Best Places38505, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38505, 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.
38505 ranks 20,605th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on walkability by a wide margin, and civic engagement ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38505
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.
38505's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38505 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 96% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Short commute17.3 minutes each way, better than 93% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 93% of zip codes
Where 38505 ranks low
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Household income$34,492 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
Who lives in 38505
38505 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 38505.
Who works in 38505, and how
Work in 38505 centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 43%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 44%
Life in 38505
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 38505.
What the weather is like in 38505, month by month
38505 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 38505
Nashville International sits about 66 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 38505
Schools across 38505 average a C+, better than 40% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Jere Whitson ElementaryF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Avery Trace Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Cookeville High SchoolB+ · 56% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38505 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38505 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 38505 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38505
Is 38505 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38505 ranks 20,605th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, cell coverage, and state finances, and lowest on civic engagement and thin health care access. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38505 safe?
38505 is safer than 48% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $405 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 38505?
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.
Compare 38505 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38505. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38505 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.
38505 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38505: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38505: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38505: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38505: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38505 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.
- 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.