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 places 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 helping people find the best places to live in America for years.
So, 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 95 counties in the state.
After the analytic dust settled, we identified the 10 best counties to live in Volunteer State for 2022.
The 10 Best Counties To Live In Tennessee For 2022
Williamson County is the county to be when it comes to living the good life in Tennessee. And you might want to avoid Lake County if you can — at least according to the data.
So if you’re thinking of making the move Tennessee, we’ve got you covered. Keep on reading for a detailed methodology.
Or, check out the best places to live in Tennessee and the cheapest places to live in Tennessee.
The Best Counties To Live In Tennessee For 2022
1. Williamson County
Biggest Place: Franklin
Population: 232,380
Median Income: $111,196.0 (best)
Median Home Price: $471,300.0 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (best)
More on Williamson County: Photos | Data
2. Sumner County
Biggest Place: Hendersonville
Population: 187,680
Median Income: $69,878.0 (3rd best)
Median Home Price: $256,000.0 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.4% (5th best)
More on Sumner County: Photos | Data
3. Moore County
Population: 6,396
Median Income: $63,762.0 (7th best)
Median Home Price: $200,500.0 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.9% (14th best)
More on Moore County: Data
4. Wilson County
Biggest Place: Mount Juliet
Population: 140,604
Median Income: $78,962.0 (2nd best)
Median Home Price: $283,200.0 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.5% (7th best)
More on Wilson County: Photos | Data
5. Loudon County
Biggest Place: Farragut
Population: 53,169
Median Income: $61,664.0 (11th best)
Median Home Price: $227,100.0 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.6% (9th best)
More on Loudon County: Photos | Data
6. Cheatham County
Biggest Place: Ashland City
Population: 40,539
Median Income: $63,988.0 (6th best)
Median Home Price: $198,900.0 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.3% (20th best)
More on Cheatham County: Photos | Data
7. Rutherford County
Biggest Place: Murfreesboro
Population: 324,139
Median Income: $68,718.0 (4th best)
Median Home Price: $234,700.0 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.2% (17th best)
More on Rutherford County: Photos | Data
8. Robertson County
Biggest Place: Springfield
Population: 70,982
Median Income: $66,088.0 (5th best)
Median Home Price: $215,900.0 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (28th best)
More on Robertson County: Photos | Data
9. Montgomery County
Biggest Place: Clarksville
Population: 204,992
Median Income: $60,878.0 (12th best)
Median Home Price: $175,000.0 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (53rd best)
More on Montgomery County: Photos | Data
10. Maury County
Biggest Place: Spring Hill
Population: 94,615
Median Income: $60,567.0 (13th best)
Median Home Price: $204,500.0 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 3.8% (11th best)
More on Maury County: Photos | Data
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 need to make some assumptions about what’s a “best county” and what isn’t. And, for reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, don’t take this analysis to court.
With that in mind, we went to two of the best sources of data on the internet; the American Community Survey data and FBI Crime data for the most recent time 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 95, 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, quiet, and best counties to raise a family in the Volunteer State.
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 2018
It turns out living in Tennessee can vary from one part of the state to the next — who woulda thought?
But now you the know the really good parts and the parts to avoid and that’s why you came here to learn at the end of the day. And for that, you are welcome.
Here’s a look at the worst counties in Tennessee according to the data:
- Lake County
- Perry County
- Grundy County
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- Best Places To Retire In Tennessee
- Richest Cities In Tennessee
- Best Places To Buy A House In Tennessee
- Best Counties To Live In Tennessee