A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Covington$1,220/mo

Typical home $210K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $933/mo · Housing →

Pulaski$1,430/mo

Typical home $252K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.51% · or rent about $835/mo · Housing →

The difference: $210 a month, about $2,500 a year, between Pulaski and Covington.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Pulaski places higher on 15 of 21 TN lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Tennessee ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

D−CovingtonSafer than 3% of U.S. towns DPulaskiSafer than 14% of U.S. towns

Schools

B+CovingtonBetter than 70% of districts in the state C+PulaskiBetter than 38% of districts in the state

Health

D−CovingtonHealthier than 3% of U.S. towns C−PulaskiHealthier than 15% of U.S. towns

6Covington

15Pulaski

Lists won, of 21 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Fastest growingGrowth · 179 towns #163#85 Lowest obesityHealth · 183 towns #180#104 Most walkableOutdoors · 184 towns #101#26 HealthiestHealth · 182 towns #173#99 Most activeHealth · 183 towns #164#96 Most educatedPeople · 184 towns #155#100 Fewest smokersHealth · 183 towns #124#73 Lowest property taxCost of living · 184 towns #95#59

Left end = #1 in Tennessee. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Covington’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

CovingtonPulaski

Snow a year2″2″

January low29°F 25°F

July high89°F 88°F

Growing season (days)222d 193d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)73rd 40th

Outdoors & history

CovingtonPulaski

Trails7 mi 0 mi

Conserved land1.2%1.3%

Settled—1809

National Register places7 17

Community

CovingtonPulaski

Library hours a week59 hrs 54 hrs

Colleges in town—1

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

150 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

CovingtonTN PulaskiTN

Covington ↔ Pulaski150 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Tennessee average

CovingtonPulaski

People

Population 8,587Highest 8,285Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -4.1%Lowest TN: +8.9% +6.7%Highest TN: +8.9%

Median age 40.3±3.9Highest 4% above TN 37.2±7.3Lowest 4% below TN

Covington and Pulaski are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 25.5%±4.1Highest TN: 22.2% 19.2%±3.7Lowest TN: 22.2%

Covington and Pulaski are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 19.1%±3.7Lowest TN: 17.1% 20.7%±3.4Highest TN: 17.1%

Pulaski and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 13.7%Lowest TN: 31.1% 20.8%Highest TN: 31.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.5%±1.5Lowest TN: 5.4% 10%±2.3Highest TN: 5.4%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $42,254±$8kLowest 39% below TN $48,538±$8kHighest 30% below TN

Pulaski and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $185,900±$48kLowest 35% below TN $194,400±$42kHighest 32% below TN

Pulaski and Covington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $933±$136Highest 22% below TN $835±$43Lowest 30% below TN

Covington and Pulaski are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,253Highest 13% below TN $998Lowest 31% below TN

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 49.2%±13.9Highest TN: 48.8% 41.9%±11.9Lowest TN: 48.8%

Covington and Pulaski are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 29.2%Highest TN: 13.8% 25.7%Lowest TN: 13.8%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 45.3%Lowest TN: 66.9% 46.7%Highest TN: 66.9%

Typical home builtmedian year 1977 10 yrs older than TN 1977 10 yrs older than TN

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 23 minLowest 11% below TN 25 minHighest 5% below TN

Work from home 7.6%±3.5Highest TN: 12.9% 7%±3.2Lowest TN: 12.9%

Covington and Pulaski are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 30.6%Lowest 34.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 25.8 miHighest 20.8 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 2.13Highest 1.96Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Memphis (24%)Nashville (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PulaskiFew work in Covington

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 1.2%Lowest 1.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 6.5 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.6 miHighest 0.0 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 5Highest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 37.2Lowest 56.5Highest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #147 of 169 in TN #154 of 169 in TN

School district Tipton CountyGiles County

High school in town Covington High SchoolGiles Co High School

Tennessee average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Covington neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Covington’s Town Square.

Pulaski neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pulaski’s Town Square.

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Towns like Covington

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McMinnville13,844 people · $182K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Covington vs Pulaski

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they differ most

A typical home costs $210 more a month in Pulaski

Pulaski places higher on 15 of 21 TN lists

What daily life feels like in each

150 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Covington and Pulaski

Towns like Covington

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