Safest Places in Tennessee (2026): Family Picks, Affordable Towns + Buyer Guide

If you've searched "safest cities in Tennessee," "safest city in Tennessee," or "where is the safest place to live in Tennessee," you've probably noticed every list gives you a different top pick. That's because the Safest Places in Tennessee depend on what you're optimizing for - a family chasing good schools near Nashville and asking about the best places to raise a family in Tennessee needs a different answer than a retiree looking for the cheapest and safest place to live in Tennessee, or someone searching specifically for the safest place to live in Memphis, Tennessee. Even broader searches like "best places to live in Tennessee," "good places to live in Tennessee," "best city to live in Tennessee," or simply "where to live in Tennessee" tend to circle back to this same short list of towns - and so do more specific ones like "best small towns in Tennessee to live," "safe and affordable places to live in Tennessee," and "best and safest places to live in Tennessee."

This guide pulls all of that into one place. Below you'll find the Safest Places in Tennessee ranked by crime data, a top 10 safest cities in Tennessee list, dedicated picks for families, East Tennessee, budget buyers, and retirees, plus current 2026 home prices and a straight answer on what it actually costs to buy in each one - whether you're comparing the best towns to live in Tennessee or narrowing down the best cities to live in Tennessee for your next move.

If you're deciding between purchasing an existing property and building from scratch, our guide to the cost to build a house in Tennessee breaks down construction costs, land expenses, and the buy-versus-build tradeoff.

Before you get into neighborhoods, it helps to know your number. Check your buying power so you're house-hunting with a real budget, not a guess - and if you already own, a home value estimator, home price estimator, or house value estimator is a fast way to see what your current place is worth before you compare current mortgage rates and today's mortgage prices on your next one.

Tennessee's statewide violent crime rate runs close to double the national average, and the state is regularly ranked among the three or four highest in the country. On its own, that number is close to useless for house-hunting - it's driven almost entirely by Memphis and Nashville's urban cores, not by the suburbs and small towns most buyers are actually considering when they search for safe places to live in Tennessee.

To find the Safest Places in Tennessee, we weighted FBI-reported violent and property crime data against population size, then layered in school quality, cost of living, and home price so the list reflects where people can realistically afford to buy, not just where the crime numbers look best on paper. We also looked at the data by county, since a lot of readers searching "safest counties in Tennessee" or "safest area in Tennessee" are really asking about a general region rather than one specific zip code. That's why this list of the safest cities in Tennessee to live includes both seven-figure Nashville suburbs and towns where a home still trades for under $300,000, giving you a genuine sense of the best and safest places to live in Tennessee at every price point.

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Looked at by county instead of city limits, Williamson County (Nolensville, Brentwood), Sumner County (Hendersonville), and Blount County (Maryville) come up again and again as the safest counties in Tennessee - which is a big part of why they also read as the safest area in Tennessee for buyers who care more about the general region than one specific town line.

If you searched "top 10 safest places to live in Tennessee," "top 10 safest cities in Tennessee," or even "top 20 safest cities in Tennessee," here's the current, data-backed answer for the safest cities in Tennessee 2026:

1. Nolensville: the state's top-ranked safest city in multiple 2026 analyses. Population ~18,000, violent crime rate a fraction of the state average, and some recent years show zero reported murders. 2026 median sale price: roughly $580,000 - $680,000, up about 4.7% year over year, with homes averaging just 22 days on market.
2. Church Hill: a low-cost East Tennessee town of about 7,200 people with a crime rate roughly seven times better than the state average on property crime, plus one of the lowest property tax rates in the region at around 1.01%.
3. Signal Mountain: a Chattanooga-area town of roughly 8,900 people atop Walden's Ridge, with one of the lowest violent crime rates in the state - effectively zero in recent reporting.
4. Kingston: a lake town of about 6,300 people on I-40 between Nashville and Knoxville, with a combined violent-and-property crime rate around 428 per 100,000 and a median household income near $65,500. This is also one of the best answers to anyone asking what the lowest crime rate in Tennessee actually looks like at the town level.
5. Brentwood: a Williamson County suburb of roughly 45,000 people with a crime rate near 1,200 per 100,000 - well below the state and national average - and a 2026 median sale price north of $1 million.
6. Franklin: Brentwood's neighbor, home to about 85,000 people, with a similarly low crime rate near 1,350 per 100,000 and a historic downtown that consistently draws retirees and families alike.
7. Mount Juliet: a Wilson County suburb east of Nashville that consistently places among Tennessee's safest, with a 2026 median sale price around $590,000.
8. Hendersonville: a Sumner County lake suburb with a 2026 median sale price above $520,000, ranked repeatedly among the safest places for families.
9. Germantown: the safest large suburb in the Memphis metro, with roughly 40,000 residents, a crime rate near 1,500 per 100,000, and 2026 median home prices between $480,000 and $525,000.
10. Maryville: East Tennessee's safest mid-sized city, home to about 30,000 people at the foot of the Smokies, with a 2026 median home price around $350,000, up 4.8% year over year.

