Best Places38545, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38545, 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.
38545 ranks 20,258th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and long commutes are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 38545
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.
38545's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38545 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 97% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 82% of zip codes
Where 38545 ranks low
- Short commute34.4 minutes each way, better than only 12% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 14% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 15% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38545
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38545 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $67,659, 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 38545's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38545
38545'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 38545.
Who works in 38545, and how
Work in 38545 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38545
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 38545.
What the weather is like in 38545, month by month
38545 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 38545
Nashville International sits about 58 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 38545
Schools across 38545 average a C+, better than 49% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Gainesboro ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Upperman Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
- Jackson County Middle SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Top high schools
- 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 38545 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38545 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 38545 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38545
Is 38545 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38545 ranks 20,258th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, state finances, and low taxes, 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 38545 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $213,097. The overall cost of living runs about 17% below the national average. Set against a $67,659 median income, cost of living beats 46% of zip codes.
Is 38545 safe?
Yes, 38545 is safer than 57% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $384 per resident a year.
Compare 38545 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38545. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38545 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.
38545 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38545: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38545: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38545: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38545: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38545 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.