Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Rockwood gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $235K, 3.2 years of the Knoxville metro’s $72K median household income. It grades C− overall, 121st among Tennessee's 175 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country, and the median household income is $48K, and 22% of residents live below the poverty line. Rockwood's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Rockwood has 5 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Molyneux Chevrolet Company-Rockwood Fire Department Building and Post Oak Springs Christian Church. Only 6 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Rockwood.
Where Rockwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Rockwood’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 Rockwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,011 in 1880, 5,444 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Rockwood, 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 Rockwood.
Rockwood trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and has seen reported crime fall by a third or more.
19% of Rockwood adults report frequent physical distress, against 16% in Tennessee’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 32% of Rockwood adults have been diagnosed with depression. Rockwood beats the Tennessee average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| Rockwood | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Rockwood | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.2% | 76.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.5% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Roane County school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge View ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 577 | C |
| Rockwood High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 320 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Reported crimes fell from 215 to 123 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Rockwood’s violent crime rate is 4.7 per 1,000 residents, above both Tennessee’s towns (2.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). Rockwood’s property crime rate is 16.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Rockwood | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.7 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
| Rockwood | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 4.1% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.4 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rockwood Community Park | 0.2 mi | 12 |
| 2. Mount Roosevelt Wildlife Management Area | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 80% of U.S. communities. Since 1990, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Rockwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Rockwood for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Rockwood fell to 1,481 in 2023, 355 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Knoxville (12%), Oak Ridge (11%) and Kingston (5%).
| Rockwood | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $48,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.5% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $235K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles. The median property tax bill is $680, against $1,442 across Tennessee, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
53% of households own their home in Rockwood. Typical home values rose 6.9% in the year to September 2026. The median rent in Rockwood is $774 a month.
| Rockwood | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $774 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Rockwood has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 88°, January nights drop to 29° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rockwood. Close and well known come first.
27 mi CaveCraighead Caverns
20 mi State parkFrozen Head State Park
16 mi National Historical ParkManhattan Project National Historical Park56K visitors a year
33 mi LandmarkFort Loudoun
38 mi Ancient siteTanasi
38 mi Ancient siteChotaCraighead Caverns: Brenda, CC BY 2.0 · Frozen Head State Park: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0 · Manhattan Project National Historical Park: Unknown, Public domain · Fort Loudoun: The original uploader was LMUBill at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tanasi: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0 · Chota: Brian Stansberry (photographer), CC BY 3.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Rockwood
About 1 of every 100 Rockwood residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
5 places in Rockwood on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Rockwood.
City in Tennessee, United States
Rockwood is a city in Roane County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Rockwood had a population of 5,444. It is included in the Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Rockwood.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Rockwood grades C− overall, better than 17% of U.S. towns and #121 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, D for safety and B− 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.
5 notable people were born here, including C. M. Newton and Christian H. Cooper.
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