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Tucked into the northwestern corner of Tennessee along the shores of Kentucky Lake and the Tennessee River, Benton County occupies one of the most scenic corners of the state. The same waterways that draw recreational boaters and retirees also define the county's economic identity — a place where natural assets haven't fully translated into broad-based prosperity.
At first glance, the housing numbers look like a buyer's paradise. A median home price of $152,000 is less than half the national median, and at just $128 per square foot, Benton County appears to offer genuine affordability in an era when most markets have priced out working families. But the story underneath that headline is more complicated.
The most striking data point here is the year-over-year price decline of -17.6% — a correction that stands out sharply even in a cooling national market. With only 225 sales recorded in the past 12 months and total tracked properties at 391, this is a thin, illiquid market where a handful of transactions can swing medians dramatically. It likely reflects a retreat from pandemic-era lake country enthusiasm, when remote workers and retirees briefly inflated rural waterfront markets across the Mid-South. That wave appears to have receded.
The 10th-to-90th percentile spread — from $37,740 to nearly $448,000 — tells you everything about the bifurcated nature of this market. There are distressed rural properties sitting alongside renovated lake homes, and they're not speaking the same economic language.
| Stat | Value | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $152,000 | Less than half the $320K national median |
| YoY Price Change | -17.6% | Sharp post-pandemic correction in thin market |
| Homeownership Rate | 74.7% | Well above the national norm of ~65% |
| Vacancy Rate | 18.9% | Nearly 1 in 5 housing units sits empty |
The median age of 47.5 — nearly five years above the national figure — combined with a 23.7% share of residents over 65 signals a county that is aging in place. Labor force participation at just 49.6% reflects this demographic reality as much as it does economic hardship. High homeownership at 74.7% suggests deep roots; people here own their homes and aren't leaving.
Yet the vacancy rate of 18.9% is paradoxically high for such a settled community. Many of those empty units are almost certainly seasonal lake properties — cabins and second homes that skew the housing stock data but don't represent genuine shelter capacity.
Only 7.5% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against a national average around 35%. Nearly half the adult population has a high school diploma as their highest credential. Child poverty at 25.2% — one in four children — suggests that the cycle is self-reinforcing. With a SNAP participation rate above 17% and a disability rate of 24.4%, the county carries significant social service weight on a modest tax base.
What makes Benton County, Tennessee unique? Benton County is home to Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park and sits on Kentucky Lake, one of the largest man-made lakes in the eastern U.S. This lake economy gives the county a split personality: a working-class rural core alongside a seasonal recreation economy that attracts outside investment but doesn't always lift local incomes.
Is Benton County, Tennessee a good place to buy a lake home? It can be, but buyers should understand the market's illiquidity. With fewer than 400 tracked properties and thin annual sales volume, prices are volatile — as the recent 17.6% drop demonstrates. The price ceiling near $450,000 for top-tier properties suggests upside exists, but this isn't a market with the transaction depth to guarantee easy resale.
Why is the poverty rate so high if homes are cheap? Affordability is relative to income. At a median household income of $50,435 — about two-thirds the national figure — even modest home prices can strain budgets. The 18.5% poverty rate and 25.2% child poverty rate reflect a regional economy with limited high-wage employers and a workforce without the credentials that attract them.
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