ZIP Code 38501 — Cookeville city, TN Demographics & Data

ZIP code 38501 covers Cookeville, TN in Putnam County with a population of about 42,422.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 31.5 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 931; U.S. House district TN-6; the NASHVILLE media market.

Median household income in ZIP 38501 is about $50,923 — about 32% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 20.0%; unemployment rate near 4.2%; 30.8% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 2.9 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Retail trade, Manufacturing, and Education; about 7.7% of workers reporting work-from-home (about 7.5 points below the U.S. share (15.2%)); a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Median home value is about $245,100 — about 30% below the U.S. median home value ($348,079).

Housing tenure and rents show median gross rent around $726 (about 38% below the U.S. median rent ($1,163)), and owner-occupancy near 49.4% (about 16.0 points below the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

To comfortably buy a median-priced home in ZIP 38501 in Cookeville, TN, a household would need roughly $67,000 in annual income under a 20% down, 30-year loan at 6.8% (illustrative), keeping housing costs near 28% of income. Estimated monthly PITI is about $1,574. That is about 32% above the local median household income ($50,923), so the median earner would likely stretch or need a larger down payment. Rates, taxes, insurance, and HOA fees vary — treat this as a planning estimate, not a lender quote.

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Cookeville city, TN as Relatively Low (composite score 65.8), which is near the middle of the national distribution. The strongest component scores on US5 are flood (60.2) and hurricane (48.0). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Cookeville city, TN show little to no average snow and around 60.0 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 1,504 for ZIP 38501 (Cookeville city, TN) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.