Tennessee's 20 Safest Cities of 2019

SafeWise is happy to release our fifth annual Safest Cities report. Here are the 20 Safest Cities in Tennessee for 2019. See if your city made the list.

The Volunteer State’s safest cities seem to be full of citizens stepping up to keep their communities safe. Each of Tennessee’s safest cities had fewer than two incidents of violent crime per 1,000 people, but the state doesn’t do as well overall. Tennessee’s statewide violent crime rate of 9.07 is double the national rate of 4.49 crimes per 1,000.

It doesn’t get much better when you add property crime to the mix. The state’s rate of 39.88 incidents per 1,000 isn’t double the national rate of 27.11, but it’s still remarkably high. Our safest cities deliver some good news, though. Among all 20, just one city had a property crime rate above the national average—Sparta, with 60 property crimes per 1,000. Every other city on the list had 22 or fewer incidents.

Look for your favorite Tennessee town on the list, and see how it compares to the rest when it comes to keeping crime low.

Interesting Findings

70% of this year’s safest cities made the list for the second time, and the top two (Belle Meade and Pleasant View) held their rankings year over year.
80% of the cities had no occurrence of murder, 45% had no robberies, and 60% had no counts of arson.
Tennessee’s biggest concern is property crime, with 72% of State of Safety participants citing it as a top worry, versus 59% nationwide. Violent crime comes in second, with 65% naming it a primary concern.
16% reported experiencing a property crime in the past year, matching the national average.
Having someone break into their home is the highest concern among property crime offenses (73% vs. 63% nationally), but it was relatively rare when you look at actual reported crimes in the safest cities—just three cities reported more than 60 burglaries. And burglary made up just 11% of the total property crimes reported among the safest cities.

The 20 Safest Cities in Tennessee

Population 2,975

Median Income $195,000

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.00

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 10.08

Population 4,382

Median Income $80,838

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.23

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 15.06

Population 12,005

Median Income $52,931

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.50

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 16.58

Population 43,468

Median Income $151,722

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.71

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 9.41

Population 6,739

Median Income $43,688

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.74

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 4.01

Population 39,086

Median Income $113,392

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.79

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 12.56

Population 5,811

Median Income $37,155

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.86

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 13.59

Population 4,455

Median Income $61,047

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 0.90

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 4.04

Population 8,624

Median Income $103,139

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.04

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 5.91

Population 7,884

Median Income $74,129

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.14

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 7.61

Population 7,889

Median Income $120,411

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.27

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 12.68

Population 3,090

Median Income $34,660

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.29

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 11.33

Population 49,790

Median Income $113,957

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.51

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 18.30

Population 9,197

Median Income $89,440

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.52

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 11.31

Population 5,101

Median Income $31,279

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.57

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 60.18

Population 5,378

Median Income $47,461

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.67

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 21.57

Population 28,918

Median Income $56,270

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.69

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 22.10

Population 39,366

Median Income $86,538

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.73

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 10.03

Population 34,888

Median Income $80,130

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.75

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 17.57

Population 58,034

Median Income $65,918

Violent Crime Rate (per 1,000) 1.76

Property Crime Rate (per 1,000) 17.52

How We Determined the Safest Cities

Learn how we identified the safest cities on our methodology page.

Beyond Safest Cities: What Are the Biggest Safety Concerns in Your State?

Crime statistics are one thing, but do they line up with what people are really worried about when it comes to safety? To find out, SafeWise conducted a nationwide survey. See what the biggest safety concern is in your state—and learn more about what your neighbors are nervous about—in our State of Safety report.

If you would like to contact a SafeWise Safest Cities Analyst, please email info@safewise.com.

Didn’t Find Your City in the Top 20?

See how the remaining cities ranked in the list below.

