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TNTennessee rankings

Towns where rent is easiest to afford in Tennessee

Ranked by the share of renter households spending 30% or more of their income on rent, the federal "cost-burdened" line. 54 towns with 2,500+ residents.

U.S. Census ACS 2020–2024 5-year

1 Seymour 25.4% Median rent $1,515 2 Manchester 31.3% Median rent $978 3 Elizabethton 31.7% Median rent $740
#TownRenters paying 30%+Median rentRenter households
1 Seymour16,216 people 25.4% $1,515 1,311
2 Manchester12,944 people 31.3% $978 2,075
3 Elizabethton14,374 people 31.7% $740 2,041
4 Winchester9,799 people 32.6% $974 1,115
5 Collierville51,515 people 34.6% $1,691 3,485
6 Dickson16,424 people 35.5% $1,063 2,458
7 Dayton7,625 people 37.5% $848 1,570
8 Millington11,289 people 38.1% $1,111 1,867
9 East Ridge East Ridge22,070 people 39.4% $1,147 3,870
10 Crossville Crossville12,428 people 39.4% $815 2,272
11 Union City10,982 people 40.4% $739 1,776
12 Paris Paris10,338 people 40.4% $780 1,552
13 Oak Ridge32,693 people 41.4% $1,131 4,486
14 Map of Spring Hill Spring Hill55,765 people 41.6% $1,844 5,142
15 Pulaski Pulaski8,285 people 41.9% $835 1,658
16 La Follette La Follette7,273 people 42.1% $696 1,926
17 Jefferson City8,579 people 43.7% $851 1,525
18 Bartlett56,876 people 44% $1,638 2,586
19 Map of Soddy-Daisy Soddy-Daisy13,231 people 44.1% $1,047 1,151
20 Bristol27,636 people 44.6% $842 3,815
21 Morristown31,527 people 44.9% $882 5,069
22 Map of Lebanon Lebanon44,788 people 45.2% $1,306 6,141
23 Hendersonville63,091 people 46% $1,653 6,829
24 Maryville32,392 people 46.3% $1,157 3,707
25 Chattanooga Chattanooga185,783 people 46.4% $1,256 35,537
26 Map of Springfield Springfield19,255 people 46.7% $1,139 2,902
27 Franklin Franklin87,133 people 47.1% $1,923 11,987
28 Tullahoma21,103 people 47.4% $886 2,703
29 Clarksville176,456 people 47.7% $1,307 28,243
30 Athens14,471 people 48% $846 2,257
31 Alcoa12,222 people 48.1% $1,282 1,542
32 Shelbyville24,661 people 48.3% $1,056 4,285
33 Martin10,915 people 48.4% $859 2,221
34 Kingsport56,262 people 48.8% $907 8,967
35 McMinnville McMinnville13,844 people 49.4% $791 2,397
36 Smyrna Smyrna56,692 people 49.5% $1,461 8,327
37 Cleveland48,829 people 49.5% $1,034 9,401
38 Johnson City72,222 people 49.6% $1,023 14,054
39 Columbia45,441 people 50% $1,197 6,200
40 Cookeville36,088 people 51.3% $917 8,267
41 Dyersburg15,979 people 51.5% $782 3,189
42 Lawrenceburg11,844 people 51.5% $775 2,045
43 Mount Juliet42,073 people 52.1% $2,011 4,191
44 Gallatin48,532 people 53% $1,395 8,138
45 Murfreesboro161,445 people 53.2% $1,481 27,868
46 Brownsville9,622 people 53.3% $767 1,936
47 Nashville-Davidson metropolitan government715,388 people 53.8% $1,582 146,563
48 Knoxville Knoxville195,185 people 53.8% $1,191 43,042
49 Sevierville18,397 people 54.2% $1,081 3,719
50 Goodlettsville17,597 people 54.3% $1,385 3,038
51 Ripley7,658 people 54.4% $800 1,331
52 La Vergne40,243 people 55.2% $1,805 3,207
53 Memphis618,980 people 55.7% $1,181 129,567
54 Jackson Jackson68,435 people 56% $1,145 12,352

How this ranking works

We rank every town by the share of renter households spending 30% or more of their income on rent, the federal "cost-burdened" line. Lower is better. Only towns with 1,000+ renter households are ranked, because smaller samples are too uncertain. The town with the lowest figure ranks #1. For comparison, the figure for Tennessee as a whole is 48.8%.

Only towns with at least 2,500 residents are ranked; Census estimates for smaller places are too uncertain. Population and income: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Town photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each town’s page.

Same ranking in other states

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