Best Places38449, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38449, 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.
38449 ranks 24,784th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38449
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.
38449's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38449 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$564 a month, better than 89% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38449 ranks low
- Short commute37.4 minutes each way, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- Household income$60,246 median, better than only 24% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 25% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 26% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38449
A household needs to earn about $62,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38449 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $60,246; 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 38449's effective rate of 0.38%, 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 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38449
38449 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 38449.
Who works in 38449, and how
Work in 38449 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 14%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 38449
38449 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38449 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38449, month by month
38449 sees roughly 73 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 51, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs April, May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 51° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 73° | 60° | 49° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 70° |
| October | 76° | 62° | 51° |
Flying in and out of 38449
The nearest airport, Huntsville International-Carl T Jones Field, is about 27 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 76 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38449
Schools across 38449 average a C−, better than 29% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Unity SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Cedar Hill Elementary SchoolB− · 40% proficient
- Elkton ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
Top high schools
- Lincoln County High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Giles Co High SchoolD · 20% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38449 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38449 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 38449 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38449
Is 38449 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38449 ranks 24,784th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on long commutes and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38449 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $250,266. The overall cost of living runs about 16% below the national average. Set against a $60,246 median income, cost of living beats 33% of zip codes.
Is 38449 safe?
38449 is safer than 52% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $407 per resident a year.
Compare 38449 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38449. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38449 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.
38449 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38449: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38449: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38449: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38449: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38449 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.