Bledsoe County, Tennessee
Selected Statistical Information
I.  Geography & Demographics Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank Percent of State
Total Land Area (sq. mi.)                 41,217                406 57th  1.0%
Farmland (2007)          
Acres of Farmland            10,969,798           92,043  54th   0.8%
Number of Farms                 79,280                580  62nd   0.7%
Average Size of Farms (Acres)                     138                159  27th   115.2%
Population            
2008 Estimate 6,214,888 13,142 82nd  0.2%
2000 Census 5,689,283 12,367 81st  0.2%
1990 Census 4,877,203 9,669 81st  0.2%
Gain (1990 to 2000) 812,080 2,698 66th  0.3%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 16.7% 27.9% 17th  167.6%
Population Density (per sq. mi.)         Comparison to State Figure
2008 Estimate                   150.8               32.3 82nd  21.5%
2000 Census                   138.0               30.4 90th  22.1%
1990 Census                   118.3               23.8 91st  20.1%
Urban Population         Percent of State
2000 Census            3,618,968                  -   71st  0.0%
1990 Census            2,969,948                  -   72nd  0.0%
Growth Rate (1990 to 2000) 21.9% n/a n/a n/a
Percent of Population in Urban Areas
2000 Census 63.6% 0.0% 71st  0.0%
1990 Census 60.9% 0.0% 72nd  0.0%
Median Age            
2000 Census 36 37 46th  104.2%
1990 Census 34 34 66th  101.8%
Population Percentages by Age Bracket        
2000 Census
under 18 24.6% 23.1% 63rd 
18-24 9.6% 8.4% 51st 
25-44 30.2% 31.3% 12th 
45-64 23.2% 25.8% 27th 
65 & over 12.4% 11.4% 83rd 
1990 Census
under 18 25.1% 24.5% 54th 
18-24 10.9% 10.0% 34th 
25-44 31.8% 33.3% 8th 
45-64 19.6% 20.4% 59th 
65 & over 12.6% 11.7% 83rd 
Population Growth by Age Bracket, 1990 to 2000  
Population Percentages by Race/Ethnicity (2000 Census)  
Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Males per 100 Females (2007) 95.4 119.0 3rd  124.8%
Marriages Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 10.7 7.7 71st  72.0%
Divorces Recorded per 1,000 Population in 2006 4.7 3.6 17th  76.6%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
II.  Income & Poverty Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
Per Capita Personal Income          
2006 $32,172 $22,510 77th  70.0%
2000 $26,097 $17,743 81st  68.0%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 3.55% 4.05% 22nd  113.98%
Median Household Income          
2007 $42,389 $34,655 66th  81.8%
2000 $35,760 $29,282 73rd  81.9%
Compound Annual Growth Rate 2.46% 2.44% 24th  99.05%
2007 Poverty Rate          
All Ages  15.8% 21.3% 78th  134.81%
Related Children Under 18 Years  22.5% 29.8% 77th  132.44%
2000 Census            
All Ages  13.1% 12.2% 22nd  93.03%
Related Children Under 18 Years 15.9% 15.4% 27th  96.39%
2007 Food Stamp Recipients (Monthly Average )          
Percent of Households 15.8% 22.8% 78th  144.20%
Percent of Individuals 14.1% 19.4% 73rd  137.54%
2007 Families First           
Percent of Households 2.5% 2.0% 59th  81.59%
Percent of Individuals 2.5% 1.9% 54th  73.96%
*A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
III.  Health & Healthcare Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2007 Pregnancy & Birth Rates           
Live births per 1,000 Population                    14.2               11.8 66th  83.1%
Percent of Live Births to Unmarried Parents 42.8% 31.6% 15th  73.8%
Percent Low Birth Weight 9.4% 8.4% 32nd  89.4%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 15-44                    80.7               70.5 44th  87.4%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-17                    13.9               19.6 93rd  141.0%
Pregnancies per 1,000 Females Aged 10-14                      1.3                  -   1st  0.0%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Mortality Rates           
Number of Deaths per 1,000 Population                      9.3                9.5 23rd  102.2%
Number of Deaths per 100,000 Population by Cause of Death
Diseases of the Heart                   233.2             243.9 35th  104.6%
Cancer (Malignant Neoplasm)                   215.3             205.8 18th  95.6%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
38th 
78th 
38th 
Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Access to Healthcare          
Medical Doctors per 1,000 (2007)                      1.8                0.3 83rd  16.9%
Hospital Beds per 1,000 Population (2006)                      4.2                1.4 65th  32.9%
Nursing Home Beds per 1,000 Pop. 65 & older (2006)                    49.2               33.3 82nd  67.7%
2006 Charity Care--Percent of All Hospital Care  8.5% 2.6% 45th  30.5%
IV.  Employment
Unemployment Rate   Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank* Comparison to State Figure
2009 (February) 9.5% 12.8% 63rd  134.2%
2000 4.0% 4.1% 29th  102.3%
2007 Youth Unemployment Rate  15.7% 26.9% 88th  171.9%
* A rank of 1 indicates the best condition.
