Should I Move To
Roughly 70,720 people live in Johnson City, Tennessee. Living here costs very affordable relative to the rest of the country, 20% below the national average. Median rent runs about $893/mo; the typical household pulls in $53,173. On the UrbRank Score it pulls a 65/100 — a B-, putting it at #52 nationally.
UrbRank Score · General
Each dimension scored 0-100 against every other US city.
Based on overall cost of living vs. other US cities.
Temperate summers & winters, moderate precipitation.
Walk Score — how feasible daily errands are on foot.
Unemployment rate plus household income vs. national median.
Air quality index (EPA AQS data).
Share of residents 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher.
By the composite index, Johnson City sits at 80 — very affordable when stacked against the rest of the country. Running the rent-to-income math ($893/mo against $53,173 median household income), housing eats roughly 20% of a typical paycheck — right inside the standard 30%-of-income guideline. Buying-side, the median home value is $215,500.
Full cost-of-living breakdown →The weather here is four-season: roughly 87°F in summer, 32°F in winter. Annual precipitation lands near 52 inches. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods. Air quality reads good (AQI 34).
Verdict by lifestyle profile — same data, different priorities.
For families, Johnson City is one of the stronger US options. It earns 77/100 (grade B+) on the families profile. Strongest on affordability (96/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For retirees, Johnson City is one of the stronger US options. It earns 77/100 (grade B+) on the retirees profile. Strongest on affordability (96/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For remote workers, Johnson City is one of the stronger US options. It earns 82/100 (grade A-) on the remote workers profile. Strongest on affordability (96/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
For young professionals, Johnson City isn't the strongest match. It earns 52/100 (grade C-) on the young professionals profile. Strongest on affordability (96/100); weakest on job market (19/100).
Johnson City, Tennessee pulls a 65/100 overall on the UrbRank Score (grade B-), currently ranked #52 nationally. The composite weights seven lifestyle dimensions: affordability, safety, climate, walkability, jobs, environment, and education.
Johnson City's cost-of-living index is 80 (with 100 as the US average), which lands in the very affordable band — 20% below the national average. Median rent runs about $893/mo.
Four-season — summer averages around 87°F, winter averages around 32°F, with about 52 inches of precipitation a year.
Walk Score: 38/100. Car-dependent for most errands, with small walkable pockets downtown or in older neighborhoods.
Johnson City has about 70,720 residents, 41% of adults 25+ holding a bachelor's degree or higher with a median age of 35.
Use UrbRank's comparison tool to put Johnson City head-to-head against any other US city — housing, salaries, demographics, and quality-of-life metrics side by side. The leaderboard pages also show how Johnson City stacks up for families, retirees, remote workers, and young professionals specifically.
Every US city is scored 0-100 on seven dimensions using public data from the US Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, FBI Crime Data Explorer, EPA Air Quality System, NOAA NCEI, and Walk Score. Each dimension is a percentile rank against every other city — so a score of 80 means the city is in the top 20% nationally on that dimension.
The overall score is a weighted average. Five lifestyle profiles — general, families, retirees, remote workers, young professionals — weight the dimensions differently to reflect what each cares about. Families get more weight on safety and schools; young professionals get more weight on jobs and walkability; retirees get more weight on climate.
Compare Johnson City with other Tennessee cities scored on UrbRank.
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