Memphis 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 Memphis 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 Memphis: 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 Memphis for 2026:
What’s the best suburb of Memphis? Germantown ranks as the best suburb of Memphis for 2026 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Germantown, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Memphis ‘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 Memphis Suburbs To Live For 2026
/10
Population: 40,673
Median Income: $149,920
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Germantown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Germantown is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Memphis area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Germantown.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $149,920 a year, which is the highest in the Memphis region. And only 3.2% are out of work. Homes average more than $485,879 each.
/10
Population: 51,515
Median Income: $138,598
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on Collierville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Collierville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Memphis for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 5.99% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
/10
Population: 14,192
Median Income: $116,250
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 3.2%
More on Lakeland: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Here in Lakeland, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Memphis 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 Lakeland.
/10
Population: 15,205
Median Income: $135,105
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Arlington: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Arlington ranks as the 4th best suburb of Memphis for 2026.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Arlington and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 56,876
Median Income: $102,070
Unemployment Rate: 3.4%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Bartlett: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Coming in as the fifth best is Bartlett.
Bartlett gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Memphis area, where houses sell for an average of $321,266. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 47,019
Median Income: $100,606
Unemployment Rate: 2.4%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Olive Branch: Data | Movers
Olive Branch 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 2.38%.
According to online reports, Olive Branch is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Memphis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 9,979
Median Income: $97,798
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 5.8%
More on Oakland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Oakland.
Oakland 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 26.3 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
8. Piperton, TN
/10
Population: 2,569
Median Income: $130,100
Unemployment Rate: 3.5%
Poverty Rate: 4.6%
More on Piperton: Crime | Movers
Piperton 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 8.88% of people lack insurance, good for 13th in the area.
/10
Population: 10,385
Median Income: $89,663
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 7.0%
More on Atoka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Is ‘Everything Better In Atoka?’
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: 56,226
Median Income: $78,483
Unemployment Rate: 3.3%
Poverty Rate: 12.6%
More on Southaven: Data | Movers
And rounding out the top ten for 2026 is Southaven.
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 Memphis for 2026
Figuring out the best suburbs around Memphis 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 Memphis.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Memphis.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 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 Memphis.” We’re lookin’ at you, Germantown.
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 Memphis suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Memphis ‘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 Memphis are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Memphis 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 Memphis Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germantown, TN | 40,673 | $149,920 | $485,879 |
| 2 | Collierville, TN | 51,515 | $138,598 | $509,893 |
| 3 | Lakeland, TN | 14,192 | $116,250 | $445,695 |
| 4 | Arlington, TN | 15,205 | $135,105 | $409,249 |
| 5 | Bartlett, TN | 56,876 | $102,070 | $321,266 |
| 6 | Olive Branch, TN | 47,019 | $100,606 | $331,684 |
| 7 | Oakland, TN | 9,979 | $97,798 | $353,491 |
| 8 | Piperton, TN | 2,569 | $130,100 | $676,624 |
| 9 | Atoka, TN | 10,385 | $89,663 | $350,767 |
| 10 | Southaven, TN | 56,226 | $78,483 | $274,141 |
| 11 | Munford, TN | 6,588 | $89,531 | $287,684 |
| 12 | Hernando, TN | 17,949 | $76,950 | $344,671 |
| 13 | Marion, TN | 13,623 | $78,330 | $238,641 |
| 14 | Brighton, TN | 2,889 | $80,882 | $271,745 |
| 15 | Horn Lake, TN | 26,647 | $53,311 | $202,372 |
| 16 | Millington, TN | 11,289 | $49,979 | $238,392 |
| 17 | West Memphis, TN | 23,929 | $42,674 | $131,756 |
