Knoxville, Tennessee is a city with a population of 187,000 people. It is home to numerous health related facilities and hospitals that allow for easy access to healthcare for its citizens. The University of Tennessee Medical Center is the only hospital in Knoxville that provides comprehensive care and trauma services, with more than 1,000 beds and a staff of professionally trained healthcare providers. Other nearby medical facilities include Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, Blount Memorial Hospital, Parkwest Medical Center, and Tennova Healthcare's Turkey Creek Medical Center. These facilities make it easier for residents to have access to quality healthcare when they need it most. The city also has several community-based health clinics that provide free or reduced-cost primary care services making it easier for those without insurance or other financial resources to obtain needed care. Overall, Knoxville provides its citizens with many options in terms of health care and well-being that help serve the community’s needs.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 350 physicians per 100,000 population in Knoxville. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Knoxville area is 129.0 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
129.0 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Knoxville area is 60 (100=best). The US average is 55.
60 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Knoxville area is 93 (100=best). The US average is 87.
93 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Knoxville commutes 19.7 minutes one-way, which is shorter than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Knoxville area is 43 (100=best). The US average is 58.
43 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.