No matter what part of town you’re in, it seems that new housing developments are popping up left and right. This has locals + outsiders alike wondering what the Chattanooga community currently looks like.

“Who’s moving to Chattanooga and what brought them here? I hear lots of anecdotes, but what does the data say?” — Scott P.

We’d be more than happy to break down who is moving to Chattanooga + why they choose to move here.

What is bringing people to Chattanooga?

Chattanooga has made the rankings of several U.S. News listings such as:

No. 49 in Best Places to Live in the US
No. 27 in Best Places to Retire
No. 3 in Best Places to Live in Tennessee

The reasoning behind these rankings?

Here are the determining factors:

Beautiful natural surroundings + outdoor activities
Cost of living is below the national average
Diverse economy + job market
Retirement opportunities
Family, friends, and lifestyle

Who is moving to Chattanooga?

The US Census Bureau has this great tool that allows you to see how many people moved to a specific county and from where between 2015-2019.

For example, 615 people moved to Hamilton County from Knox County in 2021. | Screenshot

From 2015-2019:

12,212 people moved to Hamilton County from a different state
6,314 people moved from a different county in Tennessee
973 people moved to Hamilton County from a different county

A study by United Van Lines found that in 2021, 62% of moves are inbound for the state of Tennessee and that people of all ages + incomes are moving here.

Breakdown of ages of people moving to Tennessee. | Screenshot

People 65 years or older make up 29.92% of the people moving to Tennessee, closely followed by people ages 55 to 64 at 24.55%.

Income breakdown of the people moving to Chattanooga. | Screenshot

Income wise, this study found that 45.82% of people moving to Tennessee make $150,000+ annually + 21.74% make $100,000 to $149,999 annually.

In conclusion

There’s a mix of people of all ages + incomes moving here from all kinds of different places to enjoy all the wonderful things Chattanooga has to offer.

We’re curious, what do you think the No. 1 reason to move to Chattanooga is? Send your thoughts (anecdotal as they may be) our way.