What’s the best part of Knoxville? It could be where everyone knows their neighbor. Or it could be where home prices are the highest, meaning it’s where everyone wants to live.
Instead of relying on public opinion and speculation, we wanted to get the facts straight and find out which neighborhoods in Knoxville are the best based on Saturday Night Science.
Whether you live in the sticks or in an apartment building downtown, you want a little pocket that you can call home. And each neighborhood offers different perks and benefits.
Smaller neighborhoods usually have obvious benefits — less crime, a slower pace of life, and a lower cost of living. But not all Knoxville neighborhoods are created equal. Some are better than others. But which ones?
If you’re thinking of moving to Tennessee and Knoxville is on the top of your list, check out the best neighborhoods for 2026.
$42,783 median income · $121,779 median home value
$23,168 median income · $91,135 median home value
$39,540 median income · $119,126 median home value
$43,193 median income · $255,731 median home value
$20,505 median income · $61,111 median home value
$18,258 median income · $51,011 median home value
$44,660 median income · $103,606 median home value
$45,135 median income · $140,310 median home value
$25,624 median income · $307,891 median home value
$24,933 median income · $279,807 median home value
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
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How we determined the best Knoxville, TN neighborhoods in 2026
To rank the best neighborhoods in Knoxville, we had to determine what criteria define “best” and then apply Saturday Night Science to it.
Using FBI crime, Census, and extrapolated BLS data, we arrived at the following set of criteria:
- High incomes
- Low unemployment rates
- Low crime
- High home prices
- High population densities (A proxy for things to do)
We then ranked each neighborhood with scores from 1 to 34 in each category, where 1 was the best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each neighborhood to create a best neighborhood index.
And finally, we crowned the neighborhood with the lowest best neighborhood index, the “Best City Neighborhood In Knoxville.” We’re lookin’ at you, Colonial Village.
Read on below to learn more about what it’s like to live in the best places Knoxville, Tennessee has to offer. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the neighborhoods in the city, from best to worst.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our eleventh time ranking the best neighborhoods to live in Knoxville.
The full plate
Table: Best Knoxville neighborhoods for 2026
Click any column to sort. Search by neighborhood name.
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colonial Village | 4,814 | $121,779 | $42,783 |
| 2 | Lonsdale | 13,278 | $91,135 | $23,168 |
| 3 | Inskip | 20,491 | $119,126 | $39,540 |
| 4 | Marble City | 4,216 | $255,731 | $43,193 |
| 5 | Western Heights | 2,801 | $61,111 | $20,505 |
| 6 | Mechanicsville | 3,536 | $51,011 | $18,258 |
| 7 | Norwood | 29,798 | $103,606 | $44,660 |
| 8 | Fountain City | 26,120 | $140,310 | $45,135 |
| 9 | Five Points | 2,647 | $307,891 | $25,624 |
| 10 | Parkridge | 4,131 | $279,807 | $24,933 |
| 11 | Old Sevier | 1,075 | $71,158 | $26,871 |
| 12 | South Knoxville | 28,682 | $118,327 | $32,785 |
| 13 | Burlington | 6,187 | $83,786 | $30,139 |
| 14 | Lake Forest | 5,911 | $158,771 | $35,516 |
| 15 | West Knoxville | 45,979 | $238,722 | $52,085 |
| 16 | Park City | 3,603 | $165,209 | $25,643 |
| 17 | North Knoxville | 42,454 | $112,359 | $36,308 |
| 18 | Whittle Springs | 8,833 | $104,175 | $34,082 |
| 19 | SouthKnoxville | 8,686 | $86,621 | $27,681 |
| 20 | East Knoxville | 20,794 | $193,506 | $36,682 |
| 21 | Lyons View | 759 | $454,418 | $87,431 |
| 22 | Morningside | 1,560 | $457,125 | $26,608 |
| 23 | Downtown | 3,224 | $68,199 | $25,421 |
| 24 | Old City | 2,887 | $68,199 | $25,421 |
| 25 | Deane Hill | 6,908 | $241,037 | $72,576 |
| 26 | North Hills | 2,522 | $98,267 | $28,797 |
| 27 | Lakemoor Hills | 1,934 | $454,418 | $74,274 |
| 28 | Beaumont | 818 | $64,378 | $23,489 |
| 29 | Rocky Hill | 2,135 | $187,957 | $78,104 |
| 30 | Bearden | 4,215 | $255,731 | $87,724 |
| 31 | Forest Heights | 957 | $255,731 | $55,661 |
| 32 | Halls Crossroads | 566 | $121,249 | $40,770 |
| 33 | Holston Hills | 4,628 | $90,304 | $39,073 |
| 34 | Old North Knoxville | 868 | $77,045 | $21,228 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS 2020-2024. All 34 Knoxville neighborhoods.
Summary
Summary: Putting a bow on our analysis of the best neighborhoods in Knoxville
If you’re measuring the neighborhoods in Knoxville where crime is low and everyone wants to live, this is an accurate list.
The best neighborhoods in Knoxville are Colonial Village, Lonsdale, Inskip, Marble City, Western Heights, Mechanicsville, Norwood, Fountain City, Five Points, and Parkridge.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Knoxville aren’t all good. Old North Knoxville takes the title of the worst neighborhood to live in Knoxville.
We ranked the neighborhoods from best to worst in the chart below. Not sold on Tennessee? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Best Neighborhoods In Knoxville FAQs
What is the best neighborhood in Knoxville?
Colonial Village is the best neighborhood in Knoxville for 2026, according to Saturday Night Science. Lonsdale and Inskip are next.
What are the best neighborhoods in Knoxville?
The best neighborhoods in Knoxville are Colonial Village, Lonsdale, Inskip, Marble City, Western Heights, Mechanicsville, Norwood, Fountain City, Five Points, and Parkridge. We ranked all 34 neighborhoods in the city.
How expensive is Colonial Village?
The median household income in Colonial Village is $42,783 and the median home costs $121,779. The best blocks in Knoxville rarely come at a discount.
How do you rank Knoxville neighborhoods?
Each neighborhood is scored on income, home values, population density, unemployment, and crime, using Census tract data. The neighborhood with the best combined score, Colonial Village, takes the top spot.
Which Knoxville neighborhood ranked last?
Old North Knoxville came in last of the 34 neighborhoods we scored. Every city has a bottom of the table; in Knoxville the numbers put it there.
