Best Places38581, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38581, 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.
38581 ranks 23,672nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and health outcomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38581
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.
38581's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38581 ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 94% 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 38581 ranks low
- Health outlookBetter than only 15% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 65 pleasant days a year, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 19% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38581
A household needs to earn about $49,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38581 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $60,049, 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 38581's effective rate of 0.34%, 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 38581
38581 runs older 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 38581.
Who works in 38581, and how
Work in 38581 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 38581
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 38581.
What the weather is like in 38581, month by month
38581 sees roughly 65 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 38581
The nearest airport, Lovell Field, is about 56 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Nashville International, about 63 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38581
Schools across 38581 average a C, better than 31% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Irving College ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Doyle ElementaryB · 45% proficient
- Spencer ElementaryB− · 40% proficient
Top middle schools
- White Co Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Dekalb Middle SchoolD+ · 27% proficient
Top high schools
- White County High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Warren County High SchoolB− · 41% proficient
- De Kalb County High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38581 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38581 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 38581 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38581
Is 38581 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38581 ranks 23,672nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and affordable childcare, and lowest on health outcomes and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38581 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $200,604. The overall cost of living runs about 10% below the national average. Set against a $60,049 median income, cost of living beats 22% of zip codes.
Is 38581 safe?
Yes, 38581 is safer than 61% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $371 per resident a year.
Compare 38581 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38581. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38581 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.
38581 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38581: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38581: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38581: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38581: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38581 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.