Best Places38401, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38401, 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.
38401 ranks 15,318th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38401
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.
38401's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38401 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38401 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- School gradeC−, better than only 20% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 71 pleasant days a year, better than only 27% of zip codes
- Short commute29.0 minutes each way, better than only 33% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 35% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38401
A household needs to earn about $84,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38401 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $76,661; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 38401's effective rate of 0.46%, 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 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38401
38401'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 38401.
Who works in 38401, and how
Work in 38401 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 80%
- Work from home 16%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 38401
38401 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 66% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 68% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 38401 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38401, month by month
38401 sees roughly 71 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 50, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 50° | 40° | 32° |
| April | 72° | 61° | 50° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 71° |
| October | 75° | 62° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 38401
Nashville International sits about 40 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 12.6 million passengers in 2025, with 158 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 38401
Schools across 38401 average a C−, better than 20% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hillsboro Elementary/ Middle SchoolA · 68% proficient
- Fairview ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Chapel Hill ElementaryB · 50% proficient
Top middle schools
- Delk-henson Intermediate SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Fairview Middle SchoolB+ · 49% proficient
- Spring Hill Middle SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top high schools
- Nolensville High SchoolA · 74% proficient
- Summit High SchoolA− · 63% proficient
- Forrest SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38401 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38401 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 38401 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 38401 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 16% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 38401
Is 38401 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38401 ranks 15,318th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and low taxes, and lowest on an overheated housing market and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38401 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $335,576. The overall cost of living runs about 14% below the national average. Set against a $76,661 median income, cost of living beats 60% of zip codes.
Is 38401 safe?
38401 is safer than 54% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $424 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 38401?
July highs average about 90 degrees, and January highs near 50 with lows near 32. That works out to about 71 pleasant days a year, more than 27% of zip codes.
Is 38401 good for families?
Schools beat 20% of zip codes, crime safety beats 54%, and childcare runs $809 a month.
Compare 38401 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38401. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38401 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.
38401 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38401: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38401: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38401: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38401: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38401 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.