Regional Data:
Online Repository
Topics: Census Data, Child Care and Early Childhood Education, Child Welfare, Community Assessments & Reports, Community Nonprofit Organizations and Services, Domestic Violence, Economic Opportunity, Education, Health, Housing, Infrastructure Development, Transportation,
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Census Data
United States Census Bureau. “QuickFacts: Hamilton County, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee. “2017-2021.
Census Quick Facts for Hamilton County
Statistics on population, housing, computer and Internet use, education, economy, income and poverty, transportation, and businesses.
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Child Care and Early Childhood Education
Early Matters Chattanooga. “2025 Early Childhood Action Plan.”
URL: https://chatt2.org/brightstart/
In 2021, Chattanooga 2.0 and its early childhood action teams joined Bright Start TN initiated by Tennesseans for Quality Early Education. This statewide network connects communities across Tennessee to collaboratively design, implement and scale high-quality early care and education (ECE) systems locally, while informing and advocating for supportive state policies. This three-year action plan to support early childhood needs identifies strengths, barriers, and gaps. The report proposes collaborative solutions and a commitment to continuous assessment, with the technical support TQEE, of what works for Hamilton County families in achieving equitable access to quality early childhood programs and services.
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Early Matters Chattanooga. “Chattanooga-Hamilton County Child Needs Assessment Report.” 2021.
Chattanooga 2.0 URL: https://chatt2.org/earlymatters/
Early Matters Chattanooga, one of seven Chattanooga 2.0 Action teams, is a coalition of over 20 child-and family-serving organizations The Access to Quality Child Care, which issued this assessment, is one of three work groups of Early Matters Chattanooga. This early childhood needs assessment is one tool Early Matters is using to formulate a Strategic Plan and theory of change toward achieving equitable access to early childhood programs and services. The needs assessment process included quantitative analysis of available early childhood data and qualitative analysis through both a series of interviews with parents, families, early care and education providers, community leaders, and a photo-voice project with parents and providers. The report provides the key findings from the assessment process and includes recommendations for the Chattanooga-Hamilton County early childhood system.
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Child Welfare
Tennessee Compilation of Selected Laws on Children, Youth and Families. 2024 Edition.
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Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth. Tennessee Kids Count Publications.
URL: https://www.tn.gov/tccy/programs0/kc.html
The Tennessee Kids Count Profile is taken from the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s KIDS Count National Data Book. Kids Count: The State of the Child in Tennessee is an annual data book that tracks the status of children by analyzing state level statistical indicators of child well-being using social, educational, economic, and health data. Data sheets covering economic well-being, education, family and community context, and health are available.
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County Profiles of Child Well-Being in Tennessee
URL: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tccy/documents/county-profiles/2023profiles/Hamilton2023.pdf
This profile from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth ranks Hamilton County 41st among Tennessee counties in child well-being. The county’s strongest area was Health, ranking 29th statewide. Demographic data is broken down by Economic Well-Being, Education, Health, and Family & Community. The profile finds Hamilton County’s strongest indicator is in the percentage of children living below the federal poverty line, where the county ranks 16th. The county is also strong in the number of children who were victims of abuse or neglect at 8.5 per 1,000. The county’s biggest challenge is in the percent of households in the county experiencing a severe housing cost burden, where it ranks 86th.
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“The Economic Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee.” Haslam College of Business, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. June 6, 2023.
URL: https://haslam.utk.edu/publication/the-economic-cost-of-child-abuse-and-neglect-in-tennessee/
​There is a one-in-eight chance that a child in Tennessee is a substantiated victim of child abuse. The economic impact of substantiated claims of child abuse and neglect in Tennessee is estimated to be between $3.33 and $4.97 billion per year. Substantiated claims comprise four types of maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, drug exposure, and neglect. Efforts to prevent child maltreatment (and to help young victims recover) will yield a literal lifetime of benefits stemming from greater labor force participation, improved population health, decreased rates of substance use disorders, lower incarceration rates, reduced demand for state services, and greater life expectancy. These efforts may include economic support for families, education efforts for parents, and greater access to mental health and counseling services for both parents and children.
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“Resource Map Report of Expenditures for Services to Tennessee Children 2024.” Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
URL: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tccy/documents/resource-mapping/ResourceMapping2024.pdf
Resource Mapping asked departments to report data differently than they do for other purposes. Departments that primarily serve children and youth may have fewer challenges than those serving all ages. Separating expenditures on children from those benefiting all Tennesseans can be difficult and further dividing the data geographically or by program focus is sometimes too much for existing data systems. We push those limits a bit more every year, and our data partners across state government always try to give us information the way we need it. The data in this year’s report reflects expenditures from 27 agencies and 334 programs totaling $14 billion in expenditures on children and youth across the state in FY2023. Of those, $7 billion were state dollars, $6.6 billion were federal dollars and $410 million were funds from other sources.
