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Hamblen County, TN

Rent vs Own in Hamblen County, Tennessee

In Hamblen County the ownership stack ($1,200/mo) sits only modestly above HUD's $1,135/mo 2-bedroom rent, a thin premium, not a blowout. Small assumption changes in the calculator can flip the verdict. Owner-occupied homes: 18,239.

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Renting is cheaper in Hamblen County

HUD's 2-bedroom rent is $1,135/mo - only a thin step below the $1,200/mo ownership stack. That is a $65/mo difference.

Based on 20% down, 6.5% rate, 30-year mortgage. Adjust below.

What This Data Tells Us About Renting vs Owning in Hamblen County

Primary driver

The tax rate is a national tailwind

Hamblen County's 0.41% effective rate is among the lowest of 3,135 tracked counties: roughly 92% pay a higher rate. That low tax line is one reason owning can compete here.

Decision signal 2

Price and income sit in the middle band

Median household income is $55,454, for a 3.8x home-price-to-income ratio in the middle of the national distribution; property tax takes 1.6% of that income. Small changes in down payment or rate move this county across the rent-vs-own line more than they would in a high-ratio market.

Decision signal 3

HUD moved the rent benchmark up

HUD raised its 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent for Hamblen County from $1,069/mo in FY2025 to $1,135/mo in FY2026: it increased by $66/mo (+6.2%). A rising rent benchmark widens the gap in favour of owning over time, because the mortgage share of the ownership cost below is fixed at origination while the rent it is compared against reprices every year.

Decision signal 4

The county sits near the state middle

Using the assumptions above, Hamblen County ranks 41 of 95 Tennessee counties for buy-vs-rent value (rank 1 = the best relative deal for buying). It sits ahead of 54 other Tennessee counties on this measure.

Decision signal 5

Renting wins, but only by a thin premium

At $210,900 for the median home and $862/yr in tax (0.41%), Hamblen County's ownership stack (~$1,200/mo) only narrowly exceeds the $1,135/mo HUD 2-bedroom rent - a $65/mo premium. That is the band where a rate drop or a larger down payment most often flips the cash-flow verdict.

Methodology & disclaimer

This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or financial advice. Property tax figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates and rent figures come from HUD Fair Market Rents; both describe area medians, not individual transactions. Insurance is estimated at 0.35% of home value annually and closing costs, maintenance, HOA, and PMI are not included. Consult a licensed mortgage, tax, or real-estate professional before making a buy-or-rent decision based on these numbers.

Monthly Cost Breakdown

Estimated Monthly Ownership
$1,200
Mortgage (P&I) $1,066
Property Tax $72
Insurance (est.) $62
Monthly Rent (2-BR FMR)
$1,135
Studio$881
1-Bedroom$887
2-Bedroom$1,135
3-Bedroom$1,444
4-Bedroom$1,827

Adjust Your Scenario

Affordability Context

Median Household Income
$55,454
$4,621/mo
Home Price / Income
3.8x
Moderate (3-5x)
Tax-to-Income Ratio
1.6%
National benchmark: 2-4%

Who actually pays it here

In Hamblen County, once the mortgage ends staying put is close to free: the largest cluster of debt-free households faces a yearly charge under $800, so insurance and upkeep, not the tax office, set what the home costs to keep.

Unusually for Hamblen County, returns above $200,000 form the single largest block claiming it, a concentration only a minority of US counties show and a marker of high property values.

Layered on a thin rent-vs-own premium, that annual bill is often the swing factor: a paid-off owner still faces a real yearly charge even when the mortgage payment itself would have looked competitive.

Bill bands are Census ACS counts of owner-occupied homes without a mortgage. Income brackets are IRS Statistics of Income county data for tax year 2022, counted over FILERS reporting real-estate taxes on Schedule A, which is a smaller group than homeowners: most filers take the standard deduction.

Nearby Counties

Shelby County
Home: $249,100 Tax: $2,429/yr
Davidson County
Home: $417,400 Tax: $2,506/yr
Knox County
Home: $320,900 Tax: $1,367/yr
Hamilton County
Home: $312,800 Tax: $1,925/yr
Rutherford County
Home: $382,600 Tax: $1,839/yr
Williamson County
Home: $751,900 Tax: $3,004/yr

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average rent in Hamblen County? ▼
HUD prices a 2-bedroom unit at $1,135/mo here. Sizing up matters: going from a studio to a 4-bedroom adds about $946/mo, so the per-bedroom jump is worth checking against your actual space needs before assuming the 2-BR figure applies to your situation.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hamblen County, Tennessee? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom rent is only a thin step cheaper than owning in Hamblen County (about $65/mo) on the standard 20%-down / 6.5% assumptions. A larger down payment or a rate drop often closes it; equity is still the ownership-only bonus.
How much house can you afford in Hamblen County? ▼
On the common 3x-income guideline, a $55,454 household here can afford up to $166,362 -- about $44,538 short of this county's $210,900 median home. That gap is typically closed with a larger down payment, dual incomes, or a longer search outside the median price band.
What is the median home price in Hamblen County? ▼
$210,900, per the Census Bureau's ACS 5-Year Estimates. What stands out more than the price itself is the tax load on it: this county's 0.41% effective rate sits near the low end of the 3,135 counties tracked here.
Is rent going up or down in Hamblen County? ▼
HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent figure has risen 6.2% between the FY2025 and FY2026 publications, the two most recent years tracked here.
How does Hamblen County compare to other Tennessee counties for renting vs buying? ▼
Out of 95 Tennessee counties ranked here on buy-vs-rent value, Hamblen County lands at spot 41, roughly in the middle of the pack statewide. The <a href="/states/tennessee">Tennessee state page</a> lists every peer county's tax bill beside this one.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey). See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainPropertyTax

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Government Finances State and local property tax revenue by jurisdiction · 2025

Verify with HUD →