Best Places37186, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 37186, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
37186 ranks 20,273rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 37186
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
37186's strengths and weaknesses
Where 37186 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 37186 ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 59 pleasant days a year, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Short commute34.5 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 14% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 37186
A household needs to earn about $53,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 37186 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,901, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 37186's effective rate of 0.33%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 37186
37186's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 37186.
Who works in 37186, and how
Work in 37186 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 9%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 37186
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 37186.
What the weather is like in 37186, month by month
37186 sees roughly 59 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 38° | 31° |
| April | 72° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 74° | 62° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 37186
Nashville International sits about 40 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.6 million passengers in 2025, with 158 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 37186
Schools across 37186 average a C+, better than 42% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Union Elementary SchoolA · 69% proficient
- North Sumner ElementaryB · 50% proficient
- Westmoreland ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- Macon County Junior High SchoolB− · 39% proficient
- Westmoreland Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
- Portland East Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- Macon County High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
- Westmoreland High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 37186 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
37186 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 37186 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 37186
Is 37186 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 37186 ranks 20,273rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and a strong job market, and lowest on the weather and education levels. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 37186 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $218,112. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $65,901 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 37186 safe?
Yes, 37186 is safer than 74% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $340 per resident a year.
Compare 37186 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 37186. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 37186 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
37186 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 37186: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 37186: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 37186: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 37186: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
37186 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.