The 10 Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee For 2022


We used data and science to identify the most dangerous cities in the Volunteer State for 2022.

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Off key country singers in Nashville, and crazy squirrel hunters in Knoxville are just a few of the dangerous things that Tennesseans have to deal with on a regular basis; unfortunately, however, not the most dangerous.

That's right folks, the people who live in Tennessee's most dangerous places know danger. They are after all the fifth most dangerous state in the country. So, RoadSnacks thought it would be a good idea to produce a list of the most dangerous places in Tennessee for 2022 so people are well informed before making any life changing decisions.

How'd we do it? We consulted the numbers. In total, we analyzed 89 cities. We looked at the FBI's latest crime report for violent crime and property crime statistics for every place with over 5,000 residents.

We discovered that although the state has 375 law enforcement agencies employing close to 16,000 police officers, they just can't be everywhere. So, bigger cities like Chattanooga and Memphis are starting to feel the effects.

We're not talking speeding through Jackson or hopping the fence at Graceland people, we're talking about the crime that gets you put in jail. So, whether you're looking to move to Tennessee or already live in Tennessee and need a new scene, we strongly suggest you take a look at this list. There may be some that surprise you.

Want to know what places in The Volunteer State have more issues than The Newport Plain Talk? Read on.

The Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee For 2022

  1. Memphis
  2. Dyersburg
  3. Chattanooga
  4. Newport
  5. Covington
  6. Athens
  7. Savannah
  8. Cleveland
  9. Millington
  10. Union City

Sadly, this is not a list that any city in any state wants to make. You probably won't see a sign entering the most dangerous place in a state that reads "number one most dangerous city in Tennessee": it's not something to brag about. But, people need to know.

So, what's the most dangerous city in Tennessee for 2022? That would be, Memphis.

Take a look at the list below to see the rest of Tennessee's most dangerous places.

Learn more about the safest places in Tennessee.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

The 10 Most Dangerous Places To Live In Tennessee For 2022

Memphis is Tennessee's 2nd biggest city, but in terms of crime, it takes the #1 spot. The violent crime rate is especially bad in Memphis, outstripping the national average by over 400% and ranking as the highest in the state.

Elvis Presley is probably rolling over in his grave at the state of things in Memphis. The city had 289 murders in 2020, the second highest murder rate statewide. Overall, residents had a 1 in 42 chance of being the victim of a property crime.

And the bad news keeps on coming -- Memphis had the second highest burglary rate in Tennessee and experienced 4,442 car thefts over 2020. Overall, the city averaged over ten property crimes per day.

Not to mention that Memphis had the highest rate of arson cases on this list by a very wide margin, averaging almost one per day.

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 650,937
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,351 (Most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,560 (Fifth most dangerous)
More on Memphis:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Memphis, TN

Dyersburg motto is the Gateway to Everywhere, but unfortunately, that includes being the gateway to staggeringly high crime rates.

It's a good idea to triple check that you've locked your doors if you're heading to one of Dyersburg city parks, seeing as the city had the highest burglary rates in Tennessee.

And it's not just property crime going down in Dyersburg, either. The city had the fifth highest violent crime rate in the state, including the 29th highest murder rate.

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 16,226
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,275 (Fifth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,797 (Second most dangerous)
More on Dyersburg:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Dyersburg, TN

Source: Public domain

Chattanooga might look like a peaceful city from the vistas afforded at Lookout Mountain, but down on the streets, crime is all too common.

Violent crime is pretty bad across the board, with Chattanooga reporting 182 rapes and 33 murders in 2020, the fourth highest and fourth highest rates statewide, respectively.

You'll also want to make sure you lock your car doors wherever you go in Chattanooga because with 2,101 car thefts recorded over the year, stolen cars are more common here than in the bigger cities of Memphis and Nashville.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 184,211
Rank Last Year: 5 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,359 (Fourth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 6,356 (Third most dangerous)
More on Chattanooga:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Chattanooga, TN

We're moving away from the western part of the state to Tennessee's far east to reach Newport. In terms of property crime, it's hard to out-do Newport. Residents of Newport had a 1 in 13 chance of having their belongings stolen or damaged in 2020, the highest rate in Tennessee.

That includes more than one car theft per week, on average. We just hope nobody steals a racecar from the Newport Speedway, because they might be hard to catch.

The prevalence of property crime in Newport is such that the city actually has the highest overall crime rate in Tennessee -- more than three times higher than the national average.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,880
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 944 (Ninth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 7,180 (Most dangerous)
More on Newport:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Newport, TN

Covington is a city of 8,818 located in western Tennessee that struggles with both high property and violent crime rates.

We don't envy the Covington Police Department, who had to handle 130 violent crimes and 451 property crimes over 2020.

