Cost of Living in Pigeon Forge
Pigeon Forge costs run above the national median on housing, and the town's own poverty rate reads notably elevated relative to its corridor neighbors -- a real signal of its tourism/hospitality-wage-dependent local economy.
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Learn moreHousing costs run high, with a genuinely disputed recent trend
A recent-month Redfin citywide read cited a $565,000 median sale price (up 1.8% YoY, $374/sqft), while a separate ZIP-37863 three-month read through May 2026 cited $510,000, down 20.3% YoY -- a real, disclosed disagreement rather than one settled figure. Both run well above the national median home price regardless of which is used.
A tourism-wage economy shows up directly in income and poverty figures
Pigeon Forge's median household income is cited at $53,261, with a poverty rate of 20.98% -- notably higher than the poverty-rate context found for Sevierville or Gatlinburg elsewhere in this dataset (BestNeighborhood.org, Data USA, via WebSearch synthesis, retrieved 2026-08-22). Dollywood, the town's largest employer, averaged $13.80/hour as of mid-2026 -- a real, disclosed hospitality-wage figure rather than a generic 'major employer' framing.
No state income tax, the same high combined sales tax as the rest of the corridor
Tennessee's no-wage-income-tax structure applies statewide. Sevier County's 9.75% combined sales tax rate applies identically in Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Gatlinburg. Pigeon Forge's own city property tax rate ($0.16520 per $100 assessed) sits between Sevierville's higher rate and Gatlinburg's lower rate.
Key takeaways
- Housing costs run above the national median, with a genuinely disputed recent trend across sources -- from a modest 1.8% year-over-year increase to a 20.3% decline, depending on the window used.
- A 20.98% poverty rate reads notably elevated relative to Sevierville or Gatlinburg -- a real, disclosed signal of the tourism/hospitality-wage local economy.
- Dollywood's average hourly pay ($13.80 as of mid-2026) is disclosed directly rather than presented as a generic employment amenity.
- No state income tax; 9.75% combined sales tax, identical across Sevier County; a mid-range city property tax rate ($0.16520 per $100).
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