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Tennessee›Washington County

Oak GroveTN

The town has 4,626 residents and lies in Tennessee.

Is Oak Grove a good place to live?

Some subjects shine; others lag. The weak point is walkability (D). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 93% of U.S. towns. Overall, Oak Grove earns a C+: better than 44% of U.S. towns, and 62nd of 175 in Tennessee. Its strongest subject is schools — its schools outperform 76% of the state's. A typical home there costs about $261K, 4.5 years of the Johnson City metro’s $58K median household income. Boone Hydroelectric Project and Finlay Alison House (Additional Documentation) is on the National Register of Historic Places. 24% of residents are 65 or older in the town, above both Tennessee’s towns (18%) and U.S. towns (18%).

Figures: schools, state test and graduation results · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.

StrongestA−SchoolsWeakestDWalkability
A job hub

Every workday, about 3,320 people come to Oak Grove for work

Where Oak Grove’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

37% → Johnson City Johnson City 37% 17% → Kingsport Kingsport 17% 4% → Bristol Bristol 4% 4% → Jonesborough Jonesborough 4% 3% → Elizabethton Elizabethton 3% 2% → Knoxville Knoxville 2% Oak Grove · 3% stay
3,375jobs based in Oak Grove
3%of working residents work in town
9 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Oak Grove grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Oak Grove is from typical.

How grading works
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Getting set up

Moving to Oak Grove: who provides what

Oak Grove is unincorporated, so Washington County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerJohnson City13.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterJohnson City Water DeptNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesWashington CountyWashington County provides services here
SchoolsWashington County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Tennessee you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereWashington County Election CommissionWashington County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code3761537615 100%Census 2020

EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.

The data

Ordered by what stands out in Oak Grove.

Oak Grove draws workers from Johnson City and beyond, looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Tennessee.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade B−

About one in three of Oak Grove’s working residents commute to Johnson City

3,375 jobs are based in Oak Grove, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 328 in 2013 to 3,375.

The top destinations are Johnson City (37%), Kingsport (17%) and Bristol (4%). Only 3% of working residents stay in Oak Grove for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Oak Grove has added 3,047 jobs, to 3,375 in 2023. For residents in the town, the share who live below the poverty line is 7.1%.

3%work in town
Oak GroveTennessee townsU.S. towns
Working residents who work in town2.7%12%8%
Below the poverty line7.1%14%9.6%
Average trip to work26 minutes25 minutes25 minutes
Median household income$72,000$60,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Oak Grove3%
Johnson City37%
Kingsport17%
Bristol4%
Jonesborough4%
9 mi
median commute distance
3,375
jobs based in Oak Grove
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
D
Walkability grade: more walkable than 7% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Climate

In Oak Grove, expect four seasons and pleasant summers

January nights average 27.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 85% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.1°.

About 9 inches of snow falls in a winter. In Oak Grove, the July high is 87°F.

9″snow a winter
Oak GroveTennessee townsU.S. towns
July high87°F89°F85°F
January low27°F29°F22°F

Typical low → high °F

Winter29–50°
Spring44–70°
Summer63–86°
Fall46–71°
Oct 24
typical first frost
Apr 16
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B−

High risk in Oak Grove, with inland flooding at the top

FEMA expects more storm and flood damage in Oak Grove than in 66% of U.S. communities.

66risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
66High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingEarthquakes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Who lives here

Oak Grove skews older than Tennessee

The share of adults 25 and older in Oak Grove who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 36%. Its midpoint age is 47 years.

47median age · TN 38.9
Oak GroveTennessee townsU.S. towns
Median age47 years40 years40.5 years
Aged 65 or older24%18%18%
Under 1818%22%22%
Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+36%23%29%
Oak GroveTennesseeUnited States

Ages · share of residents

Education · adults 25 and older

No diploma6%
High school29%
Some college17%
Associate’s12%
Bachelor’s20%
Graduate15%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.1 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.

Ages and education in Oak Grove
Oak GroveTNU.S.
Under 1010.3%11.9%11.6%
10 to 177.9%10.3%10.3%
18 to 247.1%8.9%9.1%
25 to 3415.4%13.8%13.7%
35 to 448%12.8%13.2%
45 to 5413.9%12.4%12.2%
55 to 6413.6%12.8%12.7%
65 to 7416%10.3%10.2%
75 and older7.8%6.7%7%
No diploma6.3%10%10.4%
High school28.8%31.2%26%
Some college17.3%19.9%19.1%
Associate’s12%7.9%8.8%
Bachelor’s20.2%19.4%21.6%
Graduate15.3%11.7%14.1%

U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 4,600, single groups can be off by several points

HealthB−

Oak Grove ranks healthier than 51% of the country’s towns

Within Tennessee it is healthier than 77% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.

16% of adults binge drink in Oak Grove. CDC measures, 31 in all: Oak Grove beats Tennessee on 10 and trails on 1. Two figures for adults locally: 23% get no exercise outside work, 11% worry about having enough food.

51%healthier than U.S. townsB−Health Grade
Oak GroveTennessee townsU.S. towns
Depression (CDC PLACES)30%29%23%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)23%28%25%
Food insecurity (CDC PLACES)11%16%14%
Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES)18%20%17%
31 measures vs. Tennessee
10 better20 too close to call1 worse
What stands outOak GroveTN
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth9.5%14.6%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity10.7%16.2%
More adults who have had cancer10%8.2%
Franklin Woods Community Hospital
6.1 mi away · emergency room
2 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental
77th
percentile among TN towns

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

HousingCost of living grade B−

A home in Oak Grove sells for about $290K at the median

In Oak Grove, the median rent is $907 a month. 64% of Oak Grove households live in a home they own.

$290Kmedian sale price
Oak GroveTennessee townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home64%66%73%
Median rent$907 a month$950 a month$1,185 a month
2
homes sold in September

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Oak Grove

16pages on Oak Grove
After high school

Colleges nearby

3 within 15 miles of the center of Oak Grove

About Oak Grove

CDP in Tennessee, United States

Oak Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Washington County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,425 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Johnson City Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area – commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
5.3 sq mi
Elevation
1,404 ft

Oak Grove’s neighbors

2 towns share a border with Oak Grove.

Explore the map →
How the neighbors grade
TownTN rankOverallCostSafetySchoolsHealth
Oak Grove#62C+B−—A−B−
Johnson City#104C−C−C−AC
Spurgeon#53B−B−—BB−

Oak Grove and Spurgeon report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Oak Grove with a neighbor →

Questions about Oak Grove

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Oak Grove, TN a good place to live?

Oak Grove grades C+ overall, better than 44% of U.S. towns and #62 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades B− for health and A− for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.

Is Oak Grove, TN expensive?

The typical home is worth about $261,000, 21% below the Tennessee typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.