The 10 Worst Nashville Suburbs For 2022


We used science and data to determine which Nashville suburbs are the real pits.

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Not everyone is cut out for city life. Some people would prefer to live in the cities and towns that surround Nashville.

So the question arises, do the suburbs maintain a semblance of the larger-than-life appeal of their more famous neighbor?

Today, we'll use science and data to determine which Nashville 'burbs need a little tender loving care - the sore thumbs of the Nashville area if you will. Realistically, you can't expect all the suburbs to live up to Nashville proper, although Belle Meade certainly tries.

Of course, not all suburbs of Nashville are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones..

We examined the 26 biggest suburbs of Nashville to find out the worst places to live. And while you won't necessarily find them on the worst places to live in Tennessee lists, these ten places are a little too far downwind of Nashville in terms of quality of life.

Here are the 10 worst suburbs around Nashville for 2022:

  1. White Bluff
  2. Springfield
  3. Ashland
  4. La Vergne
  5. Smyrna
  6. Lebanon
  7. Goodlettsville
  8. Millersville
  9. Fairview
  10. Pleasant View

What's the worst suburb of Nashville? White Bluff ranks as the worst suburb of Nashville for 2022 based on the most recent Census and FBI data.

Read on to see how we determined the places around Nashville that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don't blame the messenger.

Or, if you're thinking of moving to elsewhere in Tennessee check out the best places in Tennessee overall or the worst.

And remember, there are some good places to live around Nashville too.

Editor's Note: If you see a slight difference between the worst in state rankings and this suburb ranking, it's because of the methodology. We needed a way to include more places, so we eliminated crime and commute times as criteria for this analysis.

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

The 10 Worst Nashville Suburbs To Live For 2022

We'll get the ball rolling with White Bluff, the absolute worst place to live around Nashville according to the data.

And in the world of worst rankings, White Bluff beat the competition pretty handily thanks to scoring in the bottom 15% in three major categories. Income is the worst in the Nashville area, and to make matters worse, the city ranks worst when it comes to home values.

But hey, at least it's cheap to live there. But there's a reason for that... it's White Bluff.

You won't feel bad about not having a great income for the area, there aren't a bunch of places to spend your money anyway.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,583
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $44,152 (lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (8th highest)
Median Home Value: $145,900 (lowest)
More on White Bluff:  Data

Welcome to Springfield. Home to KMart, Big Lots, and a lot of gas stations.

This city is 22.8 miles to Nashville. Income levels here are the 2nd lowest in the metro area, where families bring in about $48,420 a year, which doesn't go a long ways even on a shoestring budget.

But on the bright side, there are a lot of fast food joints in the area.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 17,147
Rank Last Year: 2 (No Change)
Median Income: $48,420 (2nd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 6.9% (highest)
Median Home Value: $160,200 (2nd lowest)
More on Springfield:  Data | Photos

Springfield, TN

3. Ashland

Back up the highway we go for the third worst Nashville suburb you can live in. You might have expected to see Ashland on here. While the cost of living is low, your entertainment and work options are limited. And that's an understatement.

In terms of numbers, it's in the worst 15% for insurance, and the adult high school drop out rate is poor compared to other Nashville suburbs.

But at least there are nice parks to bring the kids during the day.

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 7,819
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $53,475 (3rd lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.5% (9th highest)
Median Home Value: $195,700 (4th lowest)
More on Ashland:

If you live in La Vergne, most likely you struggle to make ends meet every month. It ranks as the 10th lowest Nashville suburb when it comes to residents making money.

Not only that, but this is the 10th worst unemployed suburb you can live in if you choose to live near Nashville. Remember, we looked at 26 cities for this study.

La Vergne is about 15.7 miles to downtown.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 35,556
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $66,360 (10th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 4.1% (10th highest)
Median Home Value: $184,600 (3rd lowest)
More on La Vergne:  Data | Photos

La Vergne, TN

Smyrna has the distinction of being a Nashville suburb. Which means that's about all it has going for it.

All snarkiness aside, Smyrna has the 6th lowest home values in the metro Nashville area, where the median price is $211,700. To put that into perspective, in Belle Meade, the median income is $250,001, which is the best in the area.

Smyrna has an unemployment rate of 5.64% which ranks 2nd worst.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 50,820
Rank Last Year: 8 (Up 3)
Median Income: $66,003 (9th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.6% (2nd highest)
Median Home Value: $211,700 (6th lowest)
More on Smyrna:  Data | Photos

Smyrna, TN

Lebanon has 34,759 residents that probably know it's a pretty crummy place to live when you look at the data. (Or, if you've ever been there, you don't need to look at the data.)

Incomes are towards the bottom and the poverty rate sits at 14.689418562658%.

