Dayton is a city in Rhea County, Tennessee, home to about 7,625 people across 7.8 square miles. Its ZIP code is 37321.
Homes sold for a median of $179 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.
Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Dayton. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Dayton’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.
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| Nearest major airport | McGhee Tyson Airport (TYS)61 miles away |
|---|---|
| Closer regional airport | Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field) (CHA)34 miles away |
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Nashville-Davidson, TN109 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL461 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Dayton; driving is longer.
Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.
Dayton had 7,065 residents in the 2020 census, up 14% since 2000.
It’s the 83rd largest of 502 towns in Tennessee by population.
Rhea County grew from 14,318 residents in 1900 to 32,870 in 2020.
Rhea County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 88°F in summer, and winter lows average 28°F. About 58.7 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 2 inches of snow.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dayton 2se, TN weather station (2 miles away).
9,145 jobs at 541 businesses in Rhea County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2022 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
101 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Dayton.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 14 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 10 |
| Dentists | 9 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 40 |
| Mental health providers | 10 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 13 |
| Optometrists | 2 |
| Chiropractors | 3 |
| Pharmacies | 9 |
Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.
Parks (9 nearby)
Grocery stores (1 nearby)
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries (2 nearby)
Museums (1 nearby)
Counts are within about 2 miles of the center of town.
Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.
Established in 1820.
Notable people born here
Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.
Public schools here are run by Dayton, Rhea County. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dayton City ElementaryDayton | Pre-K–8 | 891 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Graysville Elementary SchoolDayton | Pre-K–5 | 218 | Public | 5.2 mi |
| Rhea Central ElementaryDayton | Pre-K–5 | 589 | Public | 0.8 mi |
| Frazier ElementaryDayton | K–5 | 304 | Public | 3.9 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhea County AcademyDayton | K–12 | 156 | Christian (no specific denomination) | 0.8 mi |
| Laurelbrook AcademyDayton | 3–12 | 34 | Seventh-day Adventist | 5.7 mi |
Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools; Private School Universe Survey (2023-2024) for private schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.
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Shares ZIP codes with Graysville.
Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.