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.
$149,920 median income · $485,879 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, Tennessee
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$138,598 median income · $509,893 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, Tennessee
Collierville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Memphis for 2026.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 6.0% of residents lack insurance, good for 6th best.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$116,250 median income · $445,695 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, Tennessee
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$135,105 median income · $409,250 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, Tennessee
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$102,070 median income · $321,267 median home price
Located in
Shelby County, Tennessee
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 $321,267. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$100,606 median income · $331,685 median home price
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 2.4%.
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.
$97,798 median income · $353,491 median home price
Located in
Fayette County, Tennessee
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$130,100 median income · $676,624 median home price
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 8.9% of people lack insurance, good for 13th in the area.
$89,663 median income · $350,767 median home price
Located in
Tipton County, Tennessee
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.
Data | Crime | Cost of living | Movers
$78,483 median income · $274,141 median home price
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.
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Tennessee’s statewide median.
Tennessee statewide median: $69,595
Tennessee statewide median: $333,651
Tennessee statewide median: 4.7%
Tennessee statewide median: 13.8%
On the map
Where the best Memphis suburbs are
Saturday Night Science
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.
The full plate
Table: Best Memphis Suburbs
Click any column to sort. Search by city name.
| Rank | City | Suburb Score | Population | Median Income | Median Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germantown | 1.86 | 40,673 | $149,920 | $485,879 |
| 2 | Collierville | 4.57 | 51,515 | $138,598 | $509,893 |
| 3 | Lakeland | 4.79 | 14,192 | $116,250 | $445,695 |
| 4 | Arlington | 5.79 | 15,205 | $135,105 | $409,250 |
| 5 | Bartlett | 6.43 | 56,876 | $102,070 | $321,267 |
| 6 | Olive Branch | 7.07 | 47,019 | $100,606 | $331,685 |
| 7 | Oakland | 7.14 | 9,979 | $97,798 | $353,491 |
| 8 | Piperton | 7.71 | 2,569 | $130,100 | $676,624 |
| 9 | Atoka | 8.71 | 10,385 | $89,663 | $350,767 |
| 10 | Southaven | 9.86 | 56,226 | $78,483 | $274,141 |
| 11 | Munford | 10.43 | 6,588 | $89,531 | $287,684 |
| 12 | Hernando | 11.14 | 17,949 | $76,950 | $344,672 |
| 13 | Marion | 11.93 | 13,623 | $78,330 | $238,641 |
| 14 | Brighton | 12.71 | 2,889 | $80,882 | $271,746 |
| 15 | Horn Lake | 13.71 | 26,647 | $53,311 | $202,373 |
| 16 | Millington | 14.00 | 11,289 | $49,979 | $238,393 |
| 17 | West Memphis | 15.14 | 23,929 | $42,674 | $131,757 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. 17 suburbs within 30 miles of Memphis.
Summary
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 Germantown, Collierville, Lakeland, Arlington, Bartlett, Olive Branch, Oakland, Piperton, Atoka, and Southaven.
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. Not sold on Tennessee? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Suburbs Of Memphis FAQs
What is the best suburb of Memphis?
Germantown is the best suburb of Memphis for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Collierville and Lakeland are next.
What are the best suburbs of Memphis?
The best suburbs of Memphis are Germantown, Collierville, Lakeland, Arlington, Bartlett, Olive Branch, Oakland, Piperton, Atoka, and Southaven. We ranked all 17 places within commuting range.
How expensive is Germantown?
The median household income in Germantown is $149,920 and the median home costs $485,879. Top suburbs rarely come cheap; that is part of how they got there.
What counts as a suburb of Memphis?
Any place within 30 miles of Memphis qualifies. 17 towns fit that circle, and every one of them got scored.
How do you rank Memphis suburbs?
Each suburb is scored on income, home values, density, unemployment, education, insurance coverage, and poverty, using Census American Community Survey data. The best combined score, Germantown, takes the crown.
