Best PlacesSouth Cleveland, TN Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Cleveland, 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.
South Cleveland ranks 21,150th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on state finances by a wide margin, and the weather ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Cleveland
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.
South Cleveland's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Cleveland ranks high
- State fiscal healthBetter than 96% of towns
- Low property taxBetter than 89% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than 89% of towns
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of towns
- Low income/sales/gas taxBetter than 84% of towns
Where South Cleveland ranks low
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of towns
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 17% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than only 18% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 22% of towns
- Local economyBetter than only 22% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in South Cleveland
A household needs to earn about $54,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Cleveland home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $65,924, 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 South Cleveland's effective rate of 0.39%, 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 South Cleveland
South Cleveland's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 South Cleveland.
Who works in South Cleveland, and how
Work in South Cleveland centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in South Cleveland
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Cleveland.
What the weather is like in South Cleveland, month by month
South Cleveland sees roughly 61 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, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 54° | 42° | 32° |
| April | 77° | 62° | 49° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 79° | 64° | 52° |
Flying in and out of South Cleveland
The nearest airport, Lovell Field, is about 19 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International, about 105 miles away.
The best schools in and around South Cleveland
Schools across South Cleveland average a C−, better than 27% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Black Fox Elementary SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Prospect Elementary SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Waterville Community Elementary SchoolC− · 30% proficient
Top middle schools
- Lake Forest Middle SchoolC · 34% proficient
- Cleveland MiddleC · 31% proficient
Top high schools
- Walker Valley High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Cleveland HighC+ · 37% proficient
- Bradley Central High SchoolD · 22% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Cleveland school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Cleveland 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 South Cleveland against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in South Cleveland
Is South Cleveland a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Cleveland ranks 21,150th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on state finances, low property taxes, and fast internet, and lowest on the weather and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Cleveland expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $217,345. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $65,924 median income, cost of living beats 48% of towns.
Is South Cleveland safe?
Yes, South Cleveland is safer than 86% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $262 per resident a year.
Compare South Cleveland with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Cleveland. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Cleveland 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.
South Cleveland detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Cleveland: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Cleveland: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Cleveland: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Cleveland: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Cleveland 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.