Best Places38251, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38251, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
38251 ranks 21,882nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38251
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.
38251's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38251 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 94% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap car insuranceBetter than 78% of zip codes
Where 38251 ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Household income$55,854 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38251
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38251 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $55,854, 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 38251's effective rate of 0.34%, 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 38251
38251 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 38251.
Who works in 38251, and how
Work in 38251 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38251
38251 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 97% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38251 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38251, month by month
38251 sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 47, with lows near 31. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 47° | 38° | 31° |
| April | 70° | 58° | 48° |
| July | 88° | 78° | 70° |
| October | 73° | 61° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 38251
The nearest airport, Barkley Regional, is about 49 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 95 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38251
Schools across 38251 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Dorothy And Noble Harrelson SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Henry Co High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38251 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38251 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 38251 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38251
Is 38251 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38251 ranks 21,882nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and low taxes, and lowest on cell coverage and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38251 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $133,142. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $55,854 median income, cost of living beats 25% of zip codes.
Is 38251 safe?
Yes, 38251 is safer than 76% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $313 per resident a year.
Compare 38251 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38251. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38251 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.
38251 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38251: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38251: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38251: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38251: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38251 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.