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TCCY FY2025-2026 Budget Recommendations
URL: https://www.tn.gov/tccy/educate-inform1/tccy-ac-advocacy.html
A complete copy of the budget recommendations is available for download, as are data snapshots relating to child care, child welfare, education, health, mental health, and youth justice.
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State of the Child in Tennessee 2024. Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
URL: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tccy/documents/stateofthechild/2024/2024StateoftheChildFinal.pdf
An annual data book that tracks the status of children by analyzing state level statistical indicators of child well-being using social, educational, economic, and health data.
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2024 County Profiles of Child Well-Being in Tennessee. Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.
URL: https://www.tn.gov/tccy/data-and-research/county-profiles.html
Every Tennessee county in the Greater Chattanooga Area is profiled with overall ranking and information on 52 indicators of child well-being.
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Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth Policy Briefs
URL: https://www.tn.gov/tccy/educate-inform1/policy-briefs.html
Policy briefs available for download on Child Welfare, Early Childhood, Family-Friendly Workplaces, Human Trafficking, Infant and Maternal Health, Youth Justice, Youth Mental Health, and Youth Mentoring.
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Community Assessments & Reports
State of Black Chattanooga: A Report on the Conditions of Blacks in Chattanooga & Hamilton County.
​The National Urban League has produced The State of Black America® since 1976. The Urban League of Greater Chattanooga is one of 90 affiliates of the National Urban League spanning across 300 communities, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide. This report has become one of the most highly anticipated benchmarks and sources for thought leadership for racial equality in America highlighting economics, education, employment, health, housing, criminal justice and civic participation. A key feature of the report is the Black/White Equality Index, a quantitative tool tracking racial equality in America.
URL: https://www.chattamatters.com/
The goal of this multimedia series created by the Enterprise Center in cooperation with the City of Chattanooga is to build community and increase significant engagement by explaining how local government works and how certain issues impact the community, exploring the community’s greatest challenges and possible solutions, and highlighting people and places that make Chattanooga unique.
2023 Community Needs Assessment and Recommendations: United Way of Greater Chattanooga
URL: UWGC-2023-Community-Needs-Assessment.March-2023.pdf
In Fall 2022, UWGC contracted with local researchers to develop a comprehensive needs assessment of its six-county service region. The results will form the foundation of UWGC’s new strategic plan focused on children in financial hardship and will guide their community investment and grantmaking,
nonprofit capacity building, community partnerships, and other critical efforts in the coming years.
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“Chattanooga 2.0. Forward Together: 2021 Report to the Community.“
URL: https://chatt2.org/2021-report/
This progress reports on the impacts Chattanooga 2.0 made on early childhood education and literacy for all students. The report identifies addressing future challenges and opportunities in school readiness and success for young children, career and college readiness, and post-secondary completion.
Southeast Tennessee Human Resource Agency. “Community Needs Assessment FY 2022.”
URL: SETHRA Needs Assessment FY 2022
SETHRA conducted a comprehensive needs assessment between July 2021 and June 2022.
Needs assessment surveys were distributed to a random selection of agency participants, local Community Advisory Boards and Health Council meetings, and at the SETHRA Governing Board meetings. During the FY21 funding cycle, the agency saw an increase in CSBG eligible households identifying as homeless. Reported causes of homelessness were an income earning spouse or partner leaving the household, recent release from jail/prison, the family is “couch surfing,” or recently moving into the service area with no plan before arriving. The agency also saw an increased need for alternative work hours for childcare. The assessment identifies priority needs, family needs, community needs, and agency needs.​
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Community Culture Index: Understanding Community in the Workplace: 2022-2023 Community Report
The CCI is based on data gathered from 60 organizations in government and education for profit, and nonprofit sectors. The project team analyzed the data to understand better whether Chattanooga's employers were embedding inclusive practices in the workplace. Since many of these organizations were asked these questions for the first time, the survey used for the CCI was completely confidential.
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Hamilton Counted 2024 Year-End Report
URL: https://www.hamiltontn.gov/PDF/Mayor/Media/Hamilton%20Counted%202024%20Year-End%20Report.pdf
A compendium of statistical data for Hamilton County in the areas of education, crime, substance abuse, food and nutrition assistance, homelessness and health, and victim services.
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Southeast Tennessee Human Resources Agency FY 2024 Annual Report
​URL: https://www.sethra.us/images/pdf/FY2024-Annual-Report.pdf
Highlights of the accomplishments and progress of SETHRA’s new initiatives and ongoing programs.​
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Thrive Regional Partnership 2024 Annual Report
A report on impacts and accomplishments in communities across the tri-state region over the last year through such initiatives as Resilient Communities, Freight Mobility Coalition, and the Regional Broadband Alliance.
