Postal Codes

38501 ZIP Code

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ZIP code 38501 covers Cookeville, Tennessee, with a population of about 42,422 and a median household income of $50,923.

Population
42,422487 per square mile
Median age
31.57.2 points below the US average
Median household income
$50,92324% below the Tennessee median
Poverty rate
20%7.6 points above the US average
Typical home value
$303,762up 30.6% in five years
Median rent
$85624% below the Tennessee median
Degree or higher
30.8%4.2 points below the US average
Homeownership
49.4%15.6 points below the US average
Time zone
Central UTC-06:00observes daylight saving time
Businesses
1,335

Where 38501 is

Cookeville, 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

Population42,422
Median age31.5
Family households56.1%
Born outside the US6%
Speaks a language other than English at home8.5%
White (non-Hispanic)81.6%
Black (non-Hispanic)3.9%
Asian (non-Hispanic)1.3%
Hispanic or Latino9.2%
Veterans5.9%
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$50,923
Income per person$28,621
Poverty rate20%
Households on SNAP or cash assistance10.5%

Household income distribution

Under $10k9.2%
$10–15k5.6%
$15–20k5.8%
$20–25k6.6%
$25–30k4.4%
$30–35k4.4%
$35–40k4.4%
$40–45k4.0%
$45–50k5.0%
$50–60k8.1%
$60–75k8.6%
$75–100k12.1%
$100–125k7.3%
$125–150k5.9%
$150–200k4.3%
$200k or more4.4%

Income as declared to the IRS

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

Tax returns filed17,130
Mean adjusted gross income$66,889
Returns declaring $200,000 or more3.9%
Returns, under $25k34.0%
Returns, $25k–$50k29.1%
Returns, $50k–$75k14.0%
Returns, $75k–$100k7.9%
Returns, $100k–$200k11.2%
Returns, $200k or more3.9%
Housing

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Median home value$245,100
Median gross rent$856
Rent as a share of household income30.3%
Owner-occupied49.4%
Vacant homes8.9%
Median year built1990

What the homes are

Detached house54.4%
Attached house2.7%
2 to 4 units15.5%
5 to 19 units18.7%
20 or more units3.6%
Mobile home5%
Boat, RV or van0.1%
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$303,762as of 2026-07
Typical home value, 1 yearup 2%
Typical home value, 5 yearsup 30.6%
Typical home value, 10 yearsup 101.4%
Typical asking rent$1,442as of 2026-07
Typical asking rent, 1 yeardown 0.2%
Typical home value since 2000
200020132026$303,762$104,251

$104,251 in 2000 to $303,762 in 2026.

Typical asking rent
202220242026$1,445$1,288

$1,288 in 2022 to $1,442 in 2026.

Work, commuting and education

American Community Survey 2019–2023 five-year estimates

Unemployment rate4.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher30.8%
High school diploma or higher88.5%
Works from home7.7%
Drives to work alone79%
Takes public transport0.2%
Commutes 45 minutes or more9.9%
Health

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

Obesity37% 3.6 pts above the national average of 33.4%
Diagnosed diabetes11.5% 0.5 pts below the national average of 12%
Currently smokes17.2% 4 pts above the national average of 13.2%
High blood pressure35% 0.9 pts above the national average of 34.1%
Fair or poor general health22.4% 2.1 pts above the national average of 20.3%
No health insurance (18–64)13% 1.7 pts above the national average of 11.3%
Depression29.7% 7.8 pts above the national average of 21.9%
No leisure-time physical activity25.4% same as the national average of 25.4%
Arthritis27.1% 2 pts above the national average of 25.1%
Binge drinking14.6% 1.4 pts below the national average of 16%
Taking blood pressure medication72.2% 2.5 pts below the national average of 74.7%
Cancer (non-skin)7.5% same as the national average of 7.7%
Current asthma11.2% 0.8 pts above the national average of 10.4%
Coronary heart disease6.4% same as the national average of 6.2%
Routine check-up in past year75.4% 1.3 pts below the national average of 76.7%
Cholesterol screening81.7% 4.2 pts below the national average of 85.9%
Cognitive disability20% 5.2 pts above the national average of 14.8%
Colorectal screening62.9% 1.4 pts below the national average of 64.3%
COPD8.5% 1.9 pts above the national average of 6.6%
Visited a dentist54.6% 6.7 pts below the national average of 61.3%
Any disability36.3% 5.6 pts above the national average of 30.7%
Hearing disability7.6% 0.9 pts above the national average of 6.7%
High cholesterol36.3% same as the national average of 36.2%
Independent living disability10.6% 2.2 pts above the national average of 8.4%
Mammography use72.8% 3.1 pts below the national average of 75.9%
Poor mental health (14+ days)21.6% 4.8 pts above the national average of 16.8%
Mobility disability15% 1 pts above the national average of 14%
Poor physical health (14+ days)14.9% 1.4 pts above the national average of 13.5%
Self-care disability4% same as the national average of 4%
Sleeps under 7 hours37.2% 0.8 pts above the national average of 36.4%
Stroke3.3% same as the national average of 3.4%
All natural teeth lost16% 3 pts above the national average of 13%
Vision disability5.8% same as the national average of 5.6%
Business and employment

