Greensboro vs Knoxville
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $239,700 in Knoxville and $244,800 in Greensboro.
- Households earn more in Greensboro ($61,515 vs $54,039 median).
- Knoxville is growing faster: +6% since 2020 vs +3.2%.
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; North Carolina's top rate is 3.99%.
Side by side
| Greensboro, NC | Knoxville, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 308,667 | 202,021 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.2% | +6% |
| People per square mile | 2,299 | 2,046 |
| Median age | 34.3 | 33.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 41% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $61,515 | $54,039 |
| Median home value | $244,800 | $239,700 |
| Home value to income | 4.0× | 4.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,172 | $1,191 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 92.9 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 74.5 | 82.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $69,600 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 51% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 3.99% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.1% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.7 | 20.2 |
| Work from home | 14% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 4.5% |
| Poverty rate | 17% | 20.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 49° / 30° | 48° / 30° |
| July high / low | 89° / 69° | 88° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 44 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 7 in | 5 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 33 | 37 |
| Nights below freezing | 68 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 93.4 | 92.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 75% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +4.9% | +3.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +55.1% | +63.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Greensboro: April to June and October. Knoxville: May to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Greensboro weather by month and Knoxville weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $69,600 in Greensboro and $69,400 in Knoxville. Moving from Greensboro to Knoxville, you would need about $74,800 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Greensboro and Knoxville
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Greensboro and Knoxville.
Which would you pick?
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