Memphis’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 Memphis.
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 Memphis. Some neighborhoods aren’t as safe as others.
So the question arises, which Memphis neighborhoods are the most dangerous and which are the safest?
Today, we’ll use Saturday Night Science to determine which Memphis hoods need a little tender loving care – the sore thumbs of the Memphis area if you will. Realistically, you can’t expect all the neighborhoods to be amazing, although River Oaks-Kirby-Balmoral ranks way above the rest.
We examined 13 of Memphis’s neighborhoods to find out the most dangerous places to live. These places don’t quite measure up to Memphis’s reputation.
Table Of Contents: Top 10 | Methodology | Summary | Table
So what’s the worst neighborhood to live in Memphis for 2025? According to the most recent census data, Parkway Village-Oakhaven looks to be the worst neighborhood in Memphis.
Read on to see how we determined the places around Memphis that need a pick-me-up. And remember, don’t blame the messenger.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Tennessee
- Cheapest Places To Live In Tennessee
- Most Dangerous Cities In Tennessee
The 10 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods In Memphis For 2025
/10
Population: 38,591
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,668
Property Crime Per 100k: 10,479
Median Home Value: $74,096 (3rd worst)
Median Income: $37,738 (4th worst)
More on Parkway Village-Oakhaven: Data
/10
Population: 34,345
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,196
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,549
Median Home Value: $63,796 (2nd worst)
Median Income: $30,093 (2nd worst)
More on Shelby Forest-Frayser: Data
/10
Population: 87,467
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,746
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,357
Median Home Value: $78,449 (4th worst)
Median Income: $39,603 (5th worst)
More on White Haven-Coro Lake: Data
/10
Population: 48,022
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 4,029
Property Crime Per 100k: 10,728
Median Home Value: $112,443 (7th worst)
Median Income: $30,027 (worst)
More on Downtown: Data
/10
Population: 32,735
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,244
Property Crime Per 100k: 10,828
Median Home Value: $61,048 (worst)
Median Income: $32,973 (3rd worst)
More on Berclair-Highland Heights: Data
/10
Population: 66,172
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,637
Property Crime Per 100k: 8,050
Median Home Value: $105,147 (6th worst)
Median Income: $49,911 (8th worst)
More on Hickory Ridge-South Riverdale: Data
/10
Population: 61,886
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 3,162
Property Crime Per 100k: 9,670
Median Home Value: $128,531 (8th worst)
Median Income: $40,518 (6th worst)
More on Midtown: Data
/10
Population: 58,688
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,992
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,377
Median Home Value: $81,134 (5th worst)
Median Income: $41,580 (7th worst)
More on Raleigh: Data
/10
Population: 3,796
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 1,162
Property Crime Per 100k: 6,196
Median Home Value: $154,400 (10th worst)
Median Income: $54,588 (9th worst)
More on Eads-Fisherville: Data
/10
Population: 104,210
Violent Crimes Per 100k: 2,157
Property Crime Per 100k: 7,968
Median Home Value: $147,292 (9th worst)
Median Income: $60,304 (10th worst)
More on East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire: Data
Methodology: How we determined the most dangerous Memphis neighborhoods in 2025
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 Memphis:
- 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 Memphis, 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 Memphis.
The article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2025. This report is our time ranking the worst neighborhoods to live in Memphis.
Skip to the end to see the list of all 13 neighborhoods ranked from worst to best.
Summary: The Worst Neighborhoods Around Memphis
Well, there you have it — the worst of the neighborhoods in Memphis with Parkway Village-Oakhaven landing at the bottom of the pack.
The worst neighborhoods in Memphis are Parkway Village-Oakhaven, Shelby Forest-Frayser, White Haven-Coro Lake, Downtown, Berclair-Highland Heights, Hickory Ridge-South Riverdale, Midtown, Raleigh, Eads-Fisherville, and East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire.
As mentioned earlier, the neighborhoods in Memphis aren’t all bad. River Oaks-Kirby-Balmoral takes the cake as the best place to live in Memphis.
The best neighborhoods in Memphis are River Oaks-Kirby-Balmoral, Cordova-Appling, Windyke-Southwind, East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire, and Eads-Fisherville.
We ranked the neighborhoods from worst to best in the chart below.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
Most Dangerous Neighborhoods To Live In Memphis For 2025?
| Rank | Neighborhood | Population | Home Value | Median Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkway Village-Oakhaven | 38,591 | $74,096 | $37,738 |
| 2 | Shelby Forest-Frayser | 34,345 | $63,796 | $30,093 |
| 3 | White Haven-Coro Lake | 87,467 | $78,449 | $39,603 |
| 4 | Downtown | 48,022 | $112,443 | $30,027 |
| 5 | Berclair-Highland Heights | 32,735 | $61,048 | $32,973 |
| 6 | Hickory Ridge-South Riverdale | 66,172 | $105,147 | $49,911 |
| 7 | Midtown | 61,886 | $128,531 | $40,518 |
| 8 | Raleigh | 58,688 | $81,134 | $41,580 |
| 9 | Eads-Fisherville | 3,796 | $154,400 | $54,588 |
| 10 | East Memphis-Colonial-Yorkshire | 104,210 | $147,292 | $60,304 |
| 11 | Windyke-Southwind | 2,234 | $286,500 | $119,571 |
| 12 | Cordova-Appling | 70,645 | $168,247 | $68,405 |
| 13 | River Oaks-Kirby-Balmoral | 44,686 | $184,124 | $82,462 |