Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
La Follette earns a D, 152nd of 175 graded towns in Tennessee, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $38K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. In its favor, a typical home costs about $234K, 3.2 years of the Knoxville metro’s $72K median household income. 28% of residents live below the poverty line in La Follette, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). La Follette's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns. Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 1 have a lower share of households owning their home than La Follette.
Where La Follette beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
LaFollette House| Widest gap | La Follette | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.3% | 14.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far La Follette is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 89% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 1%), so the D overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 366 in 1900, 7,430 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 2 maps from 1893 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in La Follette, 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 La Follette.
La Follette trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Tennessee; it also has poverty well above the Tennessee rate.
26% of La Follette adults smoke cigarettes. Only 4 of the 176 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of adults who get no exercise outside work than La Follette. 13% of La Follette adults binge drink.
| La Follette | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | La Follette | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.3% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 14.8% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 26.3% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Campbell County school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| LaFollette Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 467 | C− |
| Campbell Co Adult High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | – | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $234K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. Home values rose 42% in five years, to about $234K, against 23% across Tennessee.
La Follette’s median rent is $696 a month. The typical La Follette home is worth about $234,000, up 3.5% in a year, 29% below the Tennessee typical home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 27.1°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 90% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.1°.
La Follette has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| La Follette | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 2,609 in 2013 to 3,619.
Since 2013, La Follette has added 1,010 jobs, to 3,619 in 2023. The average trip to work in La Follette is 28 minutes. The top destinations are Knoxville (14%), Clinton (8%) and Jacksboro (7%).
| La Follette | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $38,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
La Follette's reported crime rate is well below Tennessee's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 23 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| La Follette | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 3 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 8.8 per 1,000 residents | 13.3 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of La Follette; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 La Follette residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
City in Tennessee, United States
LaFollette is a city in Campbell County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 7,456 at the 2010 census, with an estimated population in 2018 of 6,737. It is the principal city of the LaFollette, Tennessee micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Campbell County, and is a component of the Knoxville Metropolitan Area. While the city's official spelling is one word ("LaFollette")—after its founders, Harvey Marion LaFollette and his younger brother Grant LaFollette—several federal agencies spell the city's name with two words ("La Follette").
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with La Follette.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Follette | #152 | D | A | — | D | D− |
| Jacksboro | — | — | A | — | D | D |
Jacksboro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. La Follette and Jacksboro report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare La Follette with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
La Follette grades D overall, better than 7% of U.S. towns and #152 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.