38501 ZIP Code, Cookeville, TN

38501 is a ZIP code in Cookeville, Tennessee — mostly in Putnam County (63% of its land), with smaller parts in Jackson and Overton counties. It covers 87 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 38505, 38503 and 38506. 42,471 people live here in 17,574 households, more than in 9 of every 10 Tennessee ZIP codes. With about 488 people per square mile it is lightly settled, and owners and renters are mixed (49% own). Median household income is $52,145, below the Tennessee median of $69,595.

Quick facts

Key figures

MeasureValue
Residents42,471
Households17,574
Median household income$52,145
Income per person$29,719
Median age31.4
Homeowners48.9%
Median home value$284,600
Median rent$883
Bachelor's degree or higher31.4%
Average commute (minutes)20.9
Households with kids under 1825.3%
Moved in the past year16.2%
Below the poverty line21.4%
Broadband internet87.8%
Speak a non-English language at home10.3%

Household income

% of householdsValue
<$10K9.5%
$10–15K6.0%
$15–25K11.6%
$25–35K7.9%
$35–50K13.4%
$50–75K14.2%
$75–100K12.6%
$100–150K15.5%
$150–200K4.6%
$200K+4.7%

Age

% of all residentsValue
<1010.7%
10–1914.1%
20–2414.7%
25–3415.3%
35–4410.5%
45–5411.2%
55–649.4%
65–748.4%
75+5.8%

Tenure

% of housing unitsValue
Owned, with mortgage25.9%
Owned outright18.8%
Rented46.1%
Vacant9.1%

Type of building

% of housing unitsValue
Detached house53.4%
Townhome3.3%
2–4 units16.9%
5–19 units18.5%
20+ units3.3%
Mobile / other4.6%

Businesses in 38501

1,341 business establishments with 22,747 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).

EDDM carrier routes

38501 has 35 USPS carrier routes with 17,084 residential and 1,865 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.

Carrier routes in 38501

38501 has 35 USPS carrier routes (19 city (C), 16 rural (R)) with 17,084 residential and 1,865 business mailboxes. Routes range from 102 homes (C012) to 884 homes (C013); the median route has 488 homes. The Census counted 17,574 households in 38501 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.

Homes per routeRoutes
1–2493
250–49916
500–74914
750–9992
1,000–1,4990
1,500+0

Best routes in 38501 for…

Most businesses

For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.

  1. Route C012 — USPS business mailboxes 225, 102 homes
  2. Route C011 — USPS business mailboxes 222, 123 homes
  3. Route C002 — USPS business mailboxes 207, 215 homes
  4. Route C014 — USPS business mailboxes 160, 485 homes
  5. Route C018 — USPS business mailboxes 140, 472 homes

Select these 5 routes on the route map

Every carrier route in 38501

RouteTypeHomesBusinessesEst. median incomeEst. ownersEst. families with kidsEst. moved in past year
C001City37313$65,814———
C002City215207$32,490———
C003City77745$14,948———
C004City51880$51,260———
C005City32351$54,702———
C006City45655$74,475———
C007City66453$36,702———
C008City4451$54,702———
C010City54913$55,757———
C011City123222$36,534———
C012City102225$63,359———
C013City8847$57,830———
C014City485160$36,953———
C015City33733$44,680———
C016City588107$65,058———
C018City472140$36,534———
C019City40554$32,490———
C020City52232$65,814———
C021City637134$65,814———
R002Rural45913$85,781———
R003Rural39914$63,707———
R004Rural48115$76,108———
R011Rural64512$36,702———
R012Rural5675$81,664———
R014Rural4884$63,707———
R017Rural31178$65,814———
R020Rural5197$40,553———
R022Rural5736$81,664———
R024Rural44711$85,781———
R026Rural4358$58,868———
R040Rural65911$76,108———
R043Rural56516$16,557———
R045Rural5780$14,948———
R046Rural49430$65,058———
R047Rural5893$36,953———

Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 38501 on the EDDM route map.

How route demographics are estimated

Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates

The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).

How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method

We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.

Margins of error

Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.

Different years

USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.

Why some routes show identical figures

Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.

Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Nearby ZIP codes

Areas that include 38501

Where it ranks

Mail every home in 38501

Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.

EDDM guides

ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 38501, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.

Frequently asked questions

What city is 38501 in?
38501 is a Cookeville, TN mailing address. By land area, 24% lies inside Cookeville and 13% lies inside Dodson Branch; the rest is outside any Census-defined city or community.
What county is 38501 in?
38501 is mostly in Putnam County (63% of its land), with smaller parts in Jackson and Overton counties.
What is the population of 38501?
About 42,471 people (±1,441), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 41,141.
What is the median household income in 38501?
$52,145 (±$3,577), compared with $69,595 for Tennessee as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 38501?
35 USPS carrier routes with 17,084 residential and 1,865 business mailboxes (18,912 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
What ZIP codes are near 38501?
The closest, measured center to center: 38505 (4 mi, Cookeville), 38503 (4.6 mi, Cookeville), 38506 (6.2 mi, Cookeville), 38545 (7.1 mi), 38544 (10.4 mi, Baxter) and 38562 (11.2 mi, Gainesboro).

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.