Best Places38004, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38004, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
38004 ranks 5,076th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on few empty homes by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38004
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.
38004's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38004 ranks high
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 38004 ranks low
- Short commute35.1 minutes each way, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 30% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 32% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38004
A household needs to earn about $80,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38004 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $104,704, 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 38004's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 8 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38004
38004'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 38004.
Who works in 38004, and how
Work in 38004 centers on public administration and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 86%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38004
38004 has more parkland per resident than 73% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38004 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38004, month by month
38004 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 41° | 34° |
| April | 72° | 62° | 52° |
| July | 91° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 75° | 64° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 38004
Memphis International sits about 29 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.4 million passengers in 2025, with 78 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 38004
Schools across 38004 average a B, better than 70% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Atoka Elementary SchoolA · 66% proficient
- Munford ElementaryB · 49% proficient
- Austin Peay Elementary SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Munford Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
- Brighton Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top high schools
- Brighton High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Munford High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Bolton HighD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38004 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38004 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 38004 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38004
Is 38004 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38004 ranks 5,076th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on few empty homes, state finances, and a strong job market, and lowest on long commutes and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38004 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $313,546. The overall cost of living runs about 15% below the national average. Set against a $104,704 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 38004 safe?
Yes, 38004 is safer than 92% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $240 per resident a year.
Compare 38004 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38004. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38004 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.
38004 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38004: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38004: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38004: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38004: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38004 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.