State rental market reference · Data updated October 18, 2026
Tennessee rental market for DSCR investors: rent, taxes and insurance by county
What a rental in Tennessee rents for, what it costs to carry, and whether it stays rented, from official data for all 95 counties. Read it before you price a deal here.
Tennessee at a glance
What does a rental rent for?
$1,307 a month
HUD's FY2027 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent where most of Tennessee's renters live, from $995 (Greene County) to $1,798 (Trousdale County). It is the government figure for a modest 2-bedroom unit, utilities included, not the rent for a house.
What will property taxes cost?
0.50% of value a year
Homeowners in Tennessee pay a median $1,442 a year on a median home value of $286,700 (Census ACS 2020–2024). A rental can be taxed at a different rate than an owner's home; the local tax bill is the real number.
What will insurance cost?
$1,290 a year
The median that homeowners with a mortgage in Tennessee report paying for homeowners insurance (Census ACS 2020–2024). It is not a landlord quote: a rental policy usually costs more, and flood cover is extra.
Will it stay rented?
6.1% rental vacancy
Share of Tennessee's rental homes vacant and for rent (Census ACS 2020–2024), across 933,708 renter households. Lower means rentals fill faster.
Are jobs growing?
Employment down 1.5% in a year
Employed residents in August 2026 against a year earlier; unemployment 3.7% (BLS, not seasonally adjusted, so compare the same month a year apart).
Is new supply coming?
43,374 homes permitted in 2025
About 15.4 new homes per 1,000 households; 74% single-family (Census Building Permits Survey). More new homes means more competition for tenants and buyers.
How often does it flood?
10,970 flood claims since 2005
National Flood Insurance Program claims on properties in Tennessee since 2005, $419.6 million paid (FEMA). Claims show where water has reached insured buildings; they are not a flood map, so check the FEMA flood zone for the address.
What it means for a DSCR rental in Tennessee
A lender's DSCR is the monthly rent divided by the full monthly payment: principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues. Many lenders accept 1.00x; 1.20x leaves a cushion.
Take a home at Tennessee's median value of $286,700, bought with 25% down on a 7.5% 30-year loan, with the state's typical tax rate and insurance:
- Principal and interest ($215,025 loan)
- $1,503
- Property taxes
- $119
- Insurance
- $108
- Full monthly payment
- $1,730
- Rent for a 1.20x DSCR
- $2,080 a month
The government 2-bedroom figure where most of Tennessee's renters live is $1,307 a month, below the $2,080 that home needs. A house usually rents for more than a 2-bedroom unit, so price the house you are looking at with its own rent. The last column of the table below gives the same figure for each county.
Rules and costs a landlord faces in Tennessee
Each line quotes the official source it comes from and the date it was last checked. These are general rules, not legal advice; local rules can add to them.
- What does the state charge to record a purchase?
State tax: $0.37 per $100.
Tennessee imposes a tax of $0.37 per $100 for the privilege of publicly recording documents evidencing all transfers of realty, whether by deed, court deed, decree, partition deed, or other instrument evidencing transfer of any interest in real estate.
Tennessee Department of Revenue, checked October 18, 2026
Market hubs in Tennessee
Each hub makes a monthly call on the market: the rent, the price that still works at 1.20x, and where to start.
Tennessee by county
All 95 counties, most renter households first. "Rent for 1.20x" is the monthly rent a home at that county's median value needs on the example loan above. A dash means the source publishes no reliable figure there.