Census ZIP Code Business Patterns 2022

Business establishments1,335
People employed22,470
Annual payroll$1,049,517,000
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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 61.9% of US census tracts
FEMA ratingVery Low to Relatively High across the 15 census tracts this ZIP code covers
Expected annual loss53.7 out of 100
Community resilience24.4 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.

Lightning94.9Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Tornado89.7Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Winter weather89.3Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Strong wind86.6Very High at its worst in this ZIP code
Cold wave86Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hail82.4Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Ice storm77.5Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Earthquake73.2Relatively Moderate at its worst in this ZIP code
Drought68.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Landslide62.9Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Wildfire57.8Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
River flooding55.7Relatively High at its worst in this ZIP code
Hurricane44.6Relatively Low at its worst in this ZIP code
Heat wave29.4Relatively 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$50,923$67,097$78,538
Income per person$28,621$37,866$43,289
Poverty rate20%13.8%12.4%
Median home value$245,100$256,800$303,400
Median gross rent$856$1,122$1,348
Homeownership49.4%67%65%
Bachelor's degree or higher30.8%30.4%35%
Unemployment rate4.2%4.7%5.2%
Works from home7.7%11.4%13.5%
Born outside the US6%5.9%13.9%
Median age31.538.938.7
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 stationCOOKEVILLE, TN US12.8 km away
Rain in a year60 in
Snow in a year6 in

Average high and low by month

January47.1°F / 27°F5.29 in rain, 2.3 in snow
February51.4°F / 29°F5.48 in rain, 1.8 in snow
March60°F / 35.4°F5.46 in rain, 0.9 in snow
April69.8°F / 43.2°F5.35 in rain
May77.5°F / 53.3°F5.15 in rain
June84.3°F / 61.9°F5.45 in rain
July87.3°F / 66.1°F5.69 in rain
August86.9°F / 64.2°F3.93 in rain
September81.9°F / 57.4°F4.47 in rain
October71.9°F / 45°F3.35 in rain
November60.4°F / 35.1°F4.3 in rain, 0.1 in snow
December50.9°F / 30.3°F6.1 in rain, 1 in snow
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 supermarket7% of this ZIP code's area
Far from a supermarket37% of this ZIP code's area
No vehicle and far from a supermarket38% of this ZIP code's area
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%.

This ZIP code is served by 3 school districts, so the address decides which one, not the ZIP code.

Putnam County School District63.5% of this ZIP code's land area
Jackson County School District35.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Overton County School District1.4% 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 vulnerability50more vulnerable than 50% of US census tracts
Socioeconomic status53more vulnerable than 53% of US census tracts
Household characteristics49more vulnerable than 49% of US census tracts
Racial and ethnic minority status17more vulnerable than 17% of US census tracts
Housing type and transport62more vulnerable than 62% of US census tracts
Walkability5.6 out of 20Least walkable
Nearby ZIP codes

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

38502 Cookeville, TN7.1 km away
38503 Cookeville, TN7.1 km away
38505 Cookeville, TN7.1 km away
38506 Cookeville, TN9.9 km away
38545 Bloomington Springs, TN10.9 km away
38544 Baxter, TN13.4 km away
38562 Gainesboro, TN16.3 km away
38564 Granville, TN19.5 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.

Putnam County63.5% of this ZIP code's land area
Jackson County35.2% of this ZIP code's land area
Overton County1.4% of this ZIP code's land area
Time zoneCentral (UTC-06:00 standard)
Daylight saving timeObserved
Land area87.08 sq mi
Water area0.18 sq mi
Population density487 people per sq mi
Latitude, longitude36.2178, -85.5423

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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