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USDA eligibility map: Tennessee

About 93.2% of Tennessee's area is in USDA-eligible rural areas, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map, the 36th highest share among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico. 71 of 95 counties have no ineligible area at all, and Davidson County is entirely ineligible. 53 Census places in Tennessee lie mostly inside ineligible areas, including Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Memphis city, Knoxville city, Chattanooga city and Kingsport city.

93.2%
of the area is USDA eligible (estimate)
2,883
square miles mapped ineligible
71 of 95
counties with no ineligible area
53
Census places mostly ineligible

Check a Tennessee address

USDA eligible area by county

The share of each county's area that is USDA eligible, and the places (cities, towns and census-designated places) at least half inside ineligible areas. These are estimates; check any single property with the lookup.

USDA eligible share of area and mostly ineligible places by county in Tennessee
countyArea eligibleMostly ineligible places
Anderson County85.8%Oak Ridge city
Bedford County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Benton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Bledsoe County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Blount County96.6%Maryville city
Bradley County85.3%Cleveland city, East Cleveland CDP
Campbell County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Cannon County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Carroll County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Carter County98.5%Pine Crest CDP
Cheatham County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Chester County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Claiborne County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Clay County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Cocke County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Coffee County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Crockett County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Cumberland County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Davidson County0%Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Forest Hills city, Oak Hill city, Belle Meade city, Berry Hill city
Decatur County100%None: the whole county is eligible
DeKalb County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Dickson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Dyer County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Fayette County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Fentress County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Franklin County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Gibson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Giles County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Grainger County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Greene County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Grundy County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hamblen County87.0%Morristown city
Hamilton County60.1%Chattanooga city, Middle Valley CDP, Harrison CDP, Signal Mountain town, East Ridge city, Red Bank city, Lookout Mountain town, Ridgeside city
Hancock County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hardeman County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hardin County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hawkins County98.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Haywood County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Henderson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Henry County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Hickman County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Houston County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Humphreys County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jackson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Jefferson County99.9%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Johnson County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Knox County52.6%Knoxville city, Farragut town, Halls CDP, John Sevier CDP
Lake County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lauderdale County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lawrence County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lewis County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Lincoln County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Loudon County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Macon County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Madison County85.8%Jackson city
Marion County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Marshall County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Maury County86.1%Columbia city, Spring Hill city
McMinn County100%None: the whole county is eligible
McNairy County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Meigs County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Monroe County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Montgomery County64.6%Clarksville city
Moore County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Morgan County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Obion County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Overton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Perry County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Pickett County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Polk County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Putnam County87.4%Cookeville city
Rhea County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Roane County89.0%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Robertson County97.6%Springfield city
Rutherford County65.5%Murfreesboro city, Smyrna town, La Vergne city
Scott County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Sequatchie County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Sevier County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Shelby County37.9%Memphis city, Collierville town, Bartlett city, Germantown city
Smith County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Stewart County99.8%None mostly inside; part of the area is ineligible
Sullivan County64.2%Kingsport city, Bristol city, Bloomingdale CDP, Spurgeon CDP, Walnut Hill CDP, Colonial Heights CDP, Sullivan Gardens CDP, Orebank CDP
Sumner County85.0%Hendersonville city, Gallatin city, Goodlettsville city
Tipton County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Trousdale County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Unicoi County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Union County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Van Buren County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Warren County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Washington County78.9%Johnson City city
Wayne County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Weakley County100%None: the whole county is eligible
White County100%None: the whole county is eligible
Williamson County67.3%Franklin city, Brentwood city, Nolensville town
Wilson County88.3%Lebanon city, Mount Juliet city

How USDA decides what is rural

The rural-area definition is section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490): open country and places not part of or associated with an urban area with up to 2,500 people, up to 10,000 if rural in character, or up to 20,000 outside a metropolitan statistical area with a serious lack of mortgage credit for lower and moderate-income families. Areas that lost rural status in the 1990 to 2020 censuses stay rural until 2030 census data arrive if they have 10,000 to 35,000 people and meet the same conditions. Income is a separate test, applied to the household by the lender and USDA.

For other address-level designations in Tennessee, the free census tract lookup shows the income level and QCT and DDA status, and Tennessee has 176 designated Opportunity Zone tracts (Opportunity Zone lookup).

Questions

Is Tennessee eligible for USDA loans?

Much of it is. About 93.2% of the state's area is outside USDA's ineligible areas (2,883 of about 42,124 square miles are ineligible). 71 counties are entirely eligible. Most people live in the larger towns, which are often ineligible, so check the specific address.

Which Tennessee counties have the least USDA eligible area?

Davidson County (0% eligible), Shelby County (37.9% eligible), Knox County (52.6% eligible), Hamilton County (60.1% eligible), Sullivan County (64.2% eligible). The share is of land area, by HeritageDeed's estimate from USDA's map; eligibility is decided for each property.

Which Tennessee towns are not eligible for USDA loans?

Places USDA's map shows as mostly inside an ineligible area include Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government (balance), Memphis city, Knoxville city, Chattanooga city, Kingsport city, Clarksville city, Murfreesboro city and Franklin city. The county table on this page lists every place that is mostly ineligible. Edges matter: part of a town, or land just outside it, can be on the other side of the line, so check the address.

How do I check a Tennessee address for USDA eligibility?

Enter the street address in the lookup on this page. It locates the address and checks it against USDA's published rural eligibility map. It is a screening: Rural Development makes the final determination on a complete application, and household income is a separate test (USDA's income eligibility tool).

When was the USDA eligibility map for Tennessee last updated?

The ineligible areas on USDA's map for Tennessee carry an effective date of July 25, 2023. USDA updates the map from ineligible-area changes sent in by its state offices. The statute keeps formerly rural areas of 10,000 to 35,000 people rural until data from the 2030 census arrive, if they still meet its conditions.

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Legal references

Areas are computed by HeritageDeed: estimates, not USDA figures. USDA's map is not a final determination; Rural Development decides on a complete application. HeritageDeed is not affiliated with USDA.

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