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shelby County | $1,301 | 0.98% | $1,570 | 7.9% | -2.5% | 1,230 | 547 | $1,970 |
| Davidson County | $1,798 | 0.60% | $1,330 | 7.2% | -1.5% | 5,632 | 3,678 | $3,010 |
| Knox County | $1,475 | 0.43% | $1,200 | 5.5% | -1.8% | 5,013 | 253 | $2,280 |
| Hamilton County | $1,340 | 0.62% | $1,290 | 4.0% | -1.7% | 1,887 | 580 | $2,290 |
| Rutherford County | $1,798 | 0.48% | $1,350 | 6.5% | -1.4% | 3,169 | 308 | $2,730 |
| Montgomery County | $1,307 | 0.61% | $1,310 | 5.5% | -1.8% | 2,723 | 260 | $2,070 |
| Sumner County | $1,798 | 0.51% | $1,380 | 5.6% | -1.3% | 3,045 | 638 | $2,810 |
| Washington County | $1,211 | 0.52% | $1,140 | 4.4% | -1.1% | 697 | 79 | $1,810 |
| Williamson County | $1,798 | 0.40% | $1,790 | 6.7% | -1.4% | 1,621 | 754 | $5,210 |
| Sullivan County | $1,091 | 0.58% | $1,090 | 5.1% | -1.6% | 771 | 93 | $1,570 |
| Madison County | $1,375 | 0.56% | $1,370 | 5.2% | -1.5% | 236 | 91 | $1,590 |
| Bradley County | $1,270 | 0.45% | $1,170 | 2.2% | -1.2% | 788 | 75 | $1,880 |
| Wilson County | $1,798 | 0.42% | $1,370 | 5.6% | -1.5% | 1,982 | 449 | $3,010 |
| Putnam County | $1,102 | 0.48% | $1,290 | 5.2% | -1.4% | 629 | 32 | $2,040 |
| Blount County | $1,475 | 0.45% | $1,170 | 3.8% | -1.5% | 790 | 39 | $2,280 |
| Maury County | $1,474 | 0.45% | $1,250 | 9.1% | -1.4% | 1,408 | 109 | $2,520 |
| Sevier County | $1,213 | 0.28% | $1,150 | 20.5% | -1.5% | 1,139 | 102 | $2,080 |
| Anderson County | $1,475 | 0.54% | $1,210 | 3.2% | -1.8% | 428 | 18 | $1,760 |
| Hamblen County | $1,153 | 0.41% | $1,000 | 6.3% | -2.5% | 258 | 14 | $1,510 |
| Coffee County | $1,088 | 0.57% | $1,290 | 3.8% | -1.0% | 545 | 14 | $1,820 |
| Greene County | $995 | 0.43% | $1,110 | 9.3% | -2.1% | 276 | 21 | $1,510 |
| Gibson County | $995 | 0.66% | $1,230 | 4.3% | -0.7% | 199 | 76 | $1,210 |
| Robertson County | $1,798 | 0.47% | $1,320 | 4.5% | -0.9% | 823 | 65 | $2,400 |
| Carter County | $1,211 | 0.51% | $960 | 7.9% | -1.0% | 190 | 136 | $1,240 |
| Dyer County | $995 | 0.63% | $1,280 | 3.6% | -1.3% | 75 | 226 | $1,280 |
Show the other 70 counties
| County | 2-bed FMR | Property tax | Insurance / yr | Rental vacancy | Jobs, 1 yr | Permits | Flood claims | Rent for 1.20x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumberland County | $1,039 | 0.29% | $1,220 | 5.2% | +0.3% | 128 | 4 | $1,770 |
| Monroe County | $995 | 0.41% | $1,310 | 0.7% | -1.1% | 175 | 10 | $1,660 |
| Bedford County | $1,112 | 0.48% | $1,260 | 4.1% | -1.7% | 378 | 12 | $2,030 |
| Tipton County | $1,301 | 0.50% | $1,360 | 5.7% | -2.0% | 139 | 126 | $1,770 |
| Campbell County | $995 | 0.37% | $1,100 | 6.8% | -1.7% | 156 | 40 | $1,350 |
| Jefferson County | $1,153 | 0.43% | $1,120 | 3.7% | -2.1% | 331 | 13 | $1,650 |
| McMinn County | $995 | 0.35% | $1,180 | 1.1% | -1.3% | 125 | 3 | $1,520 |
| Roane County | $1,048 | 0.53% | $1,290 | 0.9% | -1.5% | 380 | 13 | $1,720 |
| Loudon County | $1,475 | 0.33% | $1,230 | 2.7% | -0.4% | 869 | 21 | $2,430 |
