Best Places38044, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38044, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
38044 ranks 26,005th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38044
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.
38044's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38044 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$564 a month, better than 89% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38044 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 9% of zip codes
- Short commute35.9 minutes each way, better than only 9% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 16% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38044
A household needs to earn about $71,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38044 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $63,368, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 38044's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 38044
38044 runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 38044.
Who works in 38044, and how
Work in 38044 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38044
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 38044.
What the weather is like in 38044, month by month
38044 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 51° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 74° | 61° | 50° |
Flying in and out of 38044
The nearest airport, McKellar-Sipes Regional, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 67 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38044
Schools across 38044 average a C, better than 30% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chester County Middle SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
- Selmer ElementaryB− · 41% proficient
- Hornsby ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Selmer Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- Chester County High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Mcnairy Central High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Central High SchoolD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38044 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38044 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 38044 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38044
Is 38044 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38044 ranks 26,005th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, tree cover, and affordable childcare, and lowest on health outcomes and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38044 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $282,197. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $63,368 median income, cost of living beats 53% of zip codes.
Is 38044 safe?
38044 is safer than 12% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $777 per resident a year.
Compare 38044 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38044. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38044 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.
38044 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38044: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38044: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38044: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38044: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38044 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.