LYNCHBURG, Tenn. — If you’ve ever worked on the public funding side of local government, you already know that tiny Moore County faces a unique challenge when it comes to providing services to our citizens. We enjoy a smaller property tax base than many other Tennessee counties while still requiring all the same infrastructure needs for things like public water, sewer, local roads, etc. Additionally, due to the large number of high-paying jobs available here in Lynchburg thanks to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery, local projects often don’t qualify for federal and state grants or low-interest loans due to high household median income.

It’s a trend that will continue based on the latest census information.

Stacker recently released a new study based on the 2020 Census data and it reveals the tiny Moore County actually ranks as the seventh highest earning county in Tennessee – surpassing major urban area like Nashville/Davidson County (#9), Knoxville/Knox County (#15) and even Memphis/Shelby County (#26)

The newswire service compiled the list based on the most recent U.S. Census Data. Counties are ranked by 2020 five-year estimate median household income. According to their report, the median U.S. household income in 2020 was $67,521 – a decrease of 2.9 percent from 2019. The newswire service attributes this decrease to COVID-19 in 2020 drastically altered income and poverty levels, along with consumer habits and job opportunities.

The top 10 highest earning counties in Tennessee included: 1) Williamson County – $111,196 median income, 2) Wilson County – $78,962 median income, 3) Sumner County – $69,878 median income, 4) Rutherford County – $68,718 median income, 5) Robertson County – $66,088 media income, 6) Cheatham County – $63,988 median income, 7) Moore County – $63,762 median income, 8) Fayette County – $63,618 median income, 9) Davidson County – $62,515 median income, and 10) Tipton County – $62,474 median income.

Other surrounding counties ranks were #21 Lincoln County – $53,923 median income, #23 Bedford County – $52,973 median income, #30 Coffee County – $51,030 median income, and #42 Franklin County – $47,777 median income.

You can view the complete report yourself by clicking this link. •

{The Lynchburg Times is the only independently owned and operated newspaper in Lynchburg. We cover Metro Moore County government, Jack Daniel’s Distillery, Nearest Green Distillery, Tims Ford State Park, Motlow State Community College, Moore County High School, Moore County Middle School, Lynchburg Elementary, Raider Sports, plus regional and state news.}