| Hawkins County | $1,091 | 0.54% | $990 | 3.9% | -1.5% | 141 | 11 | $1,300 |
| Weakley County | $995 | 0.48% | $1,180 | 2.4% | -1.7% | 71 | 3 | $1,140 |
| Warren County | $1,051 | 0.42% | $1,150 | 2.0% | +1.0% | 271 | 7 | $1,410 |
| Dickson County | $1,798 | 0.47% | $1,260 | 6.8% | -1.2% | 590 | 50 | $2,200 |
| Obion County | $995 | 0.52% | $1,170 | 3.0% | -0.3% | 27 | 92 | $1,030 |
| Cocke County | $995 | 0.57% | $1,040 | 3.6% | -2.3% | 7 | 59 | $1,190 |
| Franklin County | $1,060 | 0.53% | $1,320 | 5.2% | -2.1% | 323 | 18 | $1,750 |
| Rhea County | $1,059 | 0.43% | $1,190 | 2.7% | -0.4% | 151 | 26 | $1,500 |
| Claiborne County | $995 | 0.49% | $1,200 | 2.6% | -1.2% | 96 | 16 | $1,200 |
| Lawrence County | $1,008 | 0.53% | $1,280 | 1.7% | -0.3% | 32 | 6 | $1,450 |
| Lincoln County | $995 | 0.45% | $1,270 | 0.6% | -0.4% | 159 | 17 | $1,680 |
| Henry County | $1,011 | 0.44% | $1,210 | 4.8% | -0.7% | 18 | 25 | $1,200 |
| Lauderdale County | $995 | 0.59% | $1,410 | 5.7% | -2.1% | 26 | 87 | $1,130 |
| Giles County | $1,105 | 0.42% | $1,250 | 5.5% | -2.4% | 98 | 16 | $1,700 |
| Fayette County | $1,301 | 0.33% | $1,470 | 3.3% | -1.8% | 356 | 15 | $2,400 |
| Marshall County | $1,106 | 0.48% | $1,210 | 6.1% | -0.7% | 367 | 11 | $2,020 |
| Cheatham County | $1,798 | 0.47% | $1,390 | 0.0% | -1.3% | 285 | 320 | $2,430 |
| Carroll County | $995 | 0.58% | $1,240 | 0.3% | +0.4% | 16 | 16 | $1,100 |
| Henderson County | $995 | 0.48% | $1,160 | 8.0% | -0.5% | 25 | 18 | $1,230 |
| Haywood County | $995 | 0.62% | $1,380 | 6.9% | -5.0% | 82 | 71 | $1,190 |
| White County | $1,021 | 0.40% | $1,190 | 1.6% | -0.6% | 163 | 5 | $1,510 |
| Hardeman County | $995 | 0.63% | $1,240 | 1.7% | -0.9% | 34 | 3 | $970 |
| Marion County | $1,340 | 0.43% | $1,230 | 8.8% | -1.3% | 203 | 51 | $1,440 |
| Scott County | $995 | 0.51% | $1,080 | 4.7% | -1.3% | 3 | 1 | $960 |
| Macon County | $995 | 0.39% | $1,320 | 9.0% | +0.2% | 175 | 18 | $1,640 |
| Hardin County | $995 | 0.41% | $1,130 | 2.0% | +0.3% | 26 | 98 | $1,190 |
| DeKalb County | $1,016 | 0.35% | $1,130 | 6.3% | -1.2% | 144 | 16 | $1,680 |
| Grainger County | $995 | 0.48% | $1,170 | 3.1% | -0.9% | 65 | 3 | $1,400 |
| Unicoi County | $1,211 | 0.52% | $1,130 | 6.1% | -1.2% | 28 | 38 | $1,400 |
| Overton County | $995 | 0.39% | $1,050 | 2.1% | -1.4% | 9 | 8 | $1,260 |
| McNairy County | $995 | 0.38% | $1,270 | 0.3% | -0.1% | 26 | 11 | $1,210 |
| Hickman County | $1,028 | 0.46% | $1,120 | 0.0% | -0.3% | 116 | 49 | $1,630 |
| Smith County | $1,146 | 0.47% | $1,310 | 3.2% | -0.6% | 153 | 110 | $1,780 |
| Benton County | $995 | 0.48% | $1,360 | 3.8% | -0.9% | 3 | 16 | $1,180 |
| Johnson County | $995 | 0.40% | $990 | 4.6% | -0.1% | 6 | 43 | $1,290 |
| Chester County | $1,375 | 0.52% | $1,190 | 0.0% | -1.2% | 12 | 1 | $1,240 |
| Union County | $1,475 | 0.37% | $1,140 | 5.8% | -1.6% | 154 | 6 | $1,470 |
| Humphreys County | $1,055 | 0.48% | $1,160 | 9.5% | -0.3% | 42 | 229 | $1,430 |
| Crockett County | $1,093 | 0.59% | $1,310 | 5.0% | -0.1% | 25 | 8 | $1,220 |