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 34,759
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 2)
Median Income: $58,859 (5th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.7% (11th highest)
Median Home Value: $261,400 (16th lowest)
More on Lebanon:  Data | Photos

Lebanon, TN

Source: Public domain

Ah, Goodlettsville. You rank as the 7th worst place to live around Nashville.

It's the place with the 4th most out of work residents in the Nashville metro area (5.04%).

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 16,829
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 4)
Median Income: $55,857 (4th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (4th highest)
Median Home Value: $242,800 (11th lowest)
More on Goodlettsville:  Data

Millersville is a city about 15.7 miles from Nashville, but Nashville probably wishes it was further away. It ranks as the 8th worst burb for 2018.

You'd be hard pressed to find a worse place to live. Millersville has the 5th most uninsured people, 8th worst incomes, and has the 16th highest unemployment rate (2.78%) in the entire Nashville metro area.

Homes only cost $199,100 for a reason. That's cheap for Nashville standards.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 6,403
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Median Income: $65,559 (8th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 2.8% (16th highest)
Median Home Value: $199,100 (5th lowest)
More on Millersville:  Data

If you absolutely have to live near Nashville, then Fairview might be a place for you to consider as it's only the 9th worst Nashville suburb.

About 3.01% of residents are out of work.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 8,989
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Median Income: $67,696 (12th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.0% (15th highest)
Median Home Value: $259,600 (15th lowest)
More on Fairview:  Data | Photos

Fairview, TN

Rounding out the ten worst Nashville suburbs to call home is Pleasant View.

Located 21.4 miles outside the city, Pleasant Views is a real pit when you look at the data. Its residents have the 12th highest unemployment rate (3.31%), and poverty is far above the area average.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 4,660
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 3)
Median Income: $86,270 (18th lowest)
Unemployment Rate: 3.3% (12th highest)
Median Home Value: $237,400 (10th lowest)
More on Pleasant View:  Data

Methodology: Determining The Worst Suburbs Around Nashville for 2022

To figure out how bad a place is to live in, we only needed to know what kinds of things people like and then decide what cities have the least amount of those things.

We threw a lot of criteria at this one in order to get the best, most complete results possible. Using the most recent American Community Survey data from 2016-2020, this is the criteria we used:

  • High unemployment rate
  • Low median household incomes
  • Low population density (no things to do)
  • Low home values
  • A lot of high school drop outs
  • High poverty
  • High rate of uninsured families

FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Nashville.

Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 26 suburbs to evaluate around Nashville.

We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 26 in each category, where 1 was the "worst".

Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.

And finally, we crowned the city with the worst quality of life index the "Worst Suburb near Nashville." We're lookin' at you, White Bluff. You can download the data here.

Read on below to learn more about what it's like to live in the worst of the worst. Or skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The areas around Nashville where the dream is more of a nightmare for 2022

Well there you have it -- the worst of the 'burbs surrounding Nashville with White Bluff casting itself ahead of the pack.

As we mentioned earlier, the suburbs around Nashville aren't all bad. Belle Meade takes the cake as the best place to live around Nashville.

  • Belle Meade
  • Oak Hill
  • Nolensville

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Nashville Suburbs

Rank City Population Median Income Median Home Values
1 White Bluff 3,583 $44,152 $145,900
2 Springfield 17,147 $48,420 $160,200
3 Ashland 7,819 $53,475 $195,700
4 La Vergne 35,556 $66,360 $184,600
5 Smyrna 50,820 $66,003 $211,700
6 Lebanon 34,759 $58,859 $261,400
7 Goodlettsville 16,829 $55,857 $242,800
8 Millersville 6,403 $65,559 $199,100
9 Fairview 8,989 $67,696 $259,600
10 Pleasant View 4,660 $86,270 $237,400
11 Gallatin 40,262 $60,930 $243,600
12 Murfreesboro 141,704 $60,683 $257,500
13 Thompson's Station 6,116 $95,386 $425,100
14 Kingston Springs 2,744 $82,159 $271,400
15 Greenbrier 6,859 $69,381 $215,800
16 Hendersonville 57,888 $75,146 $282,000
17 White House 12,258 $80,085 $224,600
18 Pegram 2,492 $82,616 $247,500
19 Ridgetop 2,441 $67,466 $227,900
20 Mount Juliet 35,834 $93,096 $288,500
21 Franklin 80,675 $100,169 $438,800
22 Forest Hills 4,868 $205,997 $866,400
23 Brentwood 42,700 $160,174 $682,100
24 Nolensville 9,221 $146,563 $483,300
25 Oak Hill 4,536 $183,929 $723,100
26 Belle Meade 2,191 $250,001 $1,595,500

How Is Your Town In ?

Editor's Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don't freak out we updated this article for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the worst suburbs around Nashville.

About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.