2007 Employment Percentages by Major Industry   Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank Comparison to State Figure
Total Employment All Industries 2,745,397 1,547 88 0.1%
Natural Resources and Mining 0.4% 8.1% 23 2064.3%
Construction 4.9% 5.5% 72 113.2%
Manufacturing 13.8% 9.9% 91 71.5%
Trade, Transportation and Utilities 22.1% 11.8% 92 53.5%
Information 1.8% 0.0% 79 0.0%
Financial Activities 5.2% 5.8% 76 111.4%
Professional and Business Services 11.8% 1.6% 88 13.7%
Education and Health Services 12.4% 7.9% 92 63.6%
Leisure and Hospitality 10.1% 1.9% 94 18.6%
Other Services 2.6% 0.0% 87 0.0%
Government 14.9% 41.8% 64 280.4%
Federal 1.8% 1.2% 87 65.6%
State 3.3% 0.7% 67 21.8%
Local 9.9% 39.9% 62 404.1%
2007 Average Annual Wage by Major Industry         County Rank
88th 
57th 
80th 
86th 
94th 
79th 
78th 
85th 
81st 
62nd 
88th 
91st 
52nd 
67th 
61st 
V.  Value of Farmland and Agricultural Products Sold
Tennessee Bledsoe County Rank
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $           467,420  $      505,425 20th 
(Average Per Farm)
Estimated Market Value of Farmland & Buildings   $               3,378  $         3,185 58th 
(Average Per Acre)
Total Market Value of Agicultural Products Sold   $  2,617,394,000  $ 27,661,000 36th 
VI.  County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
2001-2002 Revenue by Source (in thousands)   Tennessee Percent of Total Bledsoe County Percent of State Total
Grand Total  $         8,062,012 100.0%  $    15,678 100.00%
Total State Revenue  $         2,504,883 31.1%  $      9,045 57.7%
Public Schools            1,949,045 24.2%         6,856 43.7%
All Other               555,838 6.9%         2,189 14.0%
Federal Revenue  $           511,055 6.3%  $      1,980 12.6%
Total Local Revenue  $         5,046,074 62.6%  $      4,653 29.7%
Property Tax            2,720,971 33.8%         2,397 15.3%
Local Sales Tax            1,123,100 13.9%            855 5.5%
Other Local             1,202,003 14.9%         1,401 8.9%
 Tax Base (in thousands)   Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank Percent of State
2007 Equalized Assessed Property Value  $     131,625,598  $      181,345
Tax Base Per Capita $21,179 $13,799 83rd  65.2%
2007 County Property Tax Rate (per $100) $1.90 78th 
2008 Total Taxable Sales   $       69,005,974  $       28,956
Tax Base Per Capita $11,103 $2,203 85th  19.8%
2008 County Sales Tax Rate 2.25% 53rd 
VII.  Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
Estimated Costs, 2007 - 2012 (in thousands)   Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank Percent of State
Project  Type
Law Enforcement  $         1,826,201  $       51,010 5th 2.8%
Water & Wastewater            3,855,355           17,000 51st 0.4%
Transportation           17,106,712           12,581 88th 0.1%
Existing School Improvements            1,899,735             5,591 45th 0.3%
Industrial Sites & Parks               241,362             1,500 43rd 0.6%
Other Utilities               598,698                500 27th 0.1%
Public Buildings               526,288                500 56th 0.1%
Recreation            1,118,527                200 89th 0.0%
Non K-12 Education            3,015,869                    - 43rd 0.0%
K-12 New School Construction            1,798,581                    - 45th 0.0%
Business District Development               375,758                    - 23rd 0.0%
Stormwater               371,227                    - 39th 0.0%
Community Development               367,547                    - 50th 0.0%
Public Health Facilities               323,093                    - 30th 0.0%
Libraries, Museums, & Historic Sites               285,785                    - 52nd 0.0%
Fire Protection               220,725                    - 57th 0.0%
Housing               100,189                    - 14th 0.0%
School System-wide Need                 63,021                    - 16th 0.0%
Solid Waste                 54,314                    - 30th 0.0%
Other Facilities                 32,755                    - 9th 0.0%
Telecommunications                 17,009                    - 5th 0.0%
Property Acquisition                   3,956                    - 8th 0.0%
Grand Total  $       34,202,707  $       88,882 73rd 0.3%
VIII.  Adult & Post-secondary Education
Adult Educational Attainment     Tennessee Bledsoe County County Rank
2000 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 75.9% 66.0% 61st 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 19.6% 7.1% 82nd 
2008 Estimate
1990 Census
Percent w/ HS diploma (or equivalent) or better 67.1% 52.1% 69th 
Percent w/ Bachelors Degree or better 16.0% 5.4% 83rd 
 Number of Post-secondary Institutions (2008)      
Four-year Colleges and Universities 77 0
Public 14 0
Private 63 0
Other Public Institutions 93 0
Community Colleges 13 0
Technology Centers 27 0
Two-Year Private Institutions 20 0
Off-campus Sites 33 0
2007 - 2008 Enrollment (full-time equivalent) at Post-secondary Institutions    
