Rank

1219of 3,144

Roane, Tennessee

Score 6.48 / 10· population 56,096

Roane County sits where the Tennessee, Clinch and Emory rivers come together, with eight I-40 exits and Oak Ridge National Laboratory at the top of its employer list. An air monitor at Harriman High School averaged 6.6 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter over 2023-2025, under the EPA's 9.0 limit. In 2019-2023, 19 percent of children lived in single-parent households, against 27 percent statewide, and shoppers in Kingston, the seat, pay 9.5 percent sales tax.

Sources
  • Roane County is situated at the juncture of the Tennessee, Clinch, and Emory Rivers; Kingston was chosen as the county seat tennesseeencyclopedia.net
  • Roane County has 8 designated exits on I-40 roanealliance.org
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (6,000 est. employees) is first on Roane County's top-employer list; Kingston is the county seat; state sales tax 7.00% and local option rate 2.50% in Kingston tnecd.com
  • EPA PM2.5 design values, Roane County site 471450004 at Harriman High School, Harriman: 2023-2025 annual design value 6.6 micrograms per cubic meter (County-level Design Values for the 2024 Annual PM2.5 NAAQS) epa.gov
  • EPA set the primary annual PM2.5 standard at 9.0 micrograms per cubic meter on February 7, 2024 epa.gov
  • County Health Rankings 2025: 19.4% of children in Roane County live in single-parent households, Tennessee 27.3% countyhealthrankings.org
  • In County Health Rankings 2025, Children in Single-Parent Households uses American Community Survey five-year estimates for 2019-2023 countyhealthrankings.org
  • Minimum combined sales tax rate for Roane County in 2026 is 9.5% (7% state, 2.5% county) avalara.com

v4 — beta, 30 October 2026, sourced values

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Eleven factors

Government behavior

  1. Fraser Institute state ranking (state)8.3
  2. 2A (state)10.0
  3. GOP + LP vote for President7.7
  4. Sales tax1.4
  5. Property tax7.3

Environment

  1. Air quality6.7
  2. Floods / hurricanes3.0

Private behavior

  1. Homicide rate7.4
  2. Life expectancy2.6
  3. Government employees3.6
  4. Single-parent households6.5

Neighbors