Hamilton County · Tennessee
Chattanooga, TN demographics
Population, income and the local tax burden that sits on top of them — sourced from the Census Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Revenue.
Quick answer
Chattanooga, TN has a population of 187,030 and a median household income of $55,591 — about $4,633 a month before tax. That ranks 77 of 94 covered metros by income and 81 of 94 by population.
Population
187,030
City limits, ACS 5-year
Median household income
$55,591
ACS 5-year estimate
Combined sales tax
9.25%
Tennessee + local
Income rank
#77
of 94 covered metros
Estimated annual sales tax on a median household
A Chattanooga household at the median income of $55,591 spending roughly a quarter of pre-tax income on taxable retail goods would pay about $1,286 a year in sales tax at 9.25%. This is an illustration, not a filing figure: the taxable share of spending varies with household composition, and Tennessee exempts or discounts several categories. Chattanooga sits on the Georgia line, where the combined rate drops to about 8% — a meaningful gap on large purchases.
Method: median household income × 25% taxable share × combined rate. The 25% share is a rough national benchmark from the BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, not a Chattanooga-specific measurement.
Sources
What each figure on this page comes from.
- Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates
- Source: Tennessee Department of Revenue rate tables · rates as published for 2026