Knoxville has plenty to offer, but the price of admission usually comes with traffic, sky-high rent, and a calendar that fills itself.
If you want the upside of Knoxville without the daily grind, the answer is almost always a good suburb. The catch: not every suburb is worth the move.
So we ranked them. Using Saturday Night Science, we pulled the numbers on every place within commuting distance of Knoxville: incomes, home prices, unemployment, schools, the works. The result is a no-nonsense ranking of where you actually want to live.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Knoxville for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Knoxville? Farragut ranks as the best suburb of Knoxville for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Farragut, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Knoxville ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Tennessee:
The 10 Best Knoxville Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 24,634
Median Income: $142,093
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 3.8%
More on Farragut: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Farragut is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Knoxville area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Farragut.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $142,093 a year, which is the highest in the Knoxville region. And only 2.32% are out of work. Homes average more than $688,600 each.
/10
Population: 32,392
Median Income: $81,963
Unemployment Rate: 3.0%
Poverty Rate: 6.7%
More on Maryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Maryville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Knoxville for 2026.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 8.91% of residents lack insurance, good for 9th best.
/10
Population: 10,239
Median Income: $68,882
Unemployment Rate: 1.4%
Poverty Rate: 12.7%
More on Clinton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Clinton, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Knoxville metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Clinton.
4. Jacksboro, TN
/10
Population: 2,650
Median Income: $68,750
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 12.7%
More on Jacksboro: Crime | Movers
Jacksboro ranks as the 4th best suburb of Knoxville for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Jacksboro and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 32,693
Median Income: $72,311
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 12.2%
More on Oak Ridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Oak Ridge.
Oak Ridge gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Knoxville area, where houses sell for an average of $322,989. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 4,383
Median Income: $89,744
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 11.8%
More on Louisville: Data | Movers
Louisville is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.14%.
According to online reports, Louisville is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Knoxville area, meaning you need to get in soon.
7. Blaine, TN
/10
Population: 3,213
Median Income: $77,092
Unemployment Rate: 8.0%
Poverty Rate: 8.9%
More on Blaine: Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Blaine.
Blaine schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 18.6 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
8. Vonore, TN
/10
Population: 2,191
Median Income: $58,317
Unemployment Rate: 0.3%
Poverty Rate: 10.1%
More on Vonore: Movers
Vonore is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 14.47% of people lack insurance, good for 14th in the area.
/10
Population: 12,222
Median Income: $65,714
Unemployment Rate: 2.0%
Poverty Rate: 12.9%
More on Alcoa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Alcoa?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
/10
Population: 18,397
Median Income: $52,421
Unemployment Rate: 4.4%
Poverty Rate: 15.4%
More on Sevierville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Sevierville.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Knoxville for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Knoxville was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2020-2024 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Knoxville.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 18 suburbs to evaluate around Knoxville.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 18 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Knoxville.” We’re lookin’ at you, Farragut.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best Knoxville suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Knoxville ‘Burbs of 2026
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Knoxville are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Knoxville but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
Table: Best Knoxville Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farragut, TN | 24,634 | $142,093 | $688,600 |
| 2 | Maryville, TN | 32,392 | $81,963 | $390,045 |
| 3 | Clinton, TN | 10,239 | $68,882 | $332,660 |
| 4 | Jacksboro, TN | 2,650 | $68,750 | $288,085 |
| 5 | Oak Ridge, TN | 32,693 | $72,311 | $322,989 |
| 6 | Louisville, TN | 4,383 | $89,744 | $464,912 |
| 7 | Blaine, TN | 3,213 | $77,092 | $332,733 |
| 8 | Vonore, TN | 2,191 | $58,317 | $466,106 |
| 9 | Alcoa, TN | 12,222 | $65,714 | $314,717 |
| 10 | Sevierville, TN | 18,397 | $52,421 | $417,023 |
| 11 | Plainview, TN | 2,458 | $63,965 | $288,284 |
| 12 | Dandridge, TN | 3,538 | $53,507 | $384,828 |
| 13 | Oliver Springs, TN | 3,281 | $51,183 | $247,168 |
| 14 | Pigeon Forge, TN | 6,375 | $53,261 | $423,693 |
| 15 | Caryville, TN | 2,073 | $56,394 | $254,722 |
| 16 | La Follette, TN | 7,273 | $37,581 | $161,646 |
| 17 | Jefferson, TN | 2,131 | $41,500 | $157,346 |
| 18 | Maynardville, TN | 2,528 | $46,106 | $287,321 |