On the bright side, there were no murders in Covington over the year. On the not-so-bright side, a car was robbed, and a home was broken into more than once per week, on average.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,818
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,474 (Third most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,114 (Ninth most dangerous)
More on Covington:  | Cost Of Living

Covington, TN

The county seat of McMinn County in eastern Tennessee, Athens' nickname of "The Friendly City" is belied by the crime situation.

Folks in Athens faced a 1 in 17 shot being the victim of a property crime in 2020, representing the fourth highest rate in Tennessee.

In fact, Athens' property crime rate is more than three times higher than the national average. We just hope nobody's planning a heist on the local Living Heritage Museum.

On the bright side, Athens is the least violent place on this list and didn't have a single murder in 2020.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 14,059
Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 931 (11th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,683 (Fourth most dangerous)
More on Athens:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Athens, TN

Located along the east side of the Tennessee River, Savanna went down 1 spots on this list from last year, so progress is being made on the crime front.

However, overall crime and property crime still rank as the eighth highest in the state. That includes the fifth highest burglary rate.

While Savannah has the Horse Creek Wildlife Sanctuary, humans of Savannah are on their own for finding sanctuary. Which can be tough in a city with the tenth highest rate of violent crime in Tennessee.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,928
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 938 (Tenth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,210 (Eighth most dangerous)
More on Savannah:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Savannah, TN

Situated about 45 minutes northeast of Chattanooga, Cleveland ranks as Tennessee's eighth most dangerous city.

You'll want to keep a close eye on your belongings when you're out for a hike at Red Clay State Historic Park, because Cleveland reported 1,734 larcenies in 2020. There was also one burglary each day and a car theft every other day, on average.

Additionally, Cleveland had 454 violent crimes over the year.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 45,994
Rank Last Year: 8 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 987 (Eighth most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,026 (Tenth most dangerous)
More on Cleveland:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Cleveland, TN

A part of the Memphis metro area, Millington ranks as the ninth least safe in Tennessee.

The violent crime rate is above average as a whole, but a 64th highest place ranking in murder rate is the really spooky part about Millington. Be sure to buddy up for walks in Meeman-Shelby Forest, or you might become the protagonist of a horror movie.

Regardless of where you're going, lock your doors in Millington because the city had the third highest burglary rate in Tennessee in 2020.

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 10,626
Rank Last Year: 9 (No Change)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 818 (16th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 5,260 (Seventh most dangerous)
More on Millington:  | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Millington, TN

Union City has its intellectual side. The community provides the home of Discovery Park of America, a wide-ranging museum, with exhibits as diverse as dinosaurs and NASCAR. The area also has its natural wonders. Located in a rural part of northwest Tennessee, a short drive will take you to Reelfoot Lake State Park.

However, not everything in town revolves around museum exhibits and strolls by a lake. There's a dark side as well. Union City represents the number 10 most dangerous spot in Tennessee, including a frighteningly high rate of sexual assaults.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 10,263
Rank Last Year: 12 (Up 2)
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 925 (12th most dangerous)
Property Crimes Per 100k: 4,511 (12th most dangerous)
More on Union City:  | Cost Of Living

Union City, TN

Source: Public domain

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous cities in Tennessee for 2022?

Every year the FBI release two crime datasets, a preliminary dataset limited to the biggest cities in the country, followed by a more detailed release at the end of the year.

For our analysis, we focused on the JUST released 2020 data, specifically the 2020 Crime In The United States Report. We will update the results when data becomes available in September 2022.

So what criteria did we use? Have a look:

  • Violent Crimes Per Capita
  • Property Crimes Per Capita

In order to make the analysis as apples to apples as possible, we only considered Tennessee cities over 5,000 in population. That left us with 89 cities in Tennessee.

We then ranked each city from 1 to 89 for the two criteria with a #1 ranking being the most dangerous for the particular criteria.

Next, we averaged the two rankings into one "Dangerous Index".

Finally, we ranked every city on the "Dangerous Index" with the lowest index being the most dangerous in Tennessee -- Memphis. Any ties went to the smaller city. You can download the data here.

Most Dangerous Places To Live In Tennessee FAQs

Is Tennessee a dangerous state?

Yes, Tennessee is a dangerous state as it ranks as the #5 most dangerous state in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. The violent crime rate in tennessee ranks third highest in the United States -- 73.47% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the Volunteer State ranks tenth highest in the United States -- 27.3% worse than US average property crime rate. The latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020.

Is Nashville, TN a dangerous city?

