Bristol, TN — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Tennessee·Bristol

Sullivan County · Kingsport-Bristol · population 27,867

First-time buyersInvestors
Bristol, TN
Image: Wikipedia · Bristol, Tennessee
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
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67
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Bristol stands

Averaging 7.5% annual growth over 5 years. rents up 7.1% in the last year.

Median home $235,467
1-year -1.7%
5-yr CAGR +7.5%
vs 5-yr peak -2.0%
Population +0.7%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2025-07$235k$114k$159k$205k$250k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
15/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
94/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,344/mo$1,143$1,284$1,42520242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent10211110020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 14.6
Buy

At a 14.6 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Bristol on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 14.6 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
42 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
76 · w22%
Distance from peak
78 · w18%
Population growth
58 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
73 · w10%
Long thesis

Bristol has held up across the cycle: home values at $235,467 with +7.5% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Bristol's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Bristol

Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, with an estimated population of 27,867. It anchors the Kingsport-Bristol metro area. The population grew 0.7% annually from 2020 to 2024, a moderate gain. The median home value in Bristol is $235,467 as of 2026-04, down 1.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +7.5% annual growth (-2.0% from the 5-year peak). Rents in Bristol average $1,344 per month, up 7.1% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 67 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Healthy 5-year run: +7.5% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Held the highs: currently -2.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 7.1% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

●Rental squeeze: rents up 7.1% YoY — tenants face tough renewals. Affordability deteriorating fast.
○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Bristol (Wikipedia)

Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 27,147 at the 2020 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. Bristol, TN and Bristol, VA are two separate, though unified, twin cities. They share a unified metropolitan area, meaning they function as one community with a shared State Street as their main dividing line, but have separate governments, police departments, and libraries. It is a principal city in the Kingsport–Bristol metropolitan area, which had a population of 307,614 in 2020. The metro area is a component of the larger Tri-Cities region of Tennessee and Virginia, with a population of 508,260 in 2020.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Sullivan County right now.

NWS active alerts (TN)Tennessee Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Sullivan County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Bristol

East Ridge, TN60 · StableElizabethton, TN65 · RisingKingsport, TN69 · RisingJackson, TN63 · Rising

Run the numbers for Bristol

ToolCan I afford Bristol?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Bristol rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Bristol to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolBristol cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
47° / 28°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
88° / 68°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
207
~57% of year
Annual precip
54″ rain
5″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very low
Tornado
High
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Moderate
Flood
Moderate

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Bristol listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Kingsport-Bristol area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
71%
Humid climate
Median household income
$64,700
Tennessee state median
Top industries (state-level)
HealthcareMusic/EntertainmentManufacturing

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

Cities similar to Bristol

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