| Fentress County | $995 | 0.32% | $1,060 | 7.5% | +2.4% | 8 | 0 | $1,220 |
| Sequatchie County | $1,340 | 0.45% | $1,230 | 11.3% | -1.3% | 14 | 17 | $1,690 |
| Cannon County | $1,798 | 0.43% | $1,340 | 6.4% | -1.2% | 92 | 41 | $1,830 |
| Polk County | $1,270 | 0.50% | $1,190 | 4.7% | -0.9% | 150 | 12 | $1,270 |
| Wayne County | $995 | 0.49% | $1,100 | 6.9% | +1.7% | 0 | 41 | $1,000 |
| Decatur County | $995 | 0.46% | $1,090 | 4.2% | +0.7% | 7 | 98 | $1,050 |
| Morgan County | $995 | 0.52% | $1,170 | 5.2% | -1.2% | 0 | 3 | $1,250 |
| Lake County | $995 | 0.67% | $1,180 | 7.9% | -0.8% | 3 | 13 | $800 |
| Stewart County | $995 | 0.46% | $1,310 | 0.2% | -1.2% | 18 | 17 | $1,510 |
| Meigs County | $1,045 | 0.39% | $1,300 | 0.0% | -1.5% | 91 | 2 | $1,330 |
| Lewis County | $995 | 0.48% | $1,210 | 6.0% | -1.1% | 24 | 15 | $1,300 |
| Perry County | $995 | 0.53% | $1,220 | 8.5% | -0.7% | 12 | 94 | $990 |
| Trousdale County | $1,798 | 0.35% | $1,230 | 3.7% | -1.6% | 112 | 16 | $2,370 |
| Jackson County | $995 | 0.46% | $1,230 | 7.0% | -0.9% | 0 | 17 | $1,170 |
| Clay County | $995 | 0.56% | $1,220 | 1.1% | +1.3% | 26 | 24 | $1,060 |
| Bledsoe County | $1,086 | 0.36% | $1,270 | 6.4% | +3.2% | 0 | 0 | $1,390 |
| Grundy County | $995 | 0.38% | $870 | 6.6% | +0.8% | 16 | 2 | $1,110 |
| Hancock County | $995 | 0.45% | $1,230 | 5.0% | -2.6% | 2 | 13 | $1,030 |
| Houston County | $995 | 0.54% | $1,130 | 4.5% | +1.5% | 1 | 26 | $1,290 |
| Moore County | $995 | 0.45% | $1,550 | 6.1% | +0.0% | 28 | 0 | $2,080 |
| Pickett County | $995 | 0.41% | $1,120 | 4.0% | -4.5% | – | 2 | $1,310 |
| Van Buren County | $995 | 0.44% | $1,020 | 8.2% | +3.0% | 7 | 12 | $1,170 |
Where these numbers come from
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rents, in effect from October 1, 2026: the rent and utilities of a modest 2-bedroom unit, set for housing vouchers. It is not a house rent. Where HUD publishes by town (New England), the county shows the range. HUD Fair Market Rents
- Property tax, insurance, vacancy and home value
- Census American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024. Property tax is the median tax paid divided by the median home value of owner-occupied homes. Insurance is the median that owners with a mortgage report paying, not a landlord quote. Rental vacancy is homes vacant for rent divided by all rental homes. Figures from too few homes are left blank. American Community Survey
- Jobs
- BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics: employed residents in August 2026 against the same month a year earlier, not seasonally adjusted. BLS LAUS
- Permits
- Census Building Permits Survey: new housing units authorized in 2025, all building sizes. Building Permits Survey
- Flood claims
- FEMA National Flood Insurance Program claims with a loss in 2005 or later, and the net amount paid. Only insured buildings appear. Check a flood zone
These are screening figures for comparing places, not a quote, an appraisal or a loan offer. Tennessee total flood payments since 2005: $419.6 million.