Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Settled in 1888, this town now has 3,277 residents.
Good value, with catches elsewhere. The weak point is health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 90% of the country. Walkability is weaker too (D−). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 95% of U.S. towns. Where it does best is cost of living: a typical home costs about $283K, 3.9 years of the Knoxville metro’s $72K median household income. Add schools to its strengths (B+): its schools outperform 66% of the state's. All told, that adds up to a B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns. In the ranking it comes 49th of 175 in Tennessee.
Figures: home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · schools, state test and graduation results · health, CDC PLACES.
Where Mascot beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| Widest gap | Mascot | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 8.6% |
2,411 counted in 2010 and 2,760 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Mascot is from typical.
Its grades run from A for cost of living (better than 93% of comparable towns) to D− for walkability (better than 5%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,119 in 2000, 2,760 in 2020. The archive holds 4 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Mascot. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Theme parkDollywood3.1M visitors a year
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaNeyland Stadium
Big draw24 mi National ParkGreat Smoky Mountains National Park11.5M visitors a year
Big draw38 mi MountainKuwohi
12 mi LookoutSunsphere
21 mi MuseumAlcatraz EastDollywood: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 2.5 · Neyland Stadium: Neomrbungle, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Scott Basford, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Kuwohi: C. Kenneth Dodd, Jr., Public domain · Sunsphere: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Alcatraz East: EricaLewHouse, CC BY-SA 4.0
Mascot is unincorporated, so Knox County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Mascot.
Mascot looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally, sends most of its workers to Knoxville and beyond and has home values climbing faster than Tennessee’s.
Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 67% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
Among adults in Mascot, 22% report frequent mental distress. The share of adults in Mascot who have diabetes is 15%, against 14% in Tennessee’s towns and 12% across U.S. towns.
| Mascot | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 29% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mascot | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11.5% | 8.6% |
| More smokers | 22.6% | 17.3% |
| More adults in fair or poor health | 27% | 22.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its one school is below. The public schools here belong to the Knox County school district. Enrollment at Mascot’s public school: 502 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Knox ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 502 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Mascot’s FEMA risk score is 17 of 100, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 47 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. One declared disaster, in 2011, has brought federal aid to Mascot households. 47% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 19%.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Mascot has 228 jobs for its 1,196 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Half commute less than 15 miles. 19% of Mascot residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Knoxville (45%), Oak Ridge (3%) and Nashville (3%). The town’s typical journey to work comes in at 28 minutes.
| Mascot | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 0.3% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $60,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 29° and about 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Trails total 1.3 miles in 1 park or preserve. Parks and preserves in Mascot: one, of 4 acres. In Mascot, the trail density is 0.2 miles per square mile.
| Mascot | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.1% | 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. Mascot Park | 0.2 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Home values rose 48% in five years, to about $283K, against 23% across Tennessee.
Zillow values the typical Mascot home at about $283,000, up 2.7% in a year, 14% below the Tennessee typical home. The town’s rent at the middle of the market stands at $725 a month. The share of households in Mascot who live in a home they own: 67%.
| Mascot | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $725 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 67% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
3 within 15 miles of the center of Mascot
About 2 of every 100 Mascot residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Mascot’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
CDP in Tennessee, United States
Mascot is a census-designated place (CDP) in Knox County, Tennessee. The population was 2,760 in the 2020 census, up from 2,411 in the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mascot grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #49 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health and B+ for schools. Walkability 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Kelsea Ballerini and Steve French.
