Best Places38017, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38017, 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.
38017 ranks 2,078th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on what local pay buys by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38017
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.
38017's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38017 ranks high
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 99% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Household income$144,419 median, better than 95% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 86% of zip codes
Where 38017 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 72 pleasant days a year, better than only 30% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38017
A household needs to earn about $134,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38017 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $144,419, 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 38017's effective rate of 0.94%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38017
38017'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 38017.
Who works in 38017, and how
Work in 38017 centers on transportation & warehousing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 20%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38017
38017 has more parkland per resident than 69% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38017 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38017, month by month
38017 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 40° | 33° |
| April | 72° | 61° | 52° |
| July | 91° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 75° | 64° | 54° |
Flying in and out of 38017
Memphis International sits about 16 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 38017
Schools across 38017 average an A−, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Crosswind Elementary SchoolA+ · 81% proficient
- Dogwood Elementary SchoolA+ · 80% proficient
- Tara Oaks Elementary SchoolA+ · 76% proficient
Top middle schools
- Houston Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- West Collierville Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Center Hill MiddleA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Houston High SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Center Hill High SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Collierville High SchoolB+ · 57% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38017 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38017 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 38017 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 38017 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 100% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 20% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 38017
Is 38017 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38017 ranks 2,078th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on what local pay buys, state finances, and high incomes, and lowest on disaster risk and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38017 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $503,548. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $144,419 median income, cost of living beats 100% of zip codes.
Is 38017 safe?
38017 is safer than 29% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $534 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 38017?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 33. That works out to about 72 pleasant days a year, more than 30% of zip codes.
Is 38017 good for families?
Schools beat 85% of zip codes, crime safety beats 29%, and childcare runs $811 a month.
Compare 38017 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38017. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38017 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.
38017 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38017: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38017: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38017: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38017: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38017 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.