Johns Creek vs Knoxville
The short version
- Knoxville is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Johns Creek area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $239,700 in Knoxville and $629,400 in Johns Creek.
- Households earn more in Johns Creek ($160,093 vs $54,039 median).
- Knoxville is growing faster: +6% since 2020 vs -2.5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Knoxville (20 vs 30 minutes each way).
- Tennessee has no state income tax on wages; Georgia's top rate is 5.19%.
Side by side
| Johns Creek, GA | Knoxville, TN | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 80,401 | 202,021 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.5% | +6% |
| People per square mile | 2,609 | 2,046 |
| Median age | 43.3 | 33.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 73% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $160,093 | $54,039 |
| Median home value | $629,400 | $239,700 |
| Home value to income | 3.9× | 4.4× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $2,257 | $1,191 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.1 | 92.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 111.0 | 82.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,000 | $69,400 |
| Homeowners | 80% | 47% |
| Top state income tax | 5.19% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.56% | 9.61% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.1 | 20.2 |
| Work from home | 38% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.1% | 4.5% |
| Poverty rate | 4.2% | 20.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 33° | 48° / 30° |
| July high / low | 89° / 70° | 88° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 51 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 5 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 53 | 37 |
| Nights below freezing | 49 | 67 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.8 | 92.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 41% | 56% |
| Home prices, past year | +1% | +3.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42.7% | +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: Johns Creek: April to May and September to October. Knoxville: May to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Johns Creek 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 $75,000 in Johns Creek and $69,400 in Knoxville. Moving from Johns Creek to Knoxville, you would need about $69,400 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Johns Creek 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 Johns Creek and Knoxville.
Which would you pick?
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