While big cities like Knoxville offer culture, cuisine, and charisma, they also deliver terrible traffic, towering expenses, and a taxing quality of life.
With that in mind, we wanted to uncover the best suburbs around Knoxville. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Knoxville without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Knoxville are created equally, which is precisely why we set out to find the best ones. Using Saturday Night Science, we delve into the factors that matter most, from commutes and housing costs to community vibes, to help you uncover the perfect suburban spots in the Greater Knoxville area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Knoxville for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Knoxville? Farragut ranks as the best suburb of Knoxville for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Farragut, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Knoxville ‘burbs better than the rest–but first, a bit about our methodology.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Tennessee:
The 10 Best Knoxville Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 23,795
Median Income: $135,725
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 2.4%
More on Farragut: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Farragut is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Knoxville area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Farragut.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $135,725 a year, which is the highest in the Knoxville region. And only 2.34% are out of work. Homes average more than $639,373 each.
/10
Population: 31,876
Median Income: $74,610
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Maryville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Maryville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Knoxville for 2024.
It ranks 3rd for incomes in the area and only 7.3% of residents lack insurance, good for 4th best.
/10
Population: 10,060
Median Income: $63,706
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 13.5%
More on Clinton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Clinton, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Knoxville metro area.
The bad side? Schools are more crowded, and the cost of living puts a large part of the city out of reach for most families.
But price is based on demand and a lot of people want to live in Clinton.
/10
Population: 4,359
Median Income: $80,307
Unemployment Rate: 4.5%
Poverty Rate: 10.0%
More on Louisville: Data | Real Estate
Louisville ranks as the 4th best suburb of Knoxville for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Louisville and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Coming in as the fifth best is Dandridge.
Dandridge gets kudos for having the 5th most expensive homes in the Knoxville area, where houses sell for an average of $357,603. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 31,535
Median Income: $67,152
Unemployment Rate: 5.6%
Poverty Rate: 14.7%
More on Oak Ridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Oak Ridge is proud of its 6th place finish on this list. And here’s why.
Most residents have great jobs and the unemployment rate sits at 5.57%.
According to online reports, Oak Ridge is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Knoxville area, meaning you need to get in soon.
/10
Population: 11,095
Median Income: $63,580
Unemployment Rate: 4.0%
Poverty Rate: 11.7%
More on Alcoa: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Alcoa.
Alcoa schools are some of the best in the region, and crime is really low. The cost of living makes it a lot more desirable for many families, especially first-time home buyers.
And, it’s only 11.2 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 17,986
Median Income: $49,449
Unemployment Rate: 2.3%
Poverty Rate: 15.4%
More on Sevierville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Sevierville is growing quickly, and for a good reason. Crime is far below average, and most residents are gainfully employed. Even the cost of living is reasonable.
A solid 19.57% of people lack insurance, good for 16th in the area.
9. Jacksboro, TN
/10
Population: 2,775
Median Income: $54,191
Unemployment Rate: 6.5%
Poverty Rate: 14.2%
More on Jacksboro: Crime | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Jacksboro?’
Almost.
It placed 9th on our list thanks to the fact that it’s really expensive to live here, but the schools are great, so you get what you pay for in that regard.
10. Blaine, TN
/10
Population: 2,496
Median Income: $56,942
Unemployment Rate: 8.3%
Poverty Rate: 13.9%
More on Blaine: Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Blaine.
This city is far above average in every category, and the best part? It’s far more affordable than the other cities listed above. So, you get a big bang for your buck here.
Methodology: How We Determined The Best Suburbs Around Knoxville for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Knoxville was simple. We used Saturday Night Science to find things people like about living in the suburbs and then locate the suburbs with those things.
We analyzed the newest American Community Survey data for 2018-2022 to research each suburb. We decided upon the following criteria:
- Low unemployment rate
- High median household incomes
- Population density (lots of things to do)
- High home values
- A lot of college-educated people
- Low poverty
- High rate of insured families
We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Knoxville.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 17 suburbs to evaluate around Knoxville.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 17 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality-of-life index.
Finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index, the “Best Suburb near Knoxville.” We’re lookin’ at you, Farragut.
This result may differ from our state-wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a more extensive selection of suburbs.
We updated the data for 2024. This report is our tenth time ranking the best Knoxville suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Knoxville ‘Burbs of 2024
We said it once, and we’ll say it again–life in the big city isn’t for everyone. At least not all the time.
The best suburbs of Knoxville are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Knoxville but don’t want to deal with the drawbacks, one of these suburbs might be for you.
For more Tennessee reading, check out:
Table: Best Knoxville Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Farragut, TN | 23,795 | $135,725 | $639,373 |
| 2 | Maryville, TN | 31,876 | $74,610 | $356,939 |
| 3 | Clinton, TN | 10,060 | $63,706 | $291,859 |
| 4 | Louisville, TN | 4,359 | $80,307 | $423,049 |
| 5 | Dandridge, TN | 3,351 | $53,422 | $357,603 |
| 6 | Oak Ridge, TN | 31,535 | $67,152 | $283,423 |
| 7 | Alcoa, TN | 11,095 | $63,580 | $283,927 |
| 8 | Sevierville, TN | 17,986 | $49,449 | $374,979 |
| 9 | Jacksboro, TN | 2,775 | $54,191 | $263,669 |
| 10 | Blaine, TN | 2,496 | $56,942 | $289,204 |
| 11 | Plainview, TN | 2,357 | $58,352 | $278,659 |
| 12 | Pigeon Forge, TN | 6,345 | $53,380 | $464,290 |
| 13 | Oliver Springs, TN | 3,727 | $47,690 | $223,018 |
| 14 | Caryville, TN | 2,181 | $54,257 | $225,132 |
| 15 | Jefferson, TN | 2,077 | $47,524 | $150,262 |
| 16 | Maynardville, TN | 2,455 | $43,773 | $263,566 |
| 17 | La Follette, TN | 7,349 | $35,705 | $143,885 |