Rank	City	Population	Violent Crime (per 1,000)	Property Crime (per 1,000)
21	Whiteville	4,481	1.79	5.13
22	Algood	4,323	1.85	29.84
23	Medina	4,290	1.86	8.62
24	Franklin	76,995	1.9	13.61
25	Greenbrier	6,853	1.9	12.26
26	Millersville	6,792	1.91	10.01
27	Soddy-Daisy	13,264	2.04	23.15
28	Huntingdon	3,899	2.05	31.55
29	Dayton	7,262	2.07	27.13
30	Oliver Springs	3,255	2.15	32.26
31	Fairview	8,648	2.2	17.11
32	Kingston	5,823	2.23	14.94
33	Lafayette	5,251	2.29	36.56
34	McKenzie	5,610	2.32	18.18
35	Mount Carmel	5,427	2.4	8.11
36	Waverly	4,139	2.42	30.2
37	Camden	3,546	2.54	35.25
38	Munford	6,079	2.63	17.6
39	Dandridge	2,983	2.68	30.84
40	Tiptonville	4,331	2.77	7.85
41	Portland	12,710	2.91	18.41
42	White House	11,591	2.93	18.98
43	Lenoir City	9,187	2.94	32.11
44	Oneida	3,716	2.96	41.71
45	Erwin	5,894	3.05	15.95
46	Jasper	3,371	3.26	28.77
47	Martin	10,656	3.28	25.9
48	Gallatin	36,689	3.43	13.08
49	Smyrna	50,091	3.47	28.89
50	Ashland City	4,642	3.66	44.16
51	Jefferson City	8,351	3.83	44.67
52	Trenton	4,116	3.89	14.82
53	Cookeville	32,860	3.93	50.33
54	Centerville	3,564	3.93	22.45
55	Bartlett	58,895	3.96	19.98
56	Johnson City	67,193	3.97	42.13
57	Bristol	27,176	4.05	33.67
58	Mount Pleasant	4,902	4.08	16.73
59	Sevierville	16,991	4.18	48.44
60	South Pittsburg	3,097	4.2	16.14
61	Goodlettsville	17,119	4.21	34.17
62	Elizabethton	13,771	4.21	59.11
63	Madisonville	4,805	4.37	55.57
64	Smithville	4,717	4.66	35.4
65	Paris	10,194	5	38.26
66	McMinnville	13,786	5.15	42.72
67	White Bluff	3,483	5.17	16.65
68	Greeneville	15,065	5.18	36.24
69	Oak Ridge	29,355	5.28	26.2
70	Rockwood	5,424	5.35	52.36
71	Murfreesboro	136,102	5.4	31.88
72	Etowah	3,512	5.41	27.62
73	Rogersville	4,367	5.5	52.21
74	Selmer	4,476	5.59	33.74
75	Henderson	6,589	5.92	20.94
76	Harriman	6,196	5.97	35.67
77	Red Bank	11,838	6	32.27
78	Somerville	3,139	6.05	27.4
79	Tullahoma	19,386	6.09	31.47
80	Clarksville	153,294	6.24	28.77
81	Lewisburg	11,684	6.76	22.77
82	Clinton	10,146	6.8	43.27
83	Lawrenceburg	10,780	6.86	51.48
84	East Ridge	21,351	7.03	42.25
85	Lebanon	32,248	7.07	29.12
86	Dunlap	5,185	7.14	43.97
87	Livingston	4,061	7.14	23.39
88	Kingsport	52,810	7.21	54.61
89	Gatlinburg	4,247	7.3	56.75
90	Pulaski	7,742	7.36	44.69
91	Columbia	38,031	7.39	34.13
92	Morristown	29,774	7.46	46.58
93	Winchester	8,573	7.47	38.03
94	Pigeon Forge	6,254	7.68	70.04
95	La Follette	6,897	7.97	44.66
96	Shelbyville	21,618	8	30.85
97	Newbern	3,288	8.52	22.81
98	Alcoa	10,128	8.59	57.66
99	Milan	7,780	8.61	31.11
100	Union City	10,544	8.63	61.55
101	Crossville	11,555	8.65	50.19
102	Cleveland	44,778	8.71	56.17
103	Athens	13,783	8.92	67.98
104	Knoxville	187,539	8.94	54.45
105	Lexington	7,792	9.11	37.35
106	Springfield	16,869	9.25	31.83
107	Manchester	10,702	9.25	38.12
108	Jackson	67,031	9.77	43.52
109	Hohenwald	3,666	10.64	49.65
110	Chattanooga	178,753	10.66	59.86
111	Savannah	7,023	10.82	73.76
112	Millington	10,944	10.87	48.98
113	Dickson	15,637	11.19	59.86
114	Dyersburg	16,612	11.26	59.9
115	Nashville Metropolitan	674,942	11.38	38.18
116	Humboldt	8,210	11.57	40.8
117	Brownsville	9,698	12.48	43.51
118	Fayetteville	7,099	12.54	44.37
119	Sweetwater	5,957	12.59	63.29
120	Ripley	8,067	12.64	38.18
121	Bolivar	5,066	13.62	27.44
122	Newport	6,816	14.67	90.23
123	Covington	8,909	16.84	54.55
124	Memphis	652,765	20.03	62.98

Find the Safest Cities in Each State

Click on the state image below to check out our “Safest City” winners for each state.

How to Make a Safe Home Anywhere

Wherever you live, feeling safe in your home can bring greater peace of mind and happiness. Whether your city made our list or not, we recommend adding extra security to your home with monitored security services provided by the nation’s leading home security providers.

To learn more about the home security options, check out SafeWise’s picks for Best Home Security Systems of 2019.

Sources:

FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, “2017 Crime in the United States”
SafeWise’s, “2019 State of Safety”
US Census Bureau, “2013-2017 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates“

Written by Rebecca Edwards

Rebecca has honed her safety and security skills as both a single mom and a college director. Being responsible for the well-being of others helped her learn how to minimize risk and create safe environments. Learn more

Tennessee’s 20 Safest Cities of 2019