Every one of these is a legitimate answer to "what is the safest place to live in Tennessee" depending on your budget and priorities - which is exactly why the rest of this guide breaks down the Safest Places in Tennessee by use case.

For families searching for the best places to live in Tennessee for families, the best place to live in Tennessee for families, or simply the best places to raise a family in Tennessee, "safest" usually means good schools and low crime in the same zip code - and the Nashville suburbs deliver both. These same towns also tend to dominate any list of the best places to live in TN for families.

• Brentwood is the benchmark: Home to roughly 45,000 people, top-rated schools, and a crime rate around 1,200 per 100,000 - well below the state and national averages - but that safety comes at a price: 2026 median sale prices have climbed to roughly $1.6 million based on Greater Nashville Realtors data through mid-year.
• Nolensville: is the more attainable version of the same story. It's one of the Safest Places in Tennessee full stop, not just among family-friendly picks, with a population around 18,000, a violent crime rate near 50 per 100,000, and 2026 median sale prices running $580,000 - $680,000 - up roughly 4.7% year over year, with homes averaging just 22 days on market.
• Hendersonville: rounds out the trio with lake-town living, strong public schools, and structured youth programs. Its zip code (37075) posted a 2026 median sale price of $522,167 across nearly 500 closings through mid-year - the most attainable entry point of the three, and a strong answer for anyone comparing the safest places to live in Tennessee for families on a moderate budget.

Ready to see what you can afford in one of these suburbs? Get pre-approval before you start touring - safe suburbs move fast, and a pre-approval for a mortgage is what lets you write a competitive offer the same week you find the house. Whether you're weighing an FHA loan for first-time buyers or a conventional home mortgage, getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan early keeps you competitive against other home buyers in these tight markets.

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If you're specifically searching for the safest places to live in East Tennessee or the safest cities in East Tennessee, the Appalachian terrain works in your favor twice - it keeps tornado activity lower than the rest of the state, and it's home to some of Tennessee's lowest crime rates.

• Maryville: leads the region. Sits at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains, just south of Knoxville, with a population around 30,000. The 2026 median home price is roughly $350,000 - $350,602, up about 4.8% year over year, and it comes with some of the cheapest property taxes in East Tennessee. Blount Memorial Hospital anchors local healthcare, and the historic downtown - Vienna Coffee House, the Maryville Farmers Market, the restored Palace Theatre - has seen real revitalization over the past five years.
• Signal Mountain: near Chattanooga, is a smaller town of about 8,500 - 8,900 people with one of the lowest violent crime rates anywhere in the state - reported at effectively zero in recent data - thanks in part to its position atop Walden's Ridge on the Cumberland Plateau.
• Oak Ridge: is a more mixed case worth knowing about if you're exploring East Tennessee. With a population of roughly 32,000 - 35,500, some 2026 datasets put its overall crime rate slightly below the national average (30.73 vs. 33.37), while other rankings - including NeighborhoodScout - place it below the Tennessee state average for cities its size, with violent crime running somewhat higher than the national norm. It's still a reasonable, historic option tied to Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its "Secret City" Manhattan Project history - just not a top-tier standout the way Maryville or Signal Mountain are.

Together, these three towns make East Tennessee one of the strongest regional answers to anyone comparing the Safest Places in Tennessee overall, and a frequent answer to the broader "where to live in Tennessee" search.

If your search was "what is the cheapest and safest place to live in Tennessee" or "safe and affordable places to live in Tennessee," price is doing as much work as crime data - and a few towns manage both at once.

If affordability is your primary concern, our guide to affordable places to live in Tennessee breaks down lower-cost markets across the state, including Knoxville, Chattanooga, and Murfreesboro.

• Kingston: consistently ranks as one of the Safest Places in Tennessee and one of the most affordable. With a population around 6,300, a median household income near $65,500, and a combined violent-and-property crime rate around 428 per 100,000, it sits on Watts Bar Lake between Nashville and Knoxville, giving residents easy access to both without either city's cost of living.
• Church Hill: in Northeast Tennessee, is home to roughly 7,200 people and pairs a low property tax rate - around 1.01% - with a crime rate roughly seven times better than the state average on the property-crime side. It sits about 80 miles east of Knoxville, minutes from several area lakes, and is a low-cost-of-living market that rarely shows up on national "best places" lists but consistently ranks well on safety data.
• Maryville: shows up here again for good reason - a $350,000 median home price is meaningfully below what you'd pay in the Nashville or even Memphis suburbs on this list, while still landing among the Safest Places in Tennessee overall.

Memphis proper carries a much higher crime rate than the state average, which is exactly why so many buyers search specifically for the safest place to live in Memphis, Tennessee rather than looking inside the city limits.

