The 10 Best Counties To Live In Tennessee For 2022


Using science and data, we can tell you which counties in Tennessee have the most for people looking to make the move to Tennessee.

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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.

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

Brentwood, TN

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: PhotosData

2. Sumner County

Gallatin, TN

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: PhotosData

3. Moore County

Source: Public Domain

Biggest Place:

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

Lebanon, TN

Source: Public domain

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: PhotosData

5. Loudon County

Farragut, TN

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: PhotosData

6. Cheatham County

Ashland City, TN

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: PhotosData

7. Rutherford County

Murfreesboro, TN

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: PhotosData

8. Robertson County

Portland, TN

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: PhotosData

9. Montgomery County

Clarksville, TN

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: PhotosData

10. Maury County

Columbia, TN

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: PhotosData

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:

  1. Lake County
  2. Perry County
  3. Grundy County

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Best Counties In Tennessee

County Rank Population Median Income Median Home Price
Williamson County 1 232,380 $111,196.0 $471,300.0
Sumner County 2 187,680 $69,878.0 $256,000.0
Moore County 3 6,396 $63,762.0 $200,500.0
Wilson County 4 140,604 $78,962.0 $283,200.0
Loudon County 5 53,169 $61,664.0 $227,100.0
Cheatham County 6 40,539 $63,988.0 $198,900.0
Rutherford County 7 324,139 $68,718.0 $234,700.0
Robertson County 8 70,982 $66,088.0 $215,900.0
Montgomery County 9 204,992 $60,878.0 $175,000.0
Maury County 10 94,615 $60,567.0 $204,500.0
Knox County 11 466,184 $59,250.0 $194,200.0
Smith County 12 19,926 $48,611.0 $162,500.0
Fayette County 13 40,612 $63,618.0 $218,600.0
Washington County 14 128,874 $48,923.0 $167,400.0
Cannon County 15 14,374 $52,518.0 $172,600.0
Stewart County 16 13,553 $49,537.0 $124,600.0
Lincoln County 17 34,158 $53,923.0 $149,400.0
Blount County 18 131,641 $60,301.0 $192,800.0
Putnam County 19 78,542 $45,160.0 $164,000.0
Marshall County 20 33,708 $55,299.0 $159,900.0
Roane County 21 53,331 $55,578.0 $157,900.0
Dickson County 22 53,289 $57,804.0 $183,300.0
Anderson County 23 76,513 $52,338.0 $152,600.0
Trousdale County 24 10,910 $56,981.0 $164,300.0
Hamilton County 25 364,718 $56,606.0 $191,400.0
Tipton County 26 61,562 $62,474.0 $161,300.0
Cumberland County 27 60,016 $49,423.0 $159,800.0
Hickman County 28 25,017 $47,457.0 $122,500.0
Franklin County 29 41,999 $47,777.0 $146,700.0
Jefferson County 30 54,162 $51,899.0 $154,800.0
Coffee County 31 56,024 $51,030.0 $156,200.0
Davidson County 32 690,540 $62,515.0 $267,400.0
Houston County 33 8,201 $43,521.0 $126,300.0
Giles County 34 29,403 $49,815.0 $136,600.0
Unicoi County 35 17,821 $44,526.0 $136,500.0
Bedford County 36 48,937 $52,973.0 $169,800.0
Marion County 37 28,639 $50,059.0 $122,700.0
Humphreys County 38 18,528 $48,411.0 $120,000.0
Sullivan County 39 157,707 $47,438.0 $145,300.0
Sevier County 40 98,007 $51,734.0 $189,200.0
Carroll County 41 27,841 $42,877.0 $97,200.0
Union County 42 19,678 $45,143.0 $131,800.0
Polk County 43 16,807 $45,326.0 $112,700.0
White County 44 27,087 $44,282.0 $124,800.0
Bradley County 45 106,924 $51,872.0 $167,800.0
Grainger County 46 23,268 $44,703.0 $124,900.0
Chester County 47 17,260 $53,336.0 $118,700.0
Overton County 48 22,171 $36,478.0 $126,300.0
Benton County 49 16,133 $39,019.0 $87,700.0
Van Buren County 50 5,813 $47,576.0 $98,100.0
Greene County 51 69,077 $43,150.0 $133,600.0
Macon County 52 24,208 $38,080.0 $124,800.0
Meigs County 53 12,237 $50,733.0 $148,700.0
Decatur County 54 11,663 $40,389.0 $97,800.0
Dekalb County 55 20,104 $44,389.0 $157,500.0
Henry County 56 32,251 $41,037.0 $104,500.0
Pickett County 57 5,068 $43,125.0 $135,600.0
Gibson County 58 49,193 $45,557.0 $108,600.0
Wayne County 59 16,638 $42,206.0 $109,100.0
Weakley County 60 33,377 $41,488.0 $97,900.0
Monroe County 61 46,413 $45,576.0 $146,100.0
Bledsoe County 62 14,961 $49,382.0 $139,300.0
Hawkins County 63 56,735 $45,318.0 $127,600.0
Clay County 64 7,640 $32,064.0 $107,400.0
Madison County 65 97,838 $48,396.0 $139,500.0
Crockett County 66 14,310 $47,581.0 $99,100.0
Obion County 67 30,343 $39,985.0 $96,600.0
Rhea County 68 32,964 $46,096.0 $131,100.0
Sequatchie County 69 14,936 $44,217.0 $150,700.0
Jackson County 70 11,767 $35,880.0 $115,800.0
Henderson County 71 27,956 $44,534.0 $108,600.0
Mcminn County 72 53,392 $46,872.0 $140,000.0
Shelby County 73 936,611 $52,092.0 $158,700.0
Fentress County 74 18,405 $40,203.0 $106,800.0
Dyer County 75 37,201 $45,042.0 $113,800.0
Mcnairy County 76 25,814 $40,327.0 $101,100.0
Lawrence County 77 43,780 $43,734.0 $118,500.0
Claiborne County 78 31,827 $37,954.0 $112,000.0
Lewis County 79 12,131 $36,977.0 $98,600.0
Warren County 80 40,971 $42,668.0 $117,000.0
Hardin County 81 25,665 $42,285.0 $120,200.0
Johnson County 82 17,755 $38,090.0 $133,700.0
Carter County 83 56,452 $40,820.0 $125,100.0
Hamblen County 84 64,479 $43,151.0 $139,000.0
Campbell County 85 39,818 $41,769.0 $121,000.0
Haywood County 86 17,391 $38,994.0 $103,600.0
Morgan County 87 21,538 $41,701.0 $98,000.0
Scott County 88 22,020 $37,135.0 $97,300.0
Lauderdale County 89 25,689 $41,905.0 $90,700.0
Hardeman County 90 25,247 $39,636.0 $94,100.0
Cocke County 91 35,797 $38,530.0 $112,600.0
Hancock County 92 6,568 $28,234.0 $99,800.0
Grundy County 93 13,371 $43,116.0 $90,400.0
Perry County 94 8,020 $48,716.0 $94,100.0
Lake County 95 7,273 $34,230.0 $91,800.0
Editor’s Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the best counties to live in Tennessee.

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.