Durham, NC vs Knoxville, TN

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Knoxville

68.9

#1272 nationally

Durham leads in median household income ($67,432 vs $47,852). Knoxville leads in cost of living index (89 vs 102). Durham leads in school rating (6.4 vs 5.8).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Knoxville, TN
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	68.9 (#1272)
Population	283,506	192,648
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$374,452
Median Household Income	$67,432	$47,852
Average Commute	22.8 min	21.4 min
Walk Score	33	36
Crime Level	Moderate	Moderate
School Rating	6.4	5.8
Cost of Living Index	102	89
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	R+19.5