Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,596, settled in 1889. A typical home costs 3 years of the Chattanooga metro’s $72K median household income.
Whitwell’s best subject grade is an A+ for cost of living; its weakest is a D for health. Whitwell’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, above both Tennessee’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 3 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score higher on cost of living. Whitwell's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 98% of U.S. towns. Whitwell Cumberland Presbyterian Church and Ketner's Mill and Bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. Whitwell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Whitwell beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Whitwell’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 Whitwell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Whitwell. Close and well known come first.
16 mi WaterfallRuby Falls
24 mi MountainLookout Mountain38 mi CaveEllison's Cave
15 mi Park & preserveNickajack Cave
15 mi Zoo & aquariumTennessee Aquarium
10 mi National Military ParkChickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park972K visitors a yearRuby Falls: Oydman (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lookout Mountain: Teke, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Nickajack Cave: Blueway, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tennessee Aquarium: Ɱ, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park: Lhughesw5, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Whitwell, 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 Whitwell.
Whitwell beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 23% of adults smoke cigarettes in Whitwell, against 19% in Tennessee’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 32% of Whitwell adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Whitwell | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Whitwell | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.3% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 12.4% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.2% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Marion County school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Whitwell ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 482 | A− |
| Whitwell High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 298 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
The typical Whitwell home is worth about $219,000, up 2% in a year, 34% below the Tennessee typical home. The median rent in Whitwell is $872 a month.
| Whitwell | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $872 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 66% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Whitwell for work: only 4% work in town. Since 2013, Whitwell has lost 30 jobs, to 281 in 2023. The top destinations are Chattanooga (35%), Jasper (11%) and South Pittsburg (5%).
| Whitwell | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 4.1% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $68,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.7% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Whitwell since 2020.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Whitwell has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Whitwell’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Whitwell's reported crime rate is below Tennessee's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 4 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Whitwell | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 12.5 per 1,000 residents | 13.2 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
0.4 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Whitwell Park, at 20 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whitwell Park | — | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Whitwell; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Whitwell residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 notable people were born in Whitwell.
City in Tennessee, United States
Whitwell is a city in Marion County, Tennessee, United States, approximately 24 miles northwest of Chattanooga. The population was 1,641 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chattanooga, TN–GA Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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+.
3 notable people were born here, including Bennie Tate and Ray E. Duke.
