Postal Codes

38481 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 38481 covers Saint Joseph, Tennessee, with a population of about 876 and a median household income of $45,909.

Population
87683 per square mile
Median age
40.82.1 points above the US average
Median household income
$45,90932% below the Tennessee median
Poverty rate
15.8%3.4 points above the US average
Typical home value
$163,562
Median rent
$62544% below the Tennessee median
Degree or higher
11.7%23.3 points below the US average
Homeownership
83.1%18.1 points above the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
10

Where 38481 is

Saint Joseph, Tennessee — the area the Census Bureau draws for this ZIP code. ZIP codes are sets of delivery routes rather than areas, so this is the Census approximation of one, not a Postal Service boundary.

People and households

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Population876
Median age40.8
Family households55.4%
Born outside the US0.8%
Speaks a language other than English at home1.6%
White (non-Hispanic)94.1%
Black (non-Hispanic)2.9%
Asian (non-Hispanic)0%
Hispanic or Latino0.8%
Veterans6.5%
Population by age
MaleFemale0-45-910-1415-1920-2425-3435-4445-5455-6465-7475-8485+
Income and poverty

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median household income$45,909
Income per person$37,323
Poverty rate15.8%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance16.9%

Household income distribution

Under $10k3.5%
$10–15k16.9%
$15–20k3.5%
$20–25k6.7%
$25–30k3.5%
$30–35k0.5%
$35–40k4.8%
$40–45k9.4%
$45–50k6.7%
$50–60k3.2%
$60–75k8.6%
$75–100k9.1%
$100–125k10.2%
$125–150k2.4%
$150–200k7.5%
$200k or more3.2%

Income as declared to the IRS

Filed returns rather than survey responses, so this counts tax units and not households.

Tax returns filed380
Mean adjusted gross income$55,847
Returns declaring $200,000 or more0%
Returns, under $25k31.6%
Returns, $25k–$50k23.7%
Returns, $50k–$75k18.4%
Returns, $75k–$100k13.2%
Returns, $100k–$200k13.2%
Returns, $200k or more0.0%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median gross rent$625
Rent as a share of household income26%
Owner-occupied83.1%
Vacant homes9.5%
Median year built1970

What the homes are

Detached house81.5%
Attached house1.2%
2 to 4 units3.6%
Mobile home13.6%
Home values and rents today

Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index, courtesy of Zillow. Monthly and current, where the Census figures above are a five-year average and are capped at $2,000,000.

Typical home value$163,562as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 0%
Typical home value since 2000
202220242026$166,777$163,523

$166,375 in 2022 to $163,562 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate2.1%
Bachelor's degree or higher11.7%
High school diploma or higher80.9%
Works from home4.8%
Drives to work alone80.5%
Takes public transport0%
Commutes 45 minutes or more23.5%
Health

CDC PLACES 2025 release, model-based estimates. These are modelled small-area estimates for adults, not counts of diagnosed cases.

Obesity42.1% 8.7 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes15.9% 3.9 pts above the national average of 12%
Currently smokes23.8% 10.6 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure43.6% 9.5 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health29.3% 9 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)14.3% 3 pts above the national average of 11.3%
Depression32.3% 10.4 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity32.8% 7.4 pts above the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis35.1% 10 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking14.1% 1.9 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication76.9% 2.2 pts above the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)9.3% 1.6 pts above the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.4% 1 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease9.6% 3.4 pts above the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year76.7% same as the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening83.7% 2.2 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability21.7% 6.9 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening60.2% 4.1 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD12.8% 6.2 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist51.2% 10.1 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability42.4% 11.7 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Hearing disability10.5% 3.8 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol41.7% 5.5 pts above the national average of 36.2%
Independent living disability12.7% 4.3 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Mammography use71.8% 4.1 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)21.9% 5.1 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability21.2% 7.2 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)19% 5.5 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability5.6% 1.6 pts above the national average of 4%
Sleeps under 7 hours40.3% 3.9 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke4.8% 1.4 pts above the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost18.9% 5.9 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability7.3% 1.7 pts above the national average of 5.6%
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Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments10
People employed36
Annual payroll$1,404,000
Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data — the NRI is not published per ZIP.