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2030 Impact Agenda: United Way of Greater Chattanooga
The report elaborates on the three impact goals: Opportunities for all Children, Economic Mobility for Families, and A More Connected Community.
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Community Nonprofit Organizations and Services
​​CHATT Foundation
URL: https://chattfoundation.org/
The mission of the CHATT Foundation is to meet the most basic needs of hungry, homeless and vulnerable people in our community while offering a clear path to self-sufficiency.
Chattanooga Endeavors
URL: https://chattanoogaendeavors.org/
Chattanooga Endeavors provides comprehensive and innovative solutions to the unique challenges that individuals face after a felony conviction by successfully tackling various complex problems that are conducive to crime, including substance abuse, illiteracy, unemployment, and homelessness.
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Chattanooga Endeavors Community Resource Directory 2024
URL: https://chattanoogaendeavors.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Resource-Directory-2024.pdf
This community services directory includes providers in the Hamilton County area that address many of the needs that are common to reentry, including links to the current list of state approved halfway houses, sexual offender treatment providers, and a mapping tool for exclusion zones.
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Chattanooga Organized for Action
URL: https://www.chattaction.org/
Chattanooga Organized for Action is a multi-issue community organizing non-profit that works to initiate, support, and connect popular grassroots organizations for the purposes of advancing the local social justice movement.
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Chattanooga Food Center
URL: https://chattfoodcenter.org/
The goal of the organization is to create a food system in Chattanooga that allows easy access to affordable, healthy food while connecting closely to the producers that grow it and intends to act as a resource center for obtaining affordable fresh food. Learning the benefits of cooking it, and heightening our understanding of the foodscape will make for a healthier community.
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Chattanoogans in Action for Love, Equality and Benevolence (CALEB)
URL: https://www.calebcha.org/
The purpose of CALEB is to bring together an institutional coalition of faith-based, labor, and other community organizations in order that their constituents gain a powerful voice in public affairs and issues in the wider community. CALEB members have identified three broad issues that we agree to work on collectively: Criminal Justice, Economic Mobility, and Education Reform. A task force for each issue is made up of members who build campaigns, explore issues, and recommend actions for the broader CALEB community. These campaigns help to build experienced leaders who can work together to increase our ability to make change.
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Community Options
Community Options works with individuals with significant disabilities through residential services, day programs, social enterprises that employ individuals with disabilities, high school transition programs, and specialized programs for respite and medically fragile adults. The Chattanooga office serves residents of Hamilton County.
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Green Spaces Chattanooga
URL: https://www.greenspaceschattanooga.org/
Green Spaces’ mission is to advance the sustainability of living, working, and building in Chattanooga and the surrounding region through advocacy and incentive campaigns, education and training classes, design competitions, and other programs.
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Hamilton County Coalition
URL: https://www.hccoalition.org/
The Hamilton County Coalition partners with agencies to facilitate community-level change through comprehensive prevention and intervention strategies to reduce substance abuse among youth and young adults through community outreach and education.
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Help Right Here Chattanooga
URL: https://www.helprightherechattanooga.org/
Help Right Here began as a street outreach organization to homeless people primarily in downtown Chattanooga. A major project was the 12th & Peeples encampment that began on May 21, 2022, and closed February 2024. The camp had a community room, bike shop, and garden maintained and run by the residents. HRH is currently helping to create a transitional village of small shelters in Hamilton County.
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Hope for the Inner City
URL: https://www.wearehfic.org/
Through collaboration with local churches, schools, businesses, nonprofits, and individual supporters, the mission of Hope for the Inner City is driving meaningful change by empowering individuals and working families in East Chattanooga to overcome barriers and build brighter futures.
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Metropolitan Ministries
URL: https://www.met-min.org/
Metropolitan Ministries offers individuals and families a bridge to continuing self-sufficiency, especially for those who have exhausted all other kinds of support through such services as emergency financial assistance for past due rent and mortgage and utilities, rapid rehousing assistance, and medical and veterinary services.
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Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga
URL: https://www.chattanoogawomensfund.org/
Made up of advocates, volunteers, and philanthropists, the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga unites efforts for social change that improve life for women and girls across the region through advocacy and philanthropy to catalyze movement toward a just society that is safe, nurturing, and full of opportunity for women.
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Domestic Violence
Hamilton County Family Justice Center. “Community Domestic Violence Needs Assessment.”
Data from Hamilton County Family Justice Center.
