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Most Americans have never been to Tennessee. However, as the people who live there know, Tennessee is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Tennessee has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Volunteer State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 180 of Tennessee's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Tennessee where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in Tennessee for 2022:
So what is the worst small town to call home in Tennessee for 2022? According to the most recent census data, Henning is the worst small town to live in Tennessee.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Tennessee has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Tennessee or the worst places to live in Tennessee.
If you're looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.
The 10 Worst Small Towns In Tennessee For 2022
1. Henning
/10
Population: 1,177
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Home Value: $69,200 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.1% (3rd worst)
More on Henning: Data
2. Jellico
/10
3. East Cleveland
/10
Population: 2,557
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $73,800 (15th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 29.5% (worst)
More on East Cleveland: Data
4. Jamestown
/10
Population: 2,145
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 1)
Median Home Value: $69,200 (6th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.1% (2worst)
More on Jamestown: Data
5. Ridgely
/10
Population: 1,882
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 6)
Median Home Value: $70,400 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 18.3% (8th worst)
More on Ridgely: Data
6. Waynesboro
/10
7. Gruetli-Laager
/10
Population: 1,931
Rank Last Year: 19 (Up 12)
Median Home Value: $97,700 (47th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.8% (17th worst)
More on Gruetli-Laager: Data
8. Oneida
/10
9. Tellico Plains
/10
Population: 1,250
Rank Last Year: -
Median Home Value: $113,200 (7worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.3% (20th worst)
More on Tellico Plains: Data
10. Tiptonville
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Tennessee, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in Tennessee for 2022
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using FBI crime data and the Census's 2016-2020 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:
- Population Density (The lower the worse)
- Highest Unemployment Rates
- Low housing costs (meaning there's no demand)
- Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
- Education (Number of high school dropouts)
- High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 180 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Tennessee
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Volunteer State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Tennessee, according to science:
- Oak Hill (Pop. 4,536)
- Belle Meade (Pop. 2,191)
- Lookout Mountain (Pop. 2,013)
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Tennessee
Rank | Town | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Henning | 1,177 |
2 | Jellico | 2,084 |
3 | East Cleveland | 2,557 |
4 | Jamestown | 2,145 |
5 | Ridgely | 1,882 |
6 | Waynesboro | 2,428 |
7 | Gruetli-Laager | 1,931 |
8 | Oneida | 3,719 |
9 | Tellico Plains | 1,250 |
10 | Tiptonville | 4,194 |
11 | Trenton | 4,197 |
12 | Huntsville | 1,475 |
13 | Red Boiling Springs | 1,785 |
14 | Fincastle | 1,270 |
15 | Parsons | 2,585 |
16 | Cowan | 1,477 |
17 | Somerville | 3,257 |
18 | Midtown | 1,126 |
19 | Bradford | 1,201 |
20 | Graysville | 1,644 |
21 | Mason | 1,120 |
22 | Rutledge | 1,477 |
23 | Newbern | 3,293 |
24 | South Pittsburg | 3,038 |
25 | Dodson Branch | 1,105 |
26 | Rutherford | 1,076 |
27 | Sharon | 1,127 |
28 | Livingston | 4,058 |
29 | Decatur | 1,612 |
30 | Smithville | 4,781 |
31 | Monteagle | 2,142 |
32 | Sneedville | 1,599 |
33 | Luttrell | 1,041 |
34 | Selmer | 4,330 |
35 | Spencer | 1,387 |
36 | Adamsville | 2,120 |
37 | Linden | 1,161 |
38 | Scotts Hill | 1,320 |
39 | Winfield | 1,126 |
40 | Waverly | 4,124 |
41 | Maynardville | 2,567 |
42 | Mosheim | 2,794 |
43 | Ardmore | 1,260 |
44 | Caryville | 2,402 |
45 | Celina | 1,995 |
46 | Englewood | 1,513 |
47 | Tazewell | 2,321 |
48 | Monterey | 2,865 |
49 | Collinwood | 1,170 |
50 | Byrd | 1,125 |
51 | South Fulton | 2,120 |
52 | Pikeville | 2,465 |
53 | Whiteville | 4,482 |
54 | Mount Pleasant | 4,899 |
55 | Wartburg | 1,325 |
56 | Obion | 1,185 |
57 | Clifton | 2,660 |
58 | Erin | 1,706 |
59 | Spring City | 2,242 |
60 | Huntingdon | 3,827 |
61 | Coalfield | 2,861 |
62 | Jasper | 3,404 |
63 | Sparta | 4,942 |
64 | Benton | 1,256 |
65 | Mountain City | 2,062 |
66 | Alamo | 2,199 |
67 | Greenfield | 2,348 |
68 | Crump | 1,634 |
69 | Bon Aqua Junction | 1,266 |
70 | Hohenwald | 3,744 |
71 | Central | 1,926 |
72 | Bells | 2,697 |
73 | White Bluff | 3,583 |
74 | Dresden | 2,924 |
75 | Halls | 2,110 |
76 | Mascot | 2,681 |
77 | Atwood | 1,122 |
78 | Cornersville | 1,574 |
79 | Kenton | 1,438 |
80 | Unicoi | 3,572 |
81 | Decherd | 2,862 |
82 | Whitwell | 1,977 |
83 | Troy | 1,828 |
84 | Oliver Springs | 3,918 |
85 | Plainview | 2,110 |
86 | Tennessee Ridge | 1,296 |
87 | Rogersville | 4,412 |
88 | Gatlinburg | 3,944 |
89 | Etowah | 3,505 |
90 | Bean Station | 3,088 |
91 | Surgoinsville | 2,306 |
92 | Centerville | 3,561 |
93 | South Carthage | 1,575 |
94 | Gleason | 1,529 |
95 | Wildwood | 1,221 |
96 | Dyer | 2,663 |
97 | Baxter | 1,540 |
98 | Westmoreland | 2,622 |
99 | Wildwood Lake | 3,614 |
100 | Loretto | 1,810 |