Do you live in one of the most miserable places in Tennessee?
According to a Harris Poll taken in October of 2015, only a third of Americans say they are truly happy. That’s too bad, considering that Americans – especially folks in Tennessee – don’t really have it too bad, in the grand scheme of things.
But, we were curious – which Tennessee cities might be the most miserable? We’re about to find out, using science and data.
After analyzing the largest cities, we sadly present the most miserable cities in the Volunteer State:
- Somerville (Photos)
- Henderson (Photos)
- La Follette (Photos)
- Pikeville (Photos)
- Ripley (Photos)
- Woodbury (Photos)
- Whiteville
- Covington (Photos)
- Harriman (Photos)
- Mount Pleasant
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers and how your town ranked. If you have a smile on your face, you probably don’t live in one of these cities.
Oh, and by the way, Oak Hill is the happiest place in Tennessee.
Or check out the Most Miserable Cities In America.
If you’re looking for something more positive, check out the best states in America or the best places to live in America.
How We Measured The Most Miserable Cities In Tennessee
In order to rank the unhappiest places in Tennessee, we had to determine what criteria makes people happy. It isn’t a stretch to assume that happy people earn great salaries, are relatively stress free, and have a stable home life.
So we went to the Census’s American Community Survey 2010-2014 report for the criteria, flipped the list, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible:
- Percentage of residents with a college degree
- Average commute times
- Unemployment rates
- Cost of living
- % of married couples
- % of home owners
- Poverty rate
After we decided on the criteria, we gathered the data for the 108 places in Tennessee with over 2,000 people.
We then ranked each place from one to 141 for each of the seven criteria with a score of one being the most miserable (Any ties were given to the larger place).
Next, we averaged the seven rankings into a Miserable Index for each place with the lowest overall Miserable Index ‘earning’ the title ‘Most Miserable City In Tennessee’.
If you’d like to see the complete list of states, most miserable to happiest, scroll to the bottom of this post to see the unabridged chart.
1. Somerville
Population: 3,113
People Who Own Their Home: 33.81%
Married Adults: 33.35%
2. Henderson
Population: 6,429
People Who Own Their Home: 43.2%
Married Adults: 30.08%
3. La Follette
Population: 7,304
People Who Own Their Home: 36.35%
Married Adults: 39.58%
4. Pikeville
Population: 2,047
People Who Own Their Home: 36.97%
Married Adults: 32.97%
5. Ripley
Population: 8,350
People Who Own Their Home: 37.33%
Married Adults: 32.74%
6. Woodbury
Population: 2,701
People Who Own Their Home: 45.13%
Married Adults: 31.16%
7. Whiteville
Population: 4,593
People Who Own Their Home: 41.46%
Married Adults: 18.92%
8. Covington
Population: 9,033
People Who Own Their Home: 44.11%
Married Adults: 27.57%
9. Harriman
Population: 6,296
People Who Own Their Home: 37.58%
Married Adults: 40.98%
10. Mount Pleasant
Population: 4,604
People Who Own Their Home: 51.48%
Married Adults: 46.82%
There You Have It
Like we said earlier, trying to determine the most miserable cities in {state} is usually a subjective matter. But if you’re analyzing cities where people are not stable, where you’re stuck in traffic, and no one spent the time to go to college, then this is an accurate list.
If you’re curious enough, here are the happiest cities in {state}, according to science:
For more Tennessee reading , check out:
- These Are The 10 Safest Places In Tennessee
- These Are The 10 Snobbiest Places In Tennessee
- These Are The 10 Best Places To Live In Tennessee
Detailed List Of Miserable Places In Tennessee
City | Rank |
---|---|
Somerville | 1 |
Henderson | 2 |
La Follette | 3 |
Pikeville | 4 |
Ripley | 5 |
Woodbury | 6 |
Whiteville | 7 |
Covington | 8 |
Harriman | 9 |
Mount Pleasant | 10 |
Smithville | 11 |
Memphis | 12 |
Cookeville | 13 |
Monterey | 14 |
Newport | 15 |
Lenoir City | 16 |
Morristown | 17 |
Jefferson City | 18 |
Oneida | 19 |
Lawrenceburg | 20 |
Savannah | 21 |
Martin | 22 |
Brownsville | 23 |
Clifton | 24 |
Shelbyville | 25 |
Lewisburg | 26 |
Alamo | 27 |
Dyer | 28 |
Carthage | 29 |
Waynesboro | 30 |
Livingston | 31 |
Columbia | 32 |
Union City | 33 |
Bolivar | 34 |
Pigeon Forge | 35 |
Camden | 36 |
Cleveland | 37 |
Trenton | 38 |
Sevierville | 39 |
Dayton | 40 |
Paris | 41 |
Springfield | 42 |
Fayetteville | 43 |
Manchester | 44 |
Nashville | 45 |
Centerville | 46 |
Parsons | 47 |
Madisonville | 48 |
Athens | 49 |
Knoxville | 50 |
Sparta | 51 |
Chattanooga | 52 |
Humboldt | 53 |
Red Bank | 54 |
Lafayette | 55 |
Pulaski | 56 |
Greeneville | 57 |
Portland | 58 |
Mcminnville | 59 |
Jackson | 60 |
Rockwood | 61 |
Lebanon | 62 |
Murfreesboro | 63 |
Central | 64 |
Dunlap | 65 |
Huntingdon | 66 |
Crossville | 67 |
Milan | 68 |
La Vergne | 69 |
Mckenzie | 70 |
Elizabethton | 71 |
Lexington | 72 |
Alcoa | 73 |
Sweetwater | 74 |
Millersville | 75 |
Millington | 76 |
Clarksville | 77 |
Plainview | 78 |
Greenfield | 79 |
Loudon | 80 |
Goodlettsville | 81 |
Bloomingdale | 82 |
Bristol | 83 |
Johnson City | 84 |
Dyersburg | 85 |
Brighton | 86 |
Erwin | 87 |
Gallatin | 88 |
East Ridge | 89 |
Dickson | 90 |
Smyrna | 91 |
Munford | 92 |
Collegedale | 93 |
Tullahoma | 94 |
Etowah | 95 |
Jasper | 96 |
Greenbrier | 97 |
Colonial Heights | 98 |
Clinton | 99 |
Waverly | 100 |
Oak Ridge | 101 |
Kingsport | 102 |
Soddy-Daisy | 103 |
Winchester | 104 |
Seymour | 105 |
Atoka | 106 |
Kingston | 107 |
Oakland | 108 |
Church Hill | 109 |
Fairview | 110 |
South Cleveland | 111 |
Mount Juliet | 112 |
Maryville | 113 |
Hendersonville | 114 |
Jonesborough | 115 |
Louisville | 116 |
Middle Valley | 117 |
Walden | 118 |
Pleasant View | 119 |
White House | 120 |
Franklin | 121 |
Bartlett | 122 |
Medina | 123 |
Mount Carmel | 124 |
Harrison | 125 |
Spring Hill | 126 |
Fairmount | 127 |
Fairfield Glade | 128 |
Lakeland | 129 |
Tellico Village | 130 |
Green Hill | 131 |
Collierville | 132 |
Park City | 133 |
Nolensville | 134 |
Arlington | 135 |
Farragut | 136 |
Signal Mountain | 137 |
Brentwood | 138 |
Germantown | 139 |
Forest Hills | 140 |
Oak Hill | 141 |