The document linked is raw data collected by the Hamilton County Family Justice Center. A summary report is forthcoming and will be linked when available. Participants include representatives of law enforcement, state and local government, social service and faith-based organizations, and parent/family support groups.
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The Hope Center
URL: https://thehopecenterinc.com/
The 10th Judicial District Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) was created in 2000 as an extension of the already growing Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Program in response to the local community’s recognition of the need to assist children and families victimized by child sex abuse and/or severe physical abuse. The Center provides services for children and families in Bradley, McMinn, Monroe, and Polk counties at two locations.
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Economic Opportunity
Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce Stats & Demographics
URL: https://chattanoogachamber.com/stats-demographics/
This excellent collection of information on businesses, economic indicators, and labor includes complete demographic comparison reports for Downtown, Eastgate, Hamilton Place, and Northgate.
Chattanooga Climbs - 5-year plan to advance economic and talent initiatives
URL: https://chattanoogachamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Chattanooga_Climbs_Executive_Summary_from_Chattanooga_Chamber.pdf
This executive summary of Chattanooga Climbs, the 5-year economic and talent plan for Chattanooga and Hamilton County, outlines economic development goals and creative strategies and tactics to achieve them. The full plan includes calls to action, timeframes for execution, lead implementation organizations, and metrics for measuring success.
Hamilton County Community and Economic Development Department
URL: https://www.hamiltontn.gov/Department_CommunityAndEconomicDevelopment.aspx
The Community and Economic Development Department supports and promotes a variety of Hamilton County initiatives by coordinating grant funding opportunities, application submittals and grants management. Areas of grant oversight include grant research, technical assistance, grant monitoring, fiscal reimbursements, and regulatory compliance. The site includes a current listing of grants managed by the department and summaries of all county projects.
Southeast Tennessee Development
URL: https://www.sedev.org/
SET provides workforce services to job seekers as well as business and industry. Along with a business-led workforce Investment Board, SET operates and staffs career centers in the Chattanooga-area region. American Job Centers serve 10 counties with offices in Chattanooga, Athens, Cleveland, Dayton, Kimball, and Tracy City. Services offered include career and training services for adults, dislocated workers and youth, and Adult Education and Literacy Act programs that lead to attainment of a high school equivalency diploma, basic skills upgrades or English language acquisition, job search assistance, job referral and placement, services for employers, and programs providing employment and training for individuals with disability.
Urban League of Greater Chattanooga. “Hamilton County 2021 State of Black-Owned Business Needs Assessment.”
https://ulchatt.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/UL-State-of-Black-Chattanooga-Booklet-2022.pdf
Four noteworthy findings emerged from this assessment. Most Black-owned businesses are initially self-funded and, when pursuing growth, push the limits of their capacity before considering other funding options. Gender shapes perceptions and experience. Black woman-owned businesses reported that finding time to dedicate to strategic planning and to balance their businesses with other work as a “high impact” challenge. Black-owned businesses seek access to new markets and access to networks. Interviewees express high interest in government contracts and expansion to markets beyond the region as avenues to scale, hire and find greater economic stability, but they report limitations to their readiness to pursue these strategies, including low awareness of how to find or respond to government opportunities. Respondents identified sales, marketing, and accounting as top priority areas for technical assistance, and expressed high interest in free business coaching, mentoring, and online training.
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ALICE Update on Financial Hardship in Tennessee
URL: https://www.unitedforalice.org/Attachments/AllReports/2024-ALICE-Update-TN-FINAL.pdf
With the latest data from the American Community Survey (2022), the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (2023), and the Federal Reserve Board’s Survey of Household Economics and Decision-making (SHED) (2022), this update highlights the conflicting forces that continue to present opportunities for, and barriers to, financial stability in Tennessee.
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Tennessee County Reports: United for Alice
URL: https://www.unitedforalice.org/county-reports/tennessee
ALICE is an acronym for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed which identifies households that earn more than the Federal Poverty Level, but less than the basic cost of living for the county according to the ALICE Threshold. Households below the ALICE Threshold—ALICE households plus those in poverty — cannot afford essential household needs. Households move below or above the ALICE Threshold as economic factors and circumstances change.
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Counties are the core for ALICE data revealing variations often masked by statewide averages, and the data is reported regularly and reliably. The database offers overviews of financial hardship in all Tennessee counties in the Greater Chattanooga area. The county profiles highlight key aspects of local economies, including details related to regional demographics, the cost of living, and the labor landscape.
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ALICE Data Snapshots: Hamilton, Marion and Sequatchie Counties: United Way of Greater Chattanooga
Three snapshots of 2022 Alice data for three counties in the Greater Chattanooga area are available from United Way of Greater Chattanooga.
