ZIP Code 37421 — Chattanooga city, TN Demographics & Data

ZIP code 37421 covers Chattanooga, TN in Hamilton County with a population of about 52,516.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 41.1 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 423; U.S. House district TN-3; the CHATTANOOGA media market.

Chattanooga, TN sits in a university / college context (near miller-motte college-chattanooga (2.0 mi)). Expect stronger interest in student housing, rentals, walkability, transit, and a younger adult age mix versus typical suburban ZIPs.

Median household income in ZIP 37421 is about $79,958 — about 6% above the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 8.7%; unemployment rate near 3.5%; 37.9% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 4.2 points above the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Healthcare, Retail trade, and Manufacturing; about 11.0% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 4.2 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $299,600 — about 14% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $1,169 (about even with the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 60.6% (about 4.8 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 37421 in Chattanooga, TN, a household would need roughly $82,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,925. That is roughly in line with the local median household income ($79,958). Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Chattanooga city, TN as Relatively Moderate (composite score 93.3), which is among the highest nationally. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (94.9) and wildfire (70.6). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Chattanooga city, TN show little to no average snow and around 55.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,862 for ZIP 37421 (Chattanooga city, TN) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.