Best PlacesDowntown Memphis, Memphis, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Downtown Memphis, Memphis, 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.
Downtown Memphis, Memphis ranks 5,645th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and crime is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Downtown Memphis, Memphis
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.
Downtown Memphis, Memphis' strengths and weaknesses
Where Downtown Memphis, Memphis ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$811 a month, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- State infrastructureBetter than 82% of neighborhoods
- Short commute20.5 minutes each way, better than 77% of neighborhoods
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 77% of neighborhoods
Where Downtown Memphis, Memphis ranks low
- Crime safetyBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- School gradeD−, better than only 7% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Household income$46,019 median, better than only 12% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Downtown Memphis, Memphis
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Downtown Memphis, Memphis home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $46,019, 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 Downtown Memphis, Memphis' effective rate of 0.99%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Downtown Memphis, Memphis
Downtown Memphis, Memphis 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 Downtown Memphis, Memphis.
Who works in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, and how
Work in Downtown Memphis, Memphis centers on health care & social and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 11%
Life in Downtown Memphis, Memphis
Downtown Memphis, Memphis has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 83% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of Downtown Memphis, Memphis and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Downtown Memphis, Memphis, month by month
Downtown Memphis, Memphis sees roughly 65 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 54, with lows near 32. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 42° | 32° |
| April | 75° | 63° | 51° |
| July | 93° | 83° | 74° |
| October | 79° | 66° | 54° |
Flying in and out of Downtown Memphis, Memphis
Memphis International sits about 7 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 2.4 million passengers in 2025, with 78 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around Downtown Memphis, Memphis
Schools across Downtown Memphis, Memphis average a D−, better than 7% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Delano ElementaryD+ · 25% proficient
- Snowden Elementary/middleD+ · 24% proficient
- Vollentine ElementaryD · 20% proficient
Top middle schools
- Bellevue MiddleD− · 17% proficient
- Grandview Heights Middle SchoolF · 12% proficient
- Humes Preparatory Academy Middle SchoolF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- Central HighC− · 27% proficient
- Hollis F. Price Middle CollegeD · 21% proficient
- Soulsville Charter SchoolD− · 12% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Downtown Memphis, Memphis school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Downtown Memphis, Memphis 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 Downtown Memphis, Memphis against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Downtown Memphis, Memphis suits
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Downtown Memphis, Memphis
Is Downtown Memphis, Memphis a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Downtown Memphis, Memphis ranks 5,645th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on state finances, affordable childcare, and state infrastructure, and lowest on crime and the schools. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Downtown Memphis, Memphis expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $211,007. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $46,019 median income, cost of living beats 25% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Memphis, Memphis safe?
Downtown Memphis, Memphis is safer than 2% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $2,281 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Downtown Memphis, Memphis?
July highs average about 93 degrees, and January highs near 54 with lows near 32. That works out to about 65 pleasant days a year, more than 16% of neighborhoods.
Is Downtown Memphis, Memphis good for families?
Schools beat 7% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 2%, and childcare runs $811 a month.
Compare Downtown Memphis, Memphis with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Downtown Memphis, Memphis. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Downtown Memphis, Memphis 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.
Downtown Memphis, Memphis detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Downtown Memphis, Memphis: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Downtown Memphis, Memphis: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Downtown Memphis, Memphis: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Downtown Memphis, Memphis: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Downtown Memphis, Memphis 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.