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Hamilton County
URL: https://unitedwaycha.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Hamilton-County-ALICE-Snapshot.pdf
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Marion County
URL: https://unitedwaycha.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Marion-County-ALICE-Snapshot.pdf
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Sequatchie County
URL: https://unitedwaycha.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Sequatchie-County-ALICE-Snapshot.pdf
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Chattanooga Area Chamber 2024 Annual Report
URL: https://chattanoogachamber.com/annual-report/
The report includes economic development highlights, and summaries of accomplishments in entrepreneurship, diversity and inclusive growth, and education and talent development initiatives.
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Chattanooga Area Chamber Stats and Demographics
URL: https://chattanoogachamber.com/stats-demographics/
Airport Activity, Demographic Rings, Economic Indicators, Jobs by Sector, and Wages are among the many categories.
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Chattanooga Income Statistics to Know in 2024, Neilsburg Research
URL: https://www.neilsberg.com/insights/topic/chattanooga-tn-income/#overview
In addition to the section on Median Household Income: Trends, Analysis, and Key Findings are income datasets broken down by race, gender, and age.
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Chattanooga, TN-GA Economy at Glance, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
URL: https://www.bls.gov/eag/eag.tn_chattanooga_msa.htm
Geographically based survey data available from BLS: Employment and Unemployment, Prices and Living Conditions, and Compensation and Working Conditions.
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Chattanooga, TN-GA Area Economic Summary, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
URL: https://www.bls.gov/regions/southeast/summary/blssummary_chattanooga.pdf
Updated on March 21, 2025, this summary presents a sampling of economic information for the area; supplemental data are provided for regions and the nation. Subjects include unemployment, employment, wages, prices, spending, and benefits.
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Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity. How Community Partners in Chattanooga, Tennessee are Working Toward an Equitable Workforce System (2023)
URL: https://doi.org/10.29338/wc2023-01
From April 2022 through March 2023, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Center for Workforce and Economic Opportunity participated in the Reinventing Our Communities (ROC) program, a place-based economic inclusion program designed to increase equity in the workforce development system in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Through applied trainings, workshops, peer learning, and technical support, the program helped public- and private-sector community partners across Chattanooga work toward:
• Improved community-led collaboration around racial equity and workforce development
• Increased organizational capacity to identify challenges and solutions to advance equity in the workforce system
• Greater understanding of actionable strategies to create sustainable systems-level change across their regional economies
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Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership
URL: https://www.greaterchatt.com/data-maps/regional-stats/
The Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership (GCEP) is a public-private, regional economic development partnership representing a 16-county region in Northeast Alabama, Northwest Georgia and Southeast Tennessee. GCEP focuses on building awareness of the region for business expansion and relocation. GCEP is an outgrowth of the Thrive 2055 regional planning effort and is managed through the Chattanooga Chamber Foundation in partnership with local economic development organizations throughout the region. The website offers data snapshots for each of the counties GCEP represents.
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“The Impact of Consumer Debt Collection Lawsuits in Hamilton County.” Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga.
URL: https://www.cfgc.org/index-entry/the-impact-of-debt-collection-lawsuits-in-hamilton-county-tn
To create pathways to economic mobility in Chattanooga, the organization investigated how the burden of debt severely limits a family’s ability to achieve economic security and thrive. This report used publicly available court data and stakeholder interviews to understand the impact of debt collection lawsuits in Hamilton County. The report primarily relied on docket data from Tennessee Case Finder for case-level information on civil cases filed between 2016-2022 in Hamilton County, including case filing dates, case types, party names, defendant addresses, judgment amounts, and detailed information about service and garnishments. The Legal Services Corporation scraped and cleaned this data. The research also included interviews with various stakeholders, including General Sessions Court judicial officers, creditors and creditor’s attorneys, bankruptcy trustees, legal aid attorneys, banks and employers who process garnishment, and people who have experienced a consumer debt.
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Education
Tennessee Department of Education Report Card: Hamilton County
URL: https://tdepublicschools.ondemand.sas.com/district/00330
The 2021-2022 report card presents demographic data about enrolled students and scores for district performance indicators, such as achievement, growth, and graduation rate. The site also includes district-wide performance level statistics based on TCAP scores. Statistical data is broken down by both grade levels and subject areas.
TN SCORE – K-12 By the Numbers
URL: https://tnscore.org/resources/k-12-by-the-numbers
SCORE compiles a snapshot of key indicators of student success by analyzing data from Tennessee’s public K-12 school districts. The key performance indicators analyzed are 3rd grade language arts, 7th grade math, ACT composite of 21+, and College-Going.