Overall riskHigher than 68.6% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingRelatively Moderate
Expected annual loss55.4 out of 100
Community resilience18.5 out of 100

By hazard

Score is out of 100 and is the area-weighted average across the census tracts this ZIP code covers. The rating beside it is the highest any one of those tracts carries.

Lightning96.9Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado95.3Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave89.5Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought83.4Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide82Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake79.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind74.7Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather66.4Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm66.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding60.3Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane51Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire45.2Very Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail43.5Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave42.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Compared with Tennessee and the United States

State and national columns are figures for those areas, not for this ZIP code. American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

This ZIPTennesseeUnited States
Median household income$45,909$67,097$78,538
Income per person$37,323$37,866$43,289
Poverty rate15.8%13.8%12.4%
Median home value$256,800$303,400
Median gross rent$625$1,122$1,348
Homeownership83.1%67%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher11.7%30.4%35%
Unemployment rate2.1%4.7%5.2%
Works from home4.8%11.4%13.5%
Born outside the US0.8%5.9%13.9%
Median age40.838.938.7
Climate

NOAA US Climate Normals 1991-2020, from the nearest weather station with a full year of records. The station and its distance are named above, because a station forty kilometres away describes somewhere else.

Weather stationLEXINGTON, AL US14.5 km away
Rain in a year59 in

Average high and low by month

January50.7°F / 30.9°F6.04 in rain
February55°F / 34.1°F5.47 in rain
March63.9°F / 41.3°F5.53 in rain
April73°F / 49.1°F5.3 in rain
May79.5°F / 57.9°F5.48 in rain
June87°F / 66°F4.61 in rain
July90.2°F / 68.7°F3.92 in rain
August89.9°F / 67.9°F3.97 in rain
September84.3°F / 61.7°F4.49 in rain
October73.8°F / 49.5°F3.57 in rain
November61.9°F / 40°F4.19 in rain
December53.3°F / 34.7°F5.97 in rain
Access to food

USDA Food Access Research Atlas, estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Each figure is the share of the ZIP code's land area that falls in a tract carrying that flag.

Low income and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
Far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
No vehicle and far from a supermarketNone of this ZIP code
School districts

NCES Geographic Relationship File 2025, which states the association between each district and each ZIP code tabulation area directly. Elementary and secondary districts can cover the same ground, so shares need not total 100%.

Lawrence County School District100% of this ZIP code's land area
Community and walkability

CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index 2022 and the EPA National Walkability Index, both estimated for this ZIP code from census tract data. Vulnerability figures are national percentile ranks, not measurements.

Overall social vulnerability54more vulnerable than 54% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status73more vulnerable than 73% of US census tracts
Household characteristics78more vulnerable than 78% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status7more vulnerable than 7% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport23more vulnerable than 23% of US census tracts
Walkability4.4 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

The closest ZIP codes by centre point, which is not the same as sharing a border.

38469 Loretto, TN7.9 km away
38486 Westpoint, TN11.8 km away
38463 Iron City, TN13.4 km away
35648 Lexington, AL13.4 km away
35645 Killen, AL15.1 km away
35634 Florence, AL16.7 km away
38457 Five Points, TN18.7 km away
38468 Leoma, TN20.2 km away
Location, counties and time zone

County shares from Census 2020 ZCTA relationship files. Time zone from the USDOT National Transportation Atlas, which renders the boundaries written into 49 CFR Part 71.

Lawrence County100% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area10.49 sq mi
Population density83 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude35.0376, -87.5018

Figures are published for this ZIP code or its Census tabulation area unless a section says otherwise. Estimates whose margin of error made them unreliable are omitted rather than shown. Sources: US Census Bureau, CDC, IRS.

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