in 2013. 14% of Jonesborough workers work from home.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 14% | 9.5% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $74,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 9.9% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Washington County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonesborough Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 957 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 96% of Tennessee towns; that rating is what its A for hazard risk is built on.
The FEMA risk score in Jonesborough is 13 of 100. Since 1984, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Jonesborough.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 27.5°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 83% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 85.9°.
Jonesborough has chilly winters and warm summers. About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 28°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 18% of residents (22% statewide); people 65 and older are 21% of residents (17% statewide). Jonesborough has grown 19% since 2020, to 6,990 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 31% across Tennessee.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.6 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 26% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.3 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Jonesborough | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 16.4% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.7% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.7% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.9% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.7% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 28.3% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.3% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 15.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 73% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 8 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
Jonesborough’s violent crime rate is 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.3 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.8 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Persimmons Ridge Park, at 33 acres.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stage Road Park | 0.4 mi | 4 |
| 2. Persimmons Ridge Park | — | 33 |
| 3. Lincoln Park | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Jonesborough home is worth about $337,000, up 2.9% in a year, close to the Tennessee typical home.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 65% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,129 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 77% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
Jonesborough beats the Tennessee average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Jonesborough.
| Jonesborough | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 29% | 23% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 39% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 17% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Jonesborough | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.2% | 16.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.4% | 13.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.1% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Jonesborough. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi MountainMount Mitchell
37 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year6 mi Park & preserveGray Fossil Site
39 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain
25 mi National forestCherokee National Forest34 mi Theme parkLand of OzMount Mitchell: Unknown, Public domain · Blue Ridge Parkway: Ken Thomas, Public domain · Grandfather Mountain: Original uploader was KyleAndMelissa22 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Cherokee National Forest: Ryan Rice at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Jonesborough
About 2 of every 100 Jonesborough residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
5,051 counted in 2010 and 5,860 in 2020; an estimated 6,990 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 19.1% since 2020, after 16% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
2 places in Jonesborough on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Jonesborough.
Oldest town in Tennessee, United States
Jonesborough (; historically also Jonesboro) is a town in and the county seat of Washington County, Tennessee, in the Southeastern United States. Its population was 5,860 as of 2020. It is "Tennessee's oldest town". Jonesborough is part of the Johnson City metropolitan area, which is a component of the "Tri-Cities" region.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Jonesborough grades B overall, better than 63% of U.S. towns and #33 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades B− for health, B for safety and A− for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
13 notable people were born here, including Nathaniel Edwin Harris and John Blair.