2023 Hamilton County Education Higher Education Profile
URL: www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/thec/countyprofiles/CountyProfile_Hamilton.pdf
The statistical snapshot compares the county’s high school graduation rate, college attendance rate, first-time freshman TELS recipient rate, and ACT scores to statewide numbers. The profile includes information about education grant programs in Hamilton County, comparative statistics on educational attainment of ages 25-64 and socio-economics, and numbers on Tennessee student assistant awards and lottery scholarship recipients.
Higher Education Fact Book
URL: https://www.tn.gov/thec/data-research-reports/reports-studies-pub/fact-book.html
The annual report compiled by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission reports on student preparation, such as admission rates, freshman class profiles, and learning support placement and success rates, by subject area; student participation, such as college-going rates, overall enrollment, and enrollment by critical student subpopulations; student progression, such as end-of-term enrollment counts, freshman-to-sophomore retention rates, and the number of students passing credit hour benchmarks under the higher education funding formula; student success and completion, such as retention and graduation rates, time to degree, credentials awarded, and credentials awarded per one hundred (100) full-time equivalent enrolled students; workforce participation, such as job placement rates, and licensure passage rates; academic trends, such as student engagement survey results, changes to the academic program inventory, low-producing academic programs, the number and percentage of accredited programs, and the percentage of lower division instructional courses taught by full-time faculty, part-time faculty, and graduate assistants; financing trends, such as state appropriation levels and net tuition revenues, state and other revenue per student, and state and other revenue per awarded credential; and affordability trends, such as in-state and out-of-state tuition rates, aggregate debt and student default rates, and costs of attendance. Though not Hamilton County specific, there is data for higher education institutions in the county.
2022 Tennessee College Going Report
URL: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/thec/bureau/research/college-going-reports/CGR%20Report%20Class%20of%202022_FINAL.pdf
This year’s college-going rate report from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission focuses on the class of 2022. College-going rate indicates the portion of public high school graduates who seamlessly enroll in postsecondary education. College for the class of 2022 is one and a half percentage points over the class of 2021, for a statewide college-going rate of 54.3%, representing the largest statewide increase since the implementation of Tennessee Promise. College going increased across all race and gender pairs, but these increases are not evenly distributed. African American students of both genders, Hispanic/Latino females, and White males saw growth in college-going rates above the statewide growth of one and a half percentage points. Growth for White females, Hispanic/Latino males, and students of either gender in the “Other” race category was smaller than the statewide growth. Pronounced growth for traditionally underrepresented student groups shows progress toward closing the equity gaps in college going in Tennessee. The report examines a college-going rate for students who were found to be verified participants in the Dual Enrollment Grant, a state scholarship that funds high school students taking college-level coursework while enrolled in high school. Students who participated in the Dual Enrollment Grant at any point in their high school career were found to have consistently higher college-going rates than their full high school graduating cohort. The proportion of the class of 2022 enrolling at Tennessee Colleges of Applied Technology (TCATs) and at the Locally Governed Institutions (LGIs) increased compared to the previous class. The report includes a new section analyzing the labor market outcomes of high school graduates in the class of 2021. The analysis finds a small portion of class of 2021 graduates in the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) data. For students found in the UI data, those who were earning high wages had a lower college-going rate than the cohort average, suggesting that some students traded off education for work.
Tennessee Board of Regents Data Dashboard and College Profiles
URL: https://www.tbr.edu/policy-strategy/data-and-research
Tennessee Data Dashboard provides interactive and visual information on Community Colleges and Technical Colleges of Applied Technology on various student data broken down into such categories as general enrollment, enrollment by student types, student success, and awards.
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Hamilton County Schools Esser 3.0 Needs Assessment
URL: https://www.hcde.org/district/openhcs/e_s_s_e_r
In response to COVID-19, Congress passed the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021 enacted on March 11, 2021. Hamilton County Schools was granted $91 million as part of the third relief package known as ESSER 3.0 or ARPA. ESSER funds are provided to state educational agencies and school districts to help address the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the nation’s students. Hamilton County Schools developed a plan to use ESSER 3.0 funds after reviewing the feedback provided by the community. The district strives to be transparent in the development of the required ESSER plans and budget.
2021-2022 Hamilton County Schools State Testing Data
URL: https://www.hcde.org/newsroom/archive_22-23/h_c_s_2021-22_state_testing_data
Student proficiency and growth data for 2021-2022 school year from the Tennessee Department of Education.
