Counties with the oldest homes in Tennessee
There's an undeniable charm that comes with pre-World War II American architecture, characterized by high ceilings, crown molding, hardwood floors, and ornate details. In fact, 11.4% of all housing units in America were built in 1939 or before, showing the popularity of the preservation of these units. Owning a piece of history can sometimes come with a cost: Many old homes come with asbestos, lead piping, knob-and-tube wiring, and other outdated building styles that can rack up a hefty price tag to modernize. However, with more and more modernized pre-war homes on the market, generally located just outside bustling downtown metros, investing in property that has withstood the test of time is an attractive prospect.
Stacker compiled a list of the counties in Tennessee with the oldest homes using data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties are ranked by median year the structure was built according to 2023 5-year estimates. Ties broken by the highest percentage of homes built before 1939.
The country's domestic architecture is perhaps best characterized by a rugged individualism as opposed to the hybridization of disparate architectural elements. As Maya Angelou once perceptively observed, "the ache for home lives in all of us," a phrase that has meant very different things to different people.
Modest or palatial, there is no shortage of noteworthy homes in the U.S. Log cabins constructed by industrious pioneers have dotted the landscape alongside traditional Native American dwellings ever since immigrant Swedes introduced them to the New World in 1638. The unprecedented personal fortunes amassed by the so-called "Robber Barons" at the close of the 19th century gave way to the construction of a staggering number of Gilded Age estates.
The ravages of time spared neither the sumptuous nor the humble. Stately mansions, often prohibitively costly to maintain in the modern era, were frequently neglected; simple structures were forgotten, discarded by their owners, and damaged by natural elements. However, the tireless efforts of architectural preservationists and local historical societies have saved many of these homes from demolition, leading to their inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places and thereby safeguarding them for future generations.
Keep reading to learn more about which counties in Tennessee have the oldest homes.
#50. Washington County
- Median year homes built: 1986- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.4% (4,532 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (919 homes)
- Total homes built: 61,426
#49. Lincoln County
- Median year homes built: 1986- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.0% (1,619 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (165 homes)
- Total homes built: 16,124
#48. Hardin County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 2.2% (333 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (230 homes)
- Total homes built: 15,096
#47. Bradley County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.6% (2,107 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.3% (584 homes)
- Total homes built: 45,411
#46. Madison County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.3% (2,318 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (156 homes)
- Total homes built: 43,919
#45. Marion County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (744 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (155 homes)
- Total homes built: 13,837
#44. Davidson County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.2% (21,329 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 3.2% (10,962 homes)
- Total homes built: 345,026
#43. Knox County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.7% (14,473 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.7% (3,600 homes)
- Total homes built: 214,606
#42. White County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.1% (858 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (111 homes)
- Total homes built: 12,158
#41. Smith County
- Median year homes built: 1985- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.1% (785 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (134 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,649
#40. DeKalb County
- Median year homes built: 1984- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.5% (447 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.3% (127 homes)
- Total homes built: 10,033
#39. Campbell County
- Median year homes built: 1984- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.1% (1,236 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (88 homes)
- Total homes built: 20,370
#38. Franklin County
- Median year homes built: 1984- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.0% (1,396 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 2.3% (465 homes)
- Total homes built: 19,815
#37. Hawkins County
- Median year homes built: 1984- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.2% (2,240 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (185 homes)
- Total homes built: 27,299
#36. Grundy County
- Median year homes built: 1984- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (526 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (48 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,213
#35. Benton County
- Median year homes built: 1983- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.6% (305 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (58 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,544
#34. McNairy County
- Median year homes built: 1983- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.1% (505 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (85 homes)
- Total homes built: 12,278
#33. McMinn County
- Median year homes built: 1983- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.9% (1,663 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (278 homes)
- Total homes built: 24,027
#32. Greene County
- Median year homes built: 1983- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.6% (2,455 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (187 homes)
- Total homes built: 32,470
#31. Henry County
- Median year homes built: 1983- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.3% (1,592 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (172 homes)
- Total homes built: 17,044
#30. Decatur County
- Median year homes built: 1982- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.7% (242 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (49 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,588
#29. Clay County
- Median year homes built: 1982- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.0% (198 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (35 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,987
#28. Hardeman County
- Median year homes built: 1982- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.8% (620 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (78 homes)
- Total homes built: 10,708
#27. Overton County
- Median year homes built: 1982- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (700 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (155 homes)
- Total homes built: 10,368
#26. Hancock County
- Median year homes built: 1982- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.1% (444 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (2 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,667
#25. Lawrence County
- Median year homes built: 1981- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.4% (1,002 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (151 homes)
- Total homes built: 18,699
#24. Wayne County
- Median year homes built: 1981- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.0% (429 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (110 homes)
- Total homes built: 7,205
#23. Lauderdale County
- Median year homes built: 1981- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.6% (814 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (43 homes)
- Total homes built: 10,697
#22. Houston County
- Median year homes built: 1981- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 10.9% (432 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.9% (76 homes)
- Total homes built: 3,960
#21. Hamblen County
- Median year homes built: 1980- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 3.1% (859 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (263 homes)
- Total homes built: 27,805
#20. Johnson County
- Median year homes built: 1980- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (743 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (134 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,755
#19. Hamilton County
- Median year homes built: 1980- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.6% (14,213 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.4% (2,257 homes)
- Total homes built: 165,605
#18. Giles County
- Median year homes built: 1980- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 11.1% (1,567 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.1% (150 homes)
- Total homes built: 14,104
#17. Roane County
- Median year homes built: 1979- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.0% (1,533 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (306 homes)
- Total homes built: 25,560
#16. Crockett County
- Median year homes built: 1979- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.3% (388 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.1% (6 homes)
- Total homes built: 6,114
#15. Van Buren County
- Median year homes built: 1979- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.9% (230 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (23 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,915
#14. Humphreys County
- Median year homes built: 1978- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.7% (507 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.2% (107 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,868
#13. Warren County
- Median year homes built: 1978- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.8% (1,057 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.8% (151 homes)
- Total homes built: 18,343
#12. Weakley County
- Median year homes built: 1978- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 7.8% (1,168 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (85 homes)
- Total homes built: 15,028
#11. Anderson County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 4.7% (1,679 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.7% (587 homes)
- Total homes built: 35,570
#10. Shelby County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.9% (23,748 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.7% (2,647 homes)
- Total homes built: 403,144
#9. Carroll County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.7% (884 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.5% (60 homes)
- Total homes built: 13,107
#8. Haywood County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.6% (707 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.2% (20 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,247
#7. Dyer County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 9.8% (1,598 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.0% (156 homes)
- Total homes built: 16,296
#6. Carter County
- Median year homes built: 1977- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 12.7% (3,543 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.6% (175 homes)
- Total homes built: 27,982
#5. Sullivan County
- Median year homes built: 1976- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 6.8% (5,165 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (341 homes)
- Total homes built: 75,917
#4. Gibson County
- Median year homes built: 1976- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (1,910 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 1.5% (336 homes)
- Total homes built: 22,500
#3. Unicoi County
- Median year homes built: 1976- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 13.0% (1,138 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.3% (29 homes)
- Total homes built: 8,740
#2. Obion County
- Median year homes built: 1975- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 8.5% (1,214 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.9% (130 homes)
- Total homes built: 14,343
#1. Lake County
- Median year homes built: 1974- Homes built 1939 or earlier: 5.5% (138 homes)
- Homes built since 2000: 0.4% (10 homes)
- Total homes built: 2,497