Best Places38135, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38135, 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.
38135 ranks 7,320th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38135
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.
38135's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38135 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 95% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38135 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 28% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 29% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 32% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 73 pleasant days a year, better than only 32% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38135
A household needs to earn about $76,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38135 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $96,245, 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 38135's effective rate of 0.88%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38135
38135'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 38135.
Who works in 38135, and how
Work in 38135 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 38135
38135 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes and more parkland per resident than 93% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 38135 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38135, month by month
38135 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 38135
Memphis International sits about 15 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 38135
Schools across 38135 average a C+, better than 50% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Bon Lin Elementary SchoolA · 64% proficient
- Bartlett Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Oak ElementaryA− · 56% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bon Lin Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- Elmore Park Middle SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Appling Middle SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top high schools
- Bartlett High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Craigmont HighF · 10% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38135 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38135 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 38135 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 38135 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 89% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 38135
Is 38135 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38135 ranks 7,320th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, few empty homes, and what local pay buys, and lowest on air quality and disaster risk. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38135 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $287,980. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $96,245 median income, cost of living beats 89% of zip codes.
Is 38135 safe?
38135 is safer than 35% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $516 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 38135?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 34. That works out to about 73 pleasant days a year, more than 32% of zip codes.
Is 38135 good for families?
Schools beat 50% of zip codes, crime safety beats 35%, and childcare runs $811 a month.
Compare 38135 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38135. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38135 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.
38135 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38135: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38135: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38135: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38135: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38135 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.