Yes, Nashville is a dangerous city. Nashville ranks as the #38 most dangerous out of 320 major cities over 100,000 people in the United States based on our analysis of the latest FBI Crime Data. Keep in mind that are always safe and dangerous parts of any city, so even though Nashville might be considered dangerous you still need to be aware of where you are. For example, Poplar Creek Estates is the safest in Nashville, while Heron Walk is considered dangerous by many based on recent crime stats.

Compared to other big cities, the violent crime rate in Nashville ranks 28th highest in America -- 102.78% worse than US average violent crime rate. The property crime rate in the ranks 47th highest in the United States -- 51.04% worse than US average property crime rate. Note the latest reporting year from the FBI was 2020 and that no city in America is 'dangerous'. Despite the uptick in murders, it's nothing like you'd see in Tijuana or Caracas where the murder rate is 2x any American city.

Graphing The Most Dangerous And Safest Places In Tennessee

Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee Graph

Click To Enlarge

Summary: Locking It All Up In Tennessee

So what is the most dangerous city in Tennessee? After analyzing 89 cities in Tennessee, Memphis takes the top spot as the most dangerous city in Tennessee based on the most recently reported FBI data -- 2020.

The latest FBI crime data shows that Memphis ranks as the most dangerous city in Tennessee for 2022.

We want to point out again that there's still safes places in Memphis and that this isn't a comment on the people that live there. So please don't beat us up.

Sadly, this is not a list that any city in any state wants to make. You probably won't see a sign entering the most dangerous place in a state that reads "number one most dangerous city in Tennessee": it's not something to brag about. But, people need to know.

So, what's the most dangerous city in Tennessee for 2022? That would be, Memphis.

Take a look at the list below to see the rest of Tennessee's most dangerous places.

Learn more about the safest places in Tennessee.

If you're looking for something more national, check out the most dangerous cities in America or the most dangerous states in America.

Here are the safest cities in Tennessee:

  1. Hendersonville (Pop. 58,901)
  2. Spring Hill (Pop. 45,765)
  3. Loudon (Pop. 5,953)
  4. Oakland (Pop. 8,558)
  5. Atoka (Pop. 9,632)
  6. Brentwood (Pop. 43,454)
  7. Nolensville (Pop. 10,665)
  8. Kingston (Pop. 5,998)
  9. Church Hill (Pop. 6,655)
  10. Signal Mountain (Pop. 8,644)

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

Crime By City In Tennessee

Rank City Population Violent Crimes Per Capita Property Crimes Per Capita
1 Memphis 650,937 2,351 5,560
2 Dyersburg 16,226 1,275 6,797
3 Chattanooga 184,211 1,359 6,356
4 Newport 6,880 944 7,180
5 Covington 8,818 1,474 5,114
6 Athens 14,059 931 5,683
7 Savannah 6,928 938 5,210
8 Cleveland 45,994 987 5,026
9 Millington 10,626 818 5,260
10 Union City 10,263 925 4,511
11 Nashville 688,013 1,155 4,073
12 Ripley 7,686 1,717 3,551
13 Jackson 67,234 1,045 3,590
14 Morristown 30,330 850 4,253
15 Pigeon Forge 6,311 760 4,436
16 Rockwood 5,410 628 5,415
17 Knoxville 188,672 809 4,227
18 Sweetwater 5,904 677 4,522
19 Dickson 15,680 848 3,571
20 Kingsport 54,260 685 4,471
21 Alcoa 10,174 599 4,295
22 Columbia 41,013 738 3,142
23 Sevierville 17,395 626 4,012
24 Manchester 11,145 672 3,131
25 Lenoir City 9,404 691 2,849
26 Humboldt 8,116 763 2,673
27 Shelbyville 22,306 860 2,515
28 Pulaski 7,571 554 3,553
29 Tullahoma 19,664 706 2,680
30 La Follette 6,606 620 2,876
31 East Ridge 21,202 561 3,226
32 Madisonville 5,031 437 4,253
33 Fayetteville 7,077 508 3,377
34 Bristol 27,013 573 2,865
35 Johnson City 67,293 439 4,037
36 Dunlap 5,214 652 2,627
37 Milan 7,585 738 2,359
38 Lebanon 37,832 570 2,799
39 Greeneville 14,875 477 3,240
40 Winchester 9,029 487 3,200
41 Springfield 17,372 696 2,221
42 Clinton 10,111 454 3,036
43 Harriman 6,110 490 2,798
44 Crossville 11,885 193 4,476
45 Clarksville 161,167 609 2,243
46 Paris 10,047 338 3,085
47 Oak Ridge 29,139 576 2,131
48 Lawrenceburg 11,093 423 2,677
49 Murfreesboro 151,769 487 2,485
50 Goodlettsville 16,896 284 2,811

How Is Your Town In ?

This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. It is our ninth time ranking the most dangerous places to live in Tennessee and is updated for 2022.

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.