Putnam County continues to be rated one of America’s Most Affordable communities and has been rated as the Most Affordable community a number of times by the national conductor of the survey, the American Chamber of Commerce Researcher’s Association. Cookeville is one of the Best Retirement Communities, according to The Rating Guide to Life in America’s Small Cities, and has also been rated one of the best retirement communities by Rand McNally’s Places Rated Retirement Guide. A recent article by Where to Retire Magazine also named Cookeville as one of the top locations to retire.

The Cookeville micropolitan area, which includes Putnam, Overton and Jackson counties, was recently listed as the 9th fastest growing micropolitan areas in the United States.