Four-year Colleges and Universities*          214,260                     -  
Public 134,696 0
Private 79,564 0
Other Public Institutions* 134,278 0
Community Colleges 80,454 0
Technology Centers 13,939 0
Two-Year Private Insitutions 11,049 0
Off-campus Sites 28,836 0
* Note: By location of instiution, not county of residence of students
IX.  Public School Systems  (Total number of school systems is 136)
Statewide Bledsoe County    
Number of Students
2007-2008                 944,738                    1,886               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
1997-1998                 834,318                    1,558               
Percent of Statewide 0.2%          
Increase/(Decrease)                 110,420 328          
Percent Change 13.2% 21.0%          
2007-2008
Free or Reduced-price Meals 54.5% 71.0%
Federal Title 1 39.7% 60.7%
Special Education 14.7% 20.0%
English Language Learners 3.2% 0.0%
Statewide Bledsoe County    
2007-2008 Accreditation by Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 
Elementary Schools 71.5% 100.0%
Secondary Schools 90.8% 100.0%
Students per Classroom Teacher*
2007-2008                      14.9                      14.1               
1997-1998                      15.8                      15.4               
Increase/(Decrease)                       (0.9)                       (1.4)                    
Progress Through School
Promotion Rate
2007-2008 98.0% 98.7%          
1997-1998 96.6% 97.4%
Dropout Rate
2007-2008 10.1% 8.2%
1997-1998 4.5% 1.6%
*Classroom teachers include art, music and physical education teachers.  Because these auxiliary teachers are
included, ratios of students to classroom teachers do not represent and tend to be lower than actual class sizes.
Statewide Bledsoe County    
Expenditures per Student
2007-2008 $7,742 $7,442
Percent of Statewide 96.1%          
1997-1998 $5,123 $4,906
Percent of Statewide 95.7%          
Increase/Decrease $2,618 $2,536          
Percent Change 51.1% 51.7%          
Classroom Teachers' Average Salary*
2007-2008 $44,820 $39,434
Percent of Statewide 88.0%
1997-1998 $34,584 $28,723
Percent of Statewide 83.1%
Gain $10,236 $10,710
Percent Change 29.6% 37.3%          
Revenue by Source (percent of total)
2007-2008
State 47.6% 71.4%
Federal 10.8% 13.3%
Local 41.6% 15.3%
System Rank for Percent Local 127th 
2006-2007
State 45.5% 69.3%
Federal 11.0% 14.3%
Local 43.5% 16.4%
System Rank for Percent Local 128th 
Statewide Bledsoe County County Rank
2008-2009 County Area Fiscal Capacity        
Estimated Local Revenue per Student $2,782 $903 88th 
Sources of Information for County Profiles
I. Geography & Demographics
U.S. Bureau of the Census--all data except for marriage and divorce rates.
www.census.gov
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
TN Dept. of Health - marriage and divorce rates.
http://health.state.tn.us/
II. Income & Poverty
U.S. Bureau of the Census--median household income data & poverty rates.
www.census.gov
TN Dept. of Human Services--Food Stamp data and Families First data.
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_fsp.htm
http://www.tennessee.gov/humanserv/adfam/afs_tanf.htm
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis - per capita income data
www.bea.gov
III. Health & Healthcare
TN Dept.of Health, Health Statistics & Research--pregnancy, births, mortality & healthcare access data.
http://health.state.tn.us/statistics/healthdata.htm
IV. Employment
TN Dept. Of Labor and Workforce Development - unemployment data. 
http://www.state.tn.us/labor-wfd/
U.S. Department of Labor - employment data.
ww.bls.gov/lau/home.htm
V. Value of Farmland and Agricultural Product Sold
U.S. Department of Agriculture - farmland data
http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome
VI. County Government Finance (municipalities' revenue data not available)
TN County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS), Resource Center--county revenue data.
www.ctas.utk.edu
TN Comptroller of the Treasury, Division of Property Assessment--equalized assessed property values.
http://www.comptroller.state.tn.us/pa/taxaggr.htm
TN Dept. of Revenue--total taxable sales.
www.state.tn.us/revenue/files.htm
VII. Public Infrastructure Needs Inventory
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--all data. 
http://tn.gov/tacir/infrastructure.html
VIII. Adult & Post-secondary Education
U.S. Bureau of the Census--educational attainment.
www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/educ-attn.html
TN Higher Education Commission--post-secondary institution and enrollment data.
www.state.tn.us/thec
IX. Public School Systems (Total number of school systems is 136)
TN Department of Education--all data except fiscal capacity.
http://www.state.tn.us/education/mdata.shtml
TN Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations--education fiscal capacity.
http://tn.gov/tacir/fiscalcapacity.html
Prepared by TACIR