The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Nashville, TN


The most dangerous and worst Nashville neighborhoods are Talbot’S Corner and Hadley Park for 2024 based on Saturday Night Science.

Worst Neighborhoods In Nashville
Source: Public domain

Nashville’s neighborhoods conjure up too many stereotypes to count. You’ve got hipster areas, preppy places, neighborhoods where college kids thrive, and of course, ghettos.

It seems as if there’s a neighborhood for everyone in Nashville.

And while the city consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Tennessee thanks in part to tons of entertainment and jobs, it’s not all rainbows and sunshine in Nashville. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.

So the question arises, which Nashville neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?

Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Nashville hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Nashville area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although Bellmont Hillsboro ranks way above the rest.

We examined 78 of Nashville’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Nashville’s reputation.


Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table


The Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Nashville For 2024

  1. Talbot’s Corner
  2. Hadley Park
  3. Bordeaux
  4. College Heights-Clifton
  5. McKissack Park
  6. Hadley-Washngton
  7. Haynes Area
  8. Heron Walk
  9. Fisk-Meharry
  10. Cahal Street

So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Nashville for 2024? According to the most recent census data, Talbot’S Corner looks to be the worst neighborhood in Nashville.

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

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Nashville For 2024

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 12,018
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,878
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,092
Median Home Value: $93,375 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $35,011 (9th worst)
More on Talbot’s Corner:  Data

Talbot’s Corner sounds like a small town. Like the kind of place where a kindly old grump runs the general store and the local police spend most of their time getting kittens out of trees. Sounds nice. What you actually get is an urban neighborhood dominated by highways, including the junction of I-24 and I-65.

Besides the lack of small-time charm, the area falls short in a lot of basic functions as well. Employment, safety, and schools are all suspect.

Still, there are benefits to life in Talbot’s Corner. Sure, no quaint country store. But the neighborhood is littered by amenities. This means plenty of restaurants and parks. It’s also a short ride to Nissan Stadium, home of the Tennessee Titans NFL team.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 793
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,694
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,970
Median Home Value: $96,233 (4th worst)
Median Income: $24,831 (4th worst)
More on Hadley Park:  Data

Hadley Park has a bunch of selling points. Most of all, there really is a Hadley Park, offering lots of potential outdoor fun. The neighborhood also houses Tennessee State University.

However, if you’re not a college kid getting an allowance from mommy and daddy, making ends meet in Hadley Park becomes a chore. The unemployment rate stands at the relatively healthy 5.3%. But the available jobs pay very little. The median income hovers just below $25,000. As a result, it’s tough to make ends meet. Even the relatively cheap $96,233 median home price becomes difficult to swing with salaries that low.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 2,556
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,932
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,003
Median Home Value: $160,350 (8th worst)
Median Income: $54,773 (29th worst)
More on Bordeaux:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

3
/10

Population: 885
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,651
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,819
Median Home Value: $113,033 (6th worst)
Median Income: $24,859 (5th worst)
More on College Heights-Clifton:  Data

You’d expect a place with the phrase “College Heights” in its name to have a significant focus on education. Bustling lecture halls and deep philosophical conversations while sitting on the sun-dappled quad. Not quite. In fact, one of the challenges of living in College Heights-Clifton comes from its substandard schools.

The underlying problem, though, stems from financial troubles. Just look at the unemployment rate, standing at 11.9%. Or check out the median income, a paltry $24,859.

Still, there are benefits to life in College Heights-Clifton. Located along I-40 in the western part of the city, the neighborhood sits along Boyd Park.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 487
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,707
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,015
Median Home Value: $87,000 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $31,875 (7th worst)
More on Mckissack Park:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,394
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,755
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,184
Median Home Value: $79,250 (worst)
Median Income: $30,250 (6th worst)
More on Hadley-Washngton:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,833
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,539
Property Crime Per 100k: 5,423
Median Home Value: $187,075 (14th worst)
Median Income: $50,822 (24th worst)
More on Haynes Area:  Data

The Haynes Area sits in the northern part of the city, built along a bend in the Cumberland River. However, this isn’t the kind of spot that features a manicured tree-lined riverwalk. Rather, think run-down streets and unkempt trees.

The neighborhood suffers from significant economic hardships, with an unemployment rate of 8.6% and a median income of $50,822.

Haynes does have plenty of amenities, from restaurants to churches. If you want a special night out, the downtown attractions are just a short 15-minute drive away. Meanwhile, the neighborhood also sits along the border of the Hartman Park Regional Center.