• Germantown: an upscale suburb of about 40,000 - 40,700 people east of Memphis, keeps its crime rate low - around 1,500 per 100,000 - despite sitting right next to a much higher-crime metro core. It's home to corporate hubs like FedEx and St. Jude nearby in Memphis, which keeps executive-level demand steady, and it also sits within the New Madrid Seismic Zone, a minor but real consideration for buyers relocating from other regions. 2026 median home prices are running $480,000 - $525,000 depending on the source and the specific pocket of town, with homes typically going pending in 16 - 42 days.
• Collierville: just southeast of Germantown, has grown to around 51,000 residents and offers a similar safety profile - a crime rate near 1,600 per 100,000 - with more small-town character and a slightly lower 2026 median price around $483,000, though homes there are taking longer to sell this year, averaging closer to 100+ days on market as inventory has grown. Between the two, Collierville is generally the more attainable answer to "where's the safest place to live near Memphis."

Both suburbs prove that some of the Safest Places in Tennessee sit just minutes from a major metro area.

Tennessee's lack of state income tax on retirement withdrawals, low property taxes, and mild climate make several of these same cities genuine retirement destinations, and frequent entries on any list of the best places to live for retirees in the Southeast.

• Germantown and Collierville both offer low crime - 1,500 and 1,600 per 100,000 respectively - strong healthcare access, and established senior communities in the Memphis suburbs, though Germantown carries the higher cost of living of the two, at 2026 median prices near $500,000+ versus Collierville's roughly $483,000.
• Maryville adds mountain scenery to the mix at a lower price point - around $350,000 in 2026 - with some of the lowest property taxes in East Tennessee. Blount Memorial Hospital anchors local healthcare, the University of Tennessee Medical Center is a short drive away for specialists, and the Foothills Parkway puts Great Smoky Mountains National Park about 30 minutes from your driveway.

Thinking about your next chapter in one of these communities? Check your buying power and see what a Tennessee retirement budget actually looks like with current housing mortgage rates.

Finding a safe, affordable place to settle among the Safest Places in Tennessee is only half the job - financing the move is the other half, and it's worth understanding your options, and today's numbers, before you start touring.

Rates move fast, so it's worth checking current mortgage rates, today's mortgage prices, and home loan mortgage rates before you set a budget, rather than relying on a number you saw a few months ago. When you're comparing lenders, look at rate mortgage loan quotes side by side - house loan mortgage rates, current house mortgage rates, current housing loan rates, and current mortgage lender rates can all vary meaningfully from one lender to the next, even on the same day. A good rule of thumb heading into mortgage rates 2026 season: always compare home mortgage rates across at least two or three lenders before you lock anything in, since the "best rates for home loans" a buyer sees advertised isn't always the rate they're actually offered.

Already own and thinking about refinancing before your move? Current home refinance rates, current home loan refinance rates, and home loan refinance rates today all shift with the broader rate environment, so it's worth checking refinance home loan rates today, home refi rates today, and home refinance rate today rather than assuming last year's refinance rates still apply. Comparing house refinance rates, current house refinance rates, and the lowest rate mortgage refinance available can free up equity to put toward your next purchase in one of the Safest Places in Tennessee. Shopping around for the best home mortgage refinance rates, best house refinance rates, and the lowest refinance home loan rates - rather than accepting the first refinance home mortgage rates today quote you get - is usually worth the extra hour of comparison shopping.

First-time home buyers have more paths in than most people realize. FHA loans for first-time home buyers allow lower down payments and more flexible credit requirements, which is why an FHA loan for a first-time buyer, or a first home buyer FHA loan, is a common entry point for first-time home buyer lenders working with buyers moving into Tennessee's safer suburbs. If you're comparing home loans for first-time home buyers, it's worth talking to a lender about first-time home buyer loan, first home buyers loan, and housing loans for first-time buyers programs side by side, since eligibility and down payment requirements can differ from lender to lender. Some buyers will also come across a first-time home owners loan or a first home buyer lender that specializes in local first-time home buyer programs and first-time home buyer financing - it's worth asking any lender you're pre-qualifying with which loans for first-time homebuyers they actually originate versus broker out.

Conventional loans, by contrast, typically require stronger credit but can mean lower long-term costs for buyers who qualify. A local lender can walk you through current mortgage rates, today's house mortgage rates, and current rates for home loans for both, and help you figure out which first home buyer program or home mortgage first-time buyer path fits your situation.

Whatever loan type you're considering, getting pre-approved for a mortgage before you start touring homes is what turns a wish list into an actual offer - especially in fast-moving markets like Nolensville, where homes are going under contract in three weeks or less. Getting pre-approved for a mortgage loan, working through pre-approval for a home loan or home financing pre-approval with a lender, or simply asking to pre-qualify for a home loan, also gives you a clear, realistic number for closing costs, which typically run 2 - 5% of the purchase price and catch a lot of first-time buyers off guard if they haven't budgeted for closing costs on a house. Mortgage lenders' pre-approval process and pre-approved house loans both work off the same basic inputs - income, credit, and debt - so it's worth getting pre-approved with more than one of the best home mortgage lenders before you settle on top rated home loans from a single source.

And if you're not sure what your current home is worth or what you can afford to move into, a home value estimator, home price estimator, or value estimator is a fast way to get a starting number before you talk to a lender about today's rates on any of the best places to live in one of the Safest Places in Tennessee.