Best Places38501, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38501, 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.
38501 ranks 18,659th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38501
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.
38501's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38501 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute20.5 minutes each way, better than 83% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38501 ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 10% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Household income$55,615 median, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38501
A household needs to earn about $70,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38501 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $55,615, 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 38501's effective rate of 0.53%, 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 38501
38501 runs younger 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 38501.
Who works in 38501, and how
Work in 38501 centers on retail trade and manufacturing. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 6%
Life in 38501
38501 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 71% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 38501 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38501, month by month
38501 sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 48, with lows near 28. The comfortable stretch runs April through June and August through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 48° | 37° | 28° |
| April | 71° | 58° | 46° |
| July | 88° | 77° | 68° |
| October | 73° | 59° | 47° |
Flying in and out of 38501
Nashville International sits about 65 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 38501
Schools across 38501 average a B−, better than 56% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Capshaw ElementaryA · 70% proficient
- Northeast ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Dodson Branch ElementaryB · 45% proficient
Top middle schools
- Livingston Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Algood Middle SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- Prescott South Middle SchoolB− · 40% proficient
Top high schools
- Cookeville High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
- Upperman High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Jackson County High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38501 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38501 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 38501 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 38501 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 10% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 38501
Is 38501 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38501 ranks 18,659th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, state finances, and short commutes, and lowest on an overheated housing market and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38501 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $277,981. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $55,615 median income, cost of living beats 24% of zip codes.
Is 38501 safe?
38501 is safer than 46% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $447 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 38501?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 48 with lows near 28. That works out to about 64 pleasant days a year, more than 14% of zip codes.
Is 38501 good for families?
Schools beat 56% of zip codes, crime safety beats 46%, and childcare runs $795 a month.
Compare 38501 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38501. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38501 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.
38501 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38501: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38501: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38501: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38501: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38501 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.