The 10 Best Counties To Live In Tennessee For 2024


The best counties in Tennessee are Williamson County and Wilson County for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Some of you might be asking yourself, at this very moment, is Tennessee a good place?

The answer is unequivocally yes… if you know where to locate the best counties to live in Tennessee.

Lucky for you, we’re here to help you identify the best counties to live in the Volunteer State based on the most recently available data from the Census. And this isn’t our first rodeo — we’ve been using Saturday Night Science to rank places for years.

The question becomes if you wanted to relocate to the best part of Tennessee, where would you go? To answer that, we looked at crime, cost of living, and demographic data for all 94 counties in the state.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Table | FAQs | Summary


Williamson County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Tennessee. And you should avoid Lake County if you can — at least according to the data.

Now you know exactly where to move in Tennessee. Keep on reading for more about the top ten and a detailed methodology.

Or, check out the best places to live in Tennessee and the cheapest places to live in Tennessee.


Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Best Counties To Live In Tennessee For 2024

1. Williamson County

Brentwood, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Skye Marthaler | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Franklin
Population: 248,897
Median Income: $125,943 (best)
Median Home Price: $843,617 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.1% (2nd best)
More on Williamson CountyData

2. Wilson County

Lebanon, TN

Source: Public domain

Biggest Place: Lebanon
Population: 149,096
Median Income: $89,462 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $471,192 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (16th best)
More on Wilson CountyData

3. Sumner County

Gallatin, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Ichabod | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Hendersonville
Population: 196,845
Median Income: $81,883 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $415,821 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (11th best)
More on Sumner CountyData

4. Maury County

Columbia, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Flickr user jdj150 | CC BY 2.0

Biggest Place: Spring Hill
Population: 102,002
Median Income: $71,500 (10th best)
Median Home Price: $377,922 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (3rd best)
More on Maury CountyData

5. Loudon County

Farragut, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | CC BY 3.0

Biggest Place: Farragut
Population: 55,507
Median Income: $75,008 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $397,399 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (5th best)
More on Loudon CountyData

6. Rutherford County

Murfreesboro, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Huntster | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Murfreesboro
Population: 343,727
Median Income: $78,291 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $390,345 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (23rd best)
More on Rutherford CountyData

7. Knox County

Farragut, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | CC BY 3.0

Biggest Place: Knoxville
Population: 481,406
Median Income: $68,580 (14th best)
Median Home Price: $345,550 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (2best)
More on Knox CountyData

8. Fayette County

Collierville, TN

Source: Wikipedia User DoxTxob | GFDL

Biggest Place: Collierville
Population: 42,228
Median Income: $81,074 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $352,853 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 5.3% (48th best)
More on Fayette CountyData

9. Blount County

Alcoa, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Brian Stansberry | GFDL

Biggest Place: Maryville
Population: 135,951
Median Income: $70,935 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $357,922 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (27th best)
More on Blount CountyData

10. Robertson County

Portland, TN

Source: Wikipedia User Ichabod | CC BY-SA 3.0

Biggest Place: Springfield
Population: 73,297
Median Income: $74,440 (8th best)
Median Home Price: $351,892 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (20th best)
More on Robertson CountyData

Methodology: How do you determine which Tennessee county is the best?

To give you the best county in Tennessee, we have to look at a handful of metrics that signal the quality of a place. To do that, we made assumptions about what’s in a “best county” and what isn’t. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.

With that in mind, we went to two of the best data sources on the internet. Namely, the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent period.

We paid particular attention to:

  • Violent Crime Rates
  • Property Crime Rates
  • Median Home Values
  • Median Income
  • Unemployment Rates
  • Adult Education Levels
  • Health Insurance Coverage
  • Poverty Rates

We then ranked each county in Tennessee across each of the criteria from one to 94, with one being the best.

Taking the average rank across all criteria, we created a quality of life score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Best County To Live In Tennessee.”

The result is some of the safest, quietest, and best counties to raise a family in the Volunteer State.

We updated this article for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best counties to live in Tennessee.

Read on to see why Williamson County is the best county, while Lake County is probably in contention for being the worst county in Tennessee.

Summary: The Best Counties In Tennessee To Call Home For 2024

Living in Tennessee can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?

The best counties in Tennessee are Williamson County, Wilson County, Sumner County, Maury County, Loudon County, Rutherford County, Knox County, Fayette County, Blount County, and Robertson County.

But now you know the outstanding parts and the parts to avoid, and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day.

You are welcome.

