WataugaTN
A town of 364, settled in 1874.
Is Watauga a good place to live?
Among 175 Tennessee towns, just 2 have a lower median rent than Watauga. Watauga has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
364 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Moving to Watauga: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Watauga, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Watauga.
Most of Watauga’s workers commute out: the town has 0.3 jobs for each of them
Most working residents leave Watauga for work: only 0% work in town. At 19 minutes, Watauga’s average trip to work is below both Tennessee’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Jobs based in Watauga grew to 38 in 2023, 26 more than in 2013.
| Watauga | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 14% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Fewer young adults than Tennessee overall
Adults 18 to 34 are 10% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 47% of residents (38% statewide). Watauga has grown 3.4% since 2020, to 364 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. At 43 years, Watauga’s median age is against 40 years in Tennessee’s towns and 40.5 years across U.S. towns.
| Watauga | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 23% | 22% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.1 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Watauga | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.8% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.2% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 4.2% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.7% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.6% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.5% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.6% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.2% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.2% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.4% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.5% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 17.3% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 12.5% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 400, single groups can be off by several points
Low risk in Watauga, with inland flooding at the top
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical home in Watauga is valued at about $258K
The typical Watauga home is worth about $258,000, up 3.6% in a year, 22% below the Tennessee typical home. 95% of households own their home in Watauga.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Four seasons and pleasant summers in Watauga
Watauga has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 87°, January nights drop to 27° and about 6 inches of snow falls in a winter.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Compared with most of Tennessee and the rest of the country, more of Watauga’s adults report frequent physical distress
21% of Watauga adults report frequent physical distress. Only 7 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Watauga. 24% of Watauga adults smoke cigarettes.
| Watauga | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Watauga | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 27.9% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 14.5% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 11% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blue Ridge Parkway and 15 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Watauga. Close and well known come first.
32 mi ParkwayBlue Ridge Parkway16.5M visitors a year
32 mi MountainGrandfather Mountain12 mi Park & preserveGray Fossil Site
14 mi National forestCherokee National Forest38 mi Theme parkTweetsie Railroad26 mi Theme parkLand of OzPhoto credits
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
Everything we know about Watauga
Colleges nearby
3 within 15 miles of the center of Watauga
About 4 of every 100 Watauga residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
100% of working residents leave Watauga for work
Where Watauga’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Watauga
City in Tennessee, United States
Watauga is a city in Carter and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population 353 in the 2020 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
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 1,453 ft
- ZIP code
- 37694
- Area code
- 423
Questions about Watauga
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Watauga, TN a good place to live?
Watauga has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.