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 11,949
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 4,026
Property Crime Per 100k: 10,806
Median Home Value: $177,842 (12th worst)
Median Income: $46,396 (17th worst)
More on Heron Walk:  Data

Set in the northeast part of the city, Heron Walk is sandwiched into a bend in the Cumberland, bounded on two sides by the river. The name hints at natural splendor and leisurely strolls in search of stately birds. And, in fact, the neighborhood sits near plenty of green spaces, including Stones River Park to the southeast and a couple of nearby golf courses. A little further down the road, you’ll hit Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, the former home of the 7th President of the United States.

But none of these attractions are actually within Heron Walk. Here’s what you’ll find in the neighborhood itself: an elevated unemployment rate of 4.7% and an anemic median income of $46,396.

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,484
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,730
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,098
Median Home Value: $104,700 (5th worst)
Median Income: $18,590 (2nd worst)
More on Fisk-Meharry:  Data

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 784
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,138
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,939
Median Home Value: $134,100 (7th worst)
Median Income: $39,600 (12th worst)
More on Cahal Street:  Data

Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Nashville neighborhoods in 2024

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 places have the least amount of those things. We plugged the following criteria into Saturday Night Science to get the worst neighborhoods in Nashville:

  • High crime (Estimated)
  • High unemployment (Less jobs)
  • Low median income (Less pay)
  • Low population density (No things to do)
  • Low home values (No one’s willing to pay to live here)

Then, we ranked each neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee for each of these criteria from worst to best.

Next, we averaged the individual rankings for each criterion into a “Worst Score.”

The neighborhood with the lowest “Worst Score” ranks as the most dangerous neighborhood of Nashville.

The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2024. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Nashville.

Skip to the end to see the list of all 78 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.

Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Nashville

Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Nashville with Talbot’S Corner landing at the bottom of the pack.

The worst neighborhoods in Nashville are Talbot’s Corner, Hadley Park, Bordeaux, College Heights-Clifton, McKissack Park, Hadley-Washngton, Haynes Area, Heron Walk, Fisk-Meharry, and Cahal Street.

As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Nashville aren’t all bad. Bellmont Hillsboro takes the cake as the best place to live in Nashville.

The best neighborhoods in Nashville are Bellmont Hillsboro, Green Hills, East End, Salemtown, and Melrose.

We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.

For more Tennessee reading, check out:

Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Nashville For 2024?