Here’s a look at the worst counties in Tennessee according to the data:

  1. Lake County
  2. Hancock County
  3. Scott County

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Tennessee

Rank County Population Median Income Median Home Price
1 Williamson County 248,897 $125,943 $843,617
2 Wilson County 149,096 $89,462 $471,192
3 Sumner County 196,845 $81,883 $415,821
4 Maury County 102,002 $71,500 $377,922
5 Loudon County 55,507 $75,008 $397,399
6 Rutherford County 343,727 $78,291 $390,345
7 Knox County 481,406 $68,580 $345,550
8 Fayette County 42,228 $81,074 $352,853
9 Blount County 135,951 $70,935 $357,922
10 Robertson County 73,297 $74,440 $351,892
11 Cheatham County 41,184 $77,014 $369,787
12 Trousdale County 11,596 $62,018 $317,339
13 Hamilton County 367,193 $69,069 $322,383
14 Franklin County 42,980 $57,933 $286,695
15 Dickson County 54,563 $68,492 $334,599
16 Roane County 53,777 $66,460 $269,798
17 Montgomery County 222,305 $67,890 $299,138
18 Lincoln County 35,365 $61,374 $235,271
19 Tipton County 61,116 $70,674 $251,186
20 Marshall County 34,567 $65,325 $310,420
21 Davidson County 709,786 $71,863 $427,685
22 Smith County 20,034 $57,677 $286,879
23 Jefferson County 55,017 $60,393 $301,173
24 Cumberland County 61,552 $56,002 $288,252
25 Sevier County 98,455 $60,103 $413,349
26 Washington County 133,282 $58,507 $276,791
27 Giles County 30,317 $56,877 $240,231
28 Anderson County 77,337 $60,633 $276,849
29 Stewart County 13,724 $57,257 $225,386
30 Cannon County 14,481 $57,651 $288,721
31 Putnam County 80,157 $54,371 $287,877
32 Bradley County 108,859 $60,692 $284,411
33 Coffee County 58,080 $57,424 $279,326
34 Bedford County 50,533 $59,955 $302,977
35 Sullivan County 158,722 $54,357 $231,095
36 Mcminn County 53,532 $57,982 $230,276
37 Hickman County 24,996 $54,669 $142,829
38 Dyer County 36,818 $53,150 $151,177
39 Overton County 22,576 $46,580 $225,057
40 Union County 19,860 $57,094 $272,131
41 Unicoi County 17,845 $49,855 $215,800
42 Marion County 28,852 $58,139 $223,114
43 Gibson County 50,455 $55,455 $160,031
44 Humphreys County 19,032 $54,185 $221,849
45 Greene County 70,399 $51,975 $212,468
46 Houston County 8,253 $51,544 $198,449
47 Macon County 25,365 $51,215 $240,383
48 Crockett County 13,955 $59,136 $162,510
49 Madison County 98,644 $55,280 $216,726
50 Carroll County 28,381 $49,700 $156,776
51 Obion County 30,670 $50,638 $140,819
52 Shelby County 926,440 $59,621 $216,182
53 Monroe County 46,489 $52,123 $258,088
54 Meigs County 12,839 $59,434 $257,399
55 Warren County 41,163 $52,948 $232,891
56 Sequatchie County 16,065 $53,038 $237,186
57 Rhea County 33,031 $55,568 $230,511
58 Hawkins County 57,107 $53,647 $217,613
59 Henry County 32,305 $48,025 $186,360
60 Pickett County 5,042 $44,317 $201,071
61 Fentress County 18,642 $47,884 $212,742
62 Chester County 17,392 $57,471 $154,214
63 Weakley County 32,946 $47,769 $163,621
64 Dekalb County 20,209 $46,907 $244,392
65 Polk County 17,620 $53,775 $217,604
66 Henderson County 27,845 $51,576 $186,382
67 Hamblen County 64,531 $49,656 $234,087
68 Hardin County 26,824 $46,902 $185,268
69 Grainger County 23,648 $47,098 $242,318
70 White County 27,420 $48,220 $242,504
71 Mcnairy County 25,895 $46,920 $155,271
72 Lawrence County 44,377 $51,038 $222,580
73 Clay County 7,592 $39,572 $187,243
74 Campbell County 39,397 $48,258 $220,164
75 Lewis County 12,637 $44,613 $219,966
76 Claiborne County 32,092 $42,406 $204,261
77 Benton County 15,933 $47,737 $165,938
78 Johnson County 17,982 $47,571 $207,031
79 Carter County 56,315 $47,994 $212,098
80 Decatur County 11,483 $48,466 $148,968
81 Wayne County 16,325 $49,360 $168,802
82 Van Buren County 6,182 $44,730 $190,901
83 Perry County 8,432 $55,978 $157,271
84 Jackson County 11,730 $42,357 $212,057
85 Cocke County 36,186 $45,110 $210,155
86 Morgan County 21,124 $51,971 $192,937
87 Lauderdale County 25,171 $46,702 $132,731
88 Hardeman County 25,519 $43,566 $143,849
89 Grundy County 13,550 $47,948 $179,348
90 Bledsoe County 14,816 $51,783 $213,678
91 Haywood County 17,806 $44,890 $154,241
92 Scott County 21,917 $39,744 $161,848
93 Hancock County 6,726 $31,809 $164,774
94 Lake County 6,898 $32,064 $87,204
About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.