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Chattanooga 2.0 2030 Goals Data Dashboard
​URL: https://chatt2.org/data/#goals
The aim of the 2030 goals dashboard is to foster collaboration across sectors by sharing data to show the interconnectedness of the work. This dashboard is designed to both hold Chattanooga 2.0 accountable to our goals and to help community organizations and local leaders inform and strengthen their work. The dashboard dives into each of the five focus areas—Kindergarten Readiness, 3rd-5th Grade Literacy Proficiency, College & Career Readiness, College Attainment Rate, and High Wage Jobs—by exploring data disaggregated by economic status, race, and English learner status while providing contributing and contextual indicators. Contextual indicators give a picture of how the community is doing overall even if the indicators aren’t directly correlated with our specific focus area. Contributing indicators are variables that will have a direct impact on the core goal we are attempting to achieve.
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Health
​Hamilton County
URL: https://file-cdn.chattanoogan.com/old/Breaking-News/HamiltonCountedAugust2023report.pdf
The data in the report is intended to provide a general insight into the current state of crime areas served by the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office and the Chattanooga Police Department. In Substance Misuse and Overdose Trends, Fentanyl was listed as the cause of death in 73% of the total number of suspected drug-related deaths in Hamilton County in 2022, compared to 71% in 2021. The report also includes statistics on homelessness and health.
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department Community Health Services, Office of Assessment and Planning. “2024 Picture of Health for Hamilton County.”
URL: https://health.hamiltontn.org/Portals/14/Picture%20of%20Our%20Health%202024%20V3.pdf
This collection of health status indicators provides a broad overview of the health of Hamilton County residents. It is a resource for local community members and community-based organizations to use for planning to improve population health. The data in the report is compiled from a variety of public sources. It presents, where available, comparable data for Tennessee and the United States.
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Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority. “2020 Community Health Needs Assessment.”
URL: https://www.erlanger.org/community-impact/impact
Based on the entire CHNA process—research, community input, and guidance from the CHNA committee—Erlanger identified four priorities that the health system is committed to pursue over three years: expand access to behavioral health care, expand access to primary care and specialty case, especially in rural communities, care coordination to improve patient care and outcomes, and engage in community partnerships with potential educational partners to evaluate opportunities for increased community health literacy education.
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Chattanooga Care Connector
URL: https://chacareconnector.org/social-services
Sponsored and managed by the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, School of Nursing through a U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration grant—the Clinical-Academic Network for Developing Leaders (CANDL) program, Chattanooga Care Connector is a website designed to provide residents with an easy way to locate free or low-cost health care and social services in their area. Users may search for results by location, service, or both. Most health care providers and establishments listed offer services for free or at a reduced rate.
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County Health Rankings & Road Maps—2025 Data for all Greater Chattanooga Area Counties
URL: https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/health-data
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CHR&R), is a program of the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, developed to draw attention to why there are differences in health within and across communities. Highlighting policies and practices that can help everyone be as healthy as possible, CHR&R aims to grow a shared understanding of health, equity and the power of communities to improve health for all. Current health data snapshots for all counties comprising the Greater Chattanooga Area are available. The statistical data in county snapshots are organized into such categories as quality of life, health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment.
Hamilton County Health Department Health Data Dashboard
URL: https://health.hamiltontn.org/en-us/data,permits,andrequests/healthdatadashboard.aspx
The Hamilton County Health Data Dashboard is a partner piece to the Community Health Assessment, “A Picture of Our Health,” and is designed to provide an overview of the health status of Hamilton County residents by using the most current publicly available data. The data focuses on social drivers of health and emerging health issues.
Siskin Hospital for Physical Rehabilitation. “Community Health Needs Assessment FY 2024.”
URL: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/627d0f9173f2c5141669ea60/t/669170a266f8400e0de2b514/1720807587246/Siskin-Hospital-Community-Needs-Assessment-FY-2024+FINAL.pdf
Primary research for the Siskin Hospital Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) was conducted March 10 through April 8, 2024 under the supervision of the Marketing and Communications Department in conjunction with the Administration of Siskin Hospital. The purpose of the assessment was to gain better insight into the health concerns and needs of communities served, focusing specifically on persons with disabilities and impairments. Included in this assessment were individuals who received inpatient health care services with Siskin Hospital in 2023 and had email addresses available for assessment dissemination. Some caregivers also received the survey. A total of 533 individuals were included; survey respondents totaled 42 individuals. Although the quantitative data outlined in this report comes from our primary service area of Hamilton County, the qualitative data obtained from the survey reached beyond our primary service area, as we did not exclude patients outside of Hamilton County.
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​Housing
Chattanooga-Hamilton County Regional Planning Agency. “Chattanooga Housing Study.” 2012 (Rev. July 2013).
