Tennessee’s Safest Cities of 2026

See crime rates for the safest cities.

According to our most recent State of Safety report, Tennesseans reported an increase in gun violence and property crime experiences, while package theft and violent crime experiences dropped year over year. Meanwhile, Tennessee residents say they they're less concerned about these crimes than the year before.

The violent crime rate in Tennessee is 8.91 incidents per 1,000 people, which is higher than the national average of 4.43 and the third highest in the nation, behind only Maryland and Louisiana. We weren't able to report a statewide violent crime rate last year due to insufficient data, but in our 2024 report, Tennessee reported a lower violent crime rate of 6.9.

Property crime in The Volunteer State also increased in recent years, rising from 23.4 incidents per 1,000 people in 2024 to 32.2 incidents in this year's report. That's higher than the national property crime rate of 22.89. Tennessee ties with Maryland for the seventh highest property crime rate nationwide.

For the second year in a row, 51% of Tennessee residents say they feel safe in their state, which is just below the national average of 52%. Tennesseans are also more likely to worry about general crime and safety on a daily basis compared to the average American (54% TN, 46% US). They also take a more pessimistic view of crime trends, with 56% believing crime is on the rise (US 54%). 

Tennesseans experienced a slight uptick in property crime experiences year over year, but package theft is dropping off. Tennesseans are less likely to worry about either type of crime compared to our previous survey.

• 25% said they experienced a property crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, up slightly from 24% the year before (US 21%). 
• Concern about property crime fell from 62% to 48% year over year (US 46%).
• Package theft experiences decreased from 32% to 28% year over year (US 31%).
• Concern about package theft fell from 52% to 43% (US 44%). 
• Tennessee residents prefer to protect their property with security cameras (46%), firearms (39%) and security systems (29%). 

For the second year in a row, Tennesseans reported fewer personal experiences with violent crime on our latest survey compared to the year before. They're less likely to experience violent crime than the average American, but they still tend to worry about it more than average. 

• 9% said they experienced a violent crime in the 12 months prior to our survey, down from 10% the year before (US 12%).
• Concern about violent crime fell from 65% to 59% (US 55%). 
• 41% say they use some form of personal protection.
• Tennessee residents prefer to protect themselves with firearms (51%), pepper spray (46%), and pocket knives (29%).

• The percentage of Tennesseans who personally experienced gun violence in the 12 months prior to our survey rose from 7% to 10% year over year (US 9%). 
• Concern about gun violence dropped from 61% to 49% year over year (US 55%).
• Tennessee experienced 16 mass shootings in 2025, down from 18 in 2025. That's the seventh highest number in the nation.  

For the purposes of this report, the terms “dangerous” and “safest” refer explicitly to crime rates as calculated from FBI crime data—no other characterization of any community is implied or intended.

• 88 cities met the criteria for ranking this year. 
• Nolensville is once again Tennessee's safest city. 
• 60% of this year's safest cities saw decreases in both property and violent crime rates.
• Property crime rates in Nolensville and Kingston declined for the second year in a row. 
• Fairview's violent crime rate declined for the third year in a row, resulting in a 54% total decrease.
• Collegedale's property crime rate declined for the third year in a row, resulting in a 47% total decrease. This city also saw a dramatic 88% decrease in its year-over-year violent crime rate.
• Year over year, Church Hill saw a 79% decrease in violent crime and a 50% decrease in property crime.
• Maryville's property crime fell by 44% year over year, and Greenbrier's violent crime rate fell by 53%. 
• 1 murder was reported in Tennessee's safest cities. It happened in Oakland.
• 70% of Tennessee's safest cities reported zero robberies. 
• No rapes were reported in Kingston, Signal Mountain, Oakland, and Collegedale.

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