Karns is a community in Knox County, Tennessee, home to about 4,115 people across 3.0 square miles. It has no ZIP code of its own: it’s part of 37931.
Homes sold for a median of $208 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 Karns. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology
We’re writing up Karns’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)14 miles away |
|---|---|
| Nearest city of 250,000+ | Lexington-Fayette, KY143 miles away |
| Nearest city of 1 million+ | Chicago, IL447 miles away |
Straight-line distances from the center of Karns; 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.
It’s the 134th largest of 502 towns in Tennessee by population.
Knox County grew from 74,302 residents in 1900 to 478,971 in 2020.
Knox County, 1900–2020
Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).
Average highs peak around 89°F in summer, and winter lows average 30°F. About 55.6 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year.
Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Oak Ridge Asos, TN weather station (7 miles away).
242,117 jobs at 12,519 businesses in Knox County. The biggest industries by employees:
Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).
113 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Karns.
Nearest hospitals
Providers with an office here
| Primary care doctors | 12 |
|---|---|
| Specialist doctors | 2 |
| Dentists | 4 |
| Nurse practitioners and physician assistants | 24 |
| Mental health providers | 30 |
| Physical and occupational therapists | 24 |
| Optometrists | 5 |
| Chiropractors | 12 |
| Pharmacies | 7 |
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 (2 nearby)
Grocery stores
Pharmacies (1 nearby)
Libraries
Theaters and performance venues
Counts are within about 1.5 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.
Public schools here are run by Knox County. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.
| School | Grades | Students | Type | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amherst Elementary SchoolKnoxville | Pre-K–5 | 683 | Public | 3.6 mi |
| Ball Camp ElementaryKnoxville | Pre-K–5 | 550 | Public | 2.7 mi |
| Karns ElementaryKnoxville | Pre-K–5 | 931 | Public | 1.0 mi |
| Karns PreschoolKnoxville | Pre-K–K | 106 | Public | 0.9 mi |
| Mill Creek Elementary SchoolKnoxville | Pre-K–5 | 754 | Public | 3.2 mi |
| Knox County Virtual SchoolKnoxville | 1–12 | 359 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Karns Middle SchoolKnoxville | 6–8 | 900 | Public | 1.2 mi |
| Karns High SchoolKnoxville | 9–12 | 1,365 | Public | 1.7 mi |
| School | Grades | Students | Affiliation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Christian AcademyKnoxville | Pre-K–12 | 1,002 | Baptist | 2.5 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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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.