Rank Neighborhood Population Home Value Median Income
1 Talbot’s Corner 12,018 $93,375 $35,011
2 Hadley Park 793 $96,233 $24,831
3 Bordeaux 2,556 $160,350 $54,773
4 College Heights-Clifton 885 $113,033 $24,859
5 Mckissack Park 487 $87,000 $31,875
6 Hadley-Washngton 1,394 $79,250 $30,250
7 Haynes Area 2,833 $187,075 $50,822
8 Heron Walk 11,949 $177,842 $46,396
9 Fisk-Meharry 2,484 $104,700 $18,590
10 Cahal Street 784 $134,100 $39,600
11 Four Corners 4,692 $193,100 $58,810
12 Woodycrest 1,541 $219,567 $40,054
13 Cumberland Gardens 792 $217,400 $40,741
14 Antioch 810 $211,500 $65,844
15 Capitol View 856 $202,100 $54,374
16 Bellshire Estates 934 $174,100 $52,996
17 Brick Church Bellshire 8,271 $187,444 $52,173
18 Osage-North Fisk 2,144 $197,600 $37,129
19 Southside 2,906 $238,600 $17,809
20 Marrowbone 5,018 $240,960 $68,485
21 Glencliff 6,569 $243,700 $51,051
22 Scottsboro 1,500 $222,967 $60,813
23 Harpeth Valley Park 856 $294,100 $83,766
24 Ccsi-South Inglewood 4,515 $180,300 $49,062
25 Your Neighborhood Group 3,509 $258,233 $78,081
26 Baxter Road 111 $268,500 $68,500
27 Buena Vista Heights 1,732 $215,967 $47,049
28 Una 757 $191,350 $75,905
29 Elizabeth Park 1,503 $224,400 $22,198
30 Villages Of Larchwood 1,945 $168,167 $67,716
31 Jones-Buena Vista 677 $244,000 $57,917
32 Shepherd Hills 482 $220,100 $47,471
33 Mcmurray-Huntingdon 6,963 $163,189 $47,931
34 Tulip Grove 2,433 $193,033 $65,409
35 Centenary 201 $230,200 $36,489
36 Rachel Jackson 677 $203,350 $79,454
37 Hickory Woods 1,841 $216,800 $72,004
38 Stadium Area 1,223 $442,850 $41,719
39 Nashboro Village 3,920 $196,000 $59,565
40 Woodbine 3,062 $238,025 $41,272
41 Inglewood-Riverwood 7,184 $197,582 $58,883
42 White Bridge 2,453 $380,533 $72,125
43 Mcferrin Park 2,134 $268,900 $48,122
44 Neelys Bend 1,652 $213,350 $61,025
45 Merry Oaks 715 $235,950 $66,048
46 Historic Edgefield 1,428 $490,750 $50,224
47 South Hampton 1,086 $233,300 $92,344
48 Rosebank 1,666 $304,275 $75,100
49 Stanford Estates 678 $271,000 $66,776
50 Bells Bend 782 $244,100 $80,313
51 Edgehill 5,030 $286,543 $32,174
52 South Harpeth Area 775 $301,200 $97,330
53 Charlotte Park 4,543 $269,250 $64,022
54 Hoggett Ford Road 835 $222,100 $87,222
55 Hermitage Hills 2,246 $218,000 $69,893
56 West Meade 9,926 $327,167 $102,668
57 Hillsboro West End 9,679 $459,978 $71,071
58 Donelson Hills 1,484 $230,100 $71,148
59 Shelby Hills 1,751 $374,533 $71,698
60 Whites Bend 3,955 $324,460 $77,087
61 Cleveland Park 2,336 $292,075 $78,905
62 Barclay Drive 1,718 $289,000 $80,510
63 Crieve Hall 4,036 $332,150 $94,922
64 Hillwood Estates 3,139 $432,733 $138,836
65 Eastwood 2,460 $434,640 $95,937
66 Lockeland Springs 3,321 $479,033 $93,646
67 Edmondson-Cloverland 2,497 $331,967 $101,163
68 Sylvan Park 3,940 $514,233 $103,434
69 Poplar Creek Estates 816 $358,600 $110,724
70 Greenwood 1,120 $320,300 $72,034
71 Sylvan Heights 1,867 $379,500 $70,983
72 Southeast 1,785 $319,100 $100,611
73 Germantown 782 $368,900 $87,616
74 Melrose 3,796 $595,325 $110,310
75 Salemtown 1,495 $544,400 $143,942
76 East End 664 $543,000 $80,384
77 Green Hills 24,013 $491,215 $104,171
78 Bellmont Hillsboro 6,140 $564,625 $109,885
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.

11 thoughts on “The 10 Most Dangerous And Worst Neighborhoods In Nashville, TN

  1. This was terrible and I can tell your not from Nashville. Did you really just rate rosebank as being worse then Mcferrin park? South inglewood? Bordeaux? Definitely a transplant

  2. Looking to rent a house/condo for vacation (4 middle aged women). Can’t decide between Shelby Hills, Maxwell, or West End/Vanderbilt University. Any suggestions?

  3. Should Capital View be on this list? It is being totally redeveloped aka North Gulch – expensive and trendy.

  4. I Wish some TRUE Nashvillians would post here to shed some light or rather truth. Although it’s always about one’s own perception and interpretation.

  5. I have lived in Nashville most of my adult life. This article is completely off base, biased strongly toward well off neighborhoods, and greatly biased against lower income neighborhoods. Maybe there aren’t grown idiots running around, wearing dinosaur suits in these “ghettos”, (for the easily amused and lacking depth) and people congregating in masses for uneccessary caterwauling porch concerts , but the crime rate is actually much lower in some of the “worst”, or as you imply, boring and poor “ghettos”. More crime typically happens in some of your “top picks”. Research at Crime mappers or take a look where most robberies, car thefts, and murders have occured.

  6. We are thinking of moving to Nashville. Did you ever think of ranking neighborhoods by housing costs. For example: the best neighborhood from $200,000 to 300,000.

  7. Hi, this page is so ignorant. You say the worst neighborhood in nashville is Buena vista heights….How about most underserved? Your use of the word ghetto is in extremely poor taste. No, I don’t live in Buena vista heights.

  8. Getto and hood…really. You need to visit Nashville and see how the developers moved in and built homes worth 2K or more in these once ghettos and hoods. We also have trailer parks and bottoms areas that will experience the same effect as the ghettos and hoods. Maybe they will be on the best neighborhoods list in Nashville.

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