URL: https://chcrpa.org/project/chattanooga-housing-study/
Key findings of this year-long study reveal that the decline of family net worth and incomes significantly impacted the financial capacity of households to obtain affordable housing. While detached single-family homes continue to be Chattanooga’s primary housing, there is an increasing demand for apartments and smaller housing units located in communities with more convenient access to daily needs. Chattanooga has a dwindling supply of undeveloped subdivision lots but has a significant number of vacant lots scattered throughout the city in neighborhoods that will require revitalization intervention to make them attractive for redevelopment. Current city codes impact housing affordability. Housing affordability affects all income levels but is most acute among low-income citizens. In Chattanooga, 77% of households with incomes less than $15,000 and 51% of households with income of $15,000 - $29,999 spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing. The report lists a variety of recommendations to address the housing gaps identified in the study.
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“Affordable Housing Report (February 2023).” Northside Neighborhood House.
URL: https://www.nnhouse.org/uploads/2023/07/nnh-housing-white-paper.pdf
The Northside Neighborhood House focuses on empowering residents north of the Tennessee River to create thriving communities across northern Hamilton County. NNH focuses on creating relationships and connecting individuals to support that aids them in creating stability for themselves and their families. The ability to address the varying needs of the community enables the NNH to provide a holistic support approach for individuals at all ages and stages of life.
This report identifies an affordable housing crisis in the Chattanooga-Hamilton County. NNH clients spend an average of 56% of their monthly income on rent. Homeowners with a mortgage spend 49% of their monthly income on their mortgages. In five of the seven zip codes served by NNH, more than 30% of renters are either cost burdened or severely cost burdened. Some communities see rates higher than 40%. The numbers are comparable across all zip codes in Hamilton County.
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Chattanooga Regional Homeless Coalition
URL: https://www.homelesscoalition.org/
Since 1998, CRHC has been the lead agency instrumental in the development and preparation of the Chattanooga/Southeast TN Continuum of Care (CoC) and has expanded this effort to include eleven counties. In 2022, CRHC was contracted by the City of Chattanooga to lead the homeless response system in the community, to include publishing a Strategic Plan to Address and End Homelessness.
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Chattanooga’s Housing Action Plan Progress Report and Implementation Strategy
URL: https://www.fels.upenn.edu/sites/default/files/2024-09/SShivers-Final-Capstone.pdf
The plan is a policy playbook providing best practices, policy recommendations, and strategic actions the City and its partners should pursue to address the City’s growing housing challenges. The plan includes over 40 recommendations with 60 corresponding actions. Five different City departments and agencies are responsible for implementing the recommendations and actions, under the leadership of Mayor Tim Kelly and Chief Housing Officer Nicole Heyman. The Chief Housing Officer leads the Office of Housing and Community Investments (HCI), which is composed of two divisions: a policy division led by the Director of Housing Policy and a division that manages entitlement grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Chief Housing Officer and Director of Housing Policy are the leads for implementing the Housing Action Plan. The entire HCI team, housing and community partners, philanthropic organizations, lending organizations, and other housing agencies at the state and local levels are all critical to successful implementation of these goals.
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Infrastructure Development
Bradley County, TN 2025 Community Connectivity Plan, THRIVE Regional Partnership
URL: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aphT1O840dk1j3JoLKyOkRZBcta0d_uC/view?usp=sharing
Bradley County conducted a comprehensive Connectivity Plan assessment to collect the data necessary for evaluating, selecting, and implementing effective solutions to enhance local broadband connectivity and affordability. This effort enables the county to take full advantage of federal funding opportunities, including the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program and the Digital Equity Act (DEA).
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Transportation
The Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Transportation Planning Organization. “2050 Regional Transportation Plan.”
URL: https://2050rtp-chcrpa.hub.arcgis.com/
The dashboard allows visitors to explore funded projects included in the 2050 RTP by funding tier (Tier 1 (2027-2030), Tier 2 (2031-2040), and Tier 3 (2041-2050) and programmatic Set-Asides that are to be funded as project sponsors become ready to initiate them.
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Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Metropolitan Planning Organization
URL: https://chcrpa.org/metropolitan-planning-organization/
Known as the Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Transportation Planning Organization (TPO) prior to August 2024, the Chattanooga-Hamilton County/North Georgia Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) performs a wide array of transportation planning activities for the federally designated MPO area shown on the map. The MPO coordinates with federal, state, and local governments to facilitate smart investment in our region’s transportation infrastructure over the short and long term.
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Thrive Regional Infrastructure Portal
URL: https://trip-thrive-geohub.hub.arcgis.com/
This data gateway, built by Thrive Regional Partnership and Georgia Tech, is a resource to learn more about the freight industry, logistics data, and transportation infrastructure in the tri-state greater Chattanooga region. The gateway includes links to StoryMaps, interactive regional maps, and access to transportation and freight-related datasets in greater Chattanooga.
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