While big cities like Memphis 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 Memphis. These burbs have all of the benefits of being near Memphis without actually having to be in the city.
Of course, not all suburbs of Memphis 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 Memphis area.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 best suburbs to live around Memphis for 2024:
What’s the best suburb of Memphis? Germantown ranks as the best suburb of Memphis for 2024 based on the most recent Census and FBI data. If you happen to be a resident of Germantown, you’re probably not too surprised to find it on the top our list.
We’ll tell you what makes each of these 10 Memphis ‘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 Memphis Suburbs To Live For 2024
/10
Population: 41,094
Median Income: $140,429
Unemployment Rate: 2.8%
Poverty Rate: 2.4%
More on Germantown: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Germantown is always mentioned as one of the best suburbs in the Memphis area. We’ll tell you the good about “Awesome Germantown.”
Everyone here is rich; families average $140,429 a year, which is the highest in the Memphis region. And only 2.85% are out of work. Homes average more than $477,703 each.
/10
Population: 51,170
Median Income: $129,729
Unemployment Rate: 2.6%
Poverty Rate: 2.7%
More on Collierville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Collierville is the second best ‘burb we looked at near Memphis for 2024.
It ranks 2nd for incomes in the area and only 4.87% of residents lack insurance, good for 3rd best.
/10
Population: 13,811
Median Income: $108,206
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Lakeland: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Here in Lakeland, it’s really safe, and residents are just about as rich as you’ll see in the Memphis 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 Lakeland.
/10
Population: 14,342
Median Income: $116,409
Unemployment Rate: 3.1%
Poverty Rate: 5.9%
More on Arlington: Data | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Arlington ranks as the 4th best suburb of Memphis for 2024.
You won’t find many better places to raise your kids in the region than in Arlington and the schools are some of the best around.
/10
Population: 57,481
Median Income: $94,603
Unemployment Rate: 3.8%
Poverty Rate: 4.9%
More on Bartlett: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Coming in as the fifth best is Bartlett.
Bartlett gets kudos for having the 10th most expensive homes in the Memphis area, where houses sell for an average of $323,963. However, the cost of living here is among the highest in the area.
/10
Population: 45,938
Median Income: $93,762
Unemployment Rate: 2.7%
Poverty Rate: 5.1%
More on Olive Branch: Data | Real Estate
Olive Branch 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 2.69%.
According to online reports, Olive Branch is quickly becoming one of the more affluent suburbs in the Memphis area, meaning you need to get in soon.
7. Piperton, TN
/10
Population: 2,350
Median Income: $120,000
Unemployment Rate: 5.1%
Poverty Rate: 4.7%
More on Piperton: Crime | Real Estate
The 7th best suburb on our list goes to Piperton.
Piperton 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 21.1 miles to downtown, which is a good thing.
/10
Population: 6,357
Median Income: $89,397
Unemployment Rate: 8.2%
Poverty Rate: 3.3%
More on Munford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Munford 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 4.97% of people lack insurance, good for 4th in the area.
/10
Population: 9,139
Median Income: $86,433
Unemployment Rate: 3.2%
Poverty Rate: 5.2%
More on Oakland: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Is ‘Everything Better In Oakland?’
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
Population: 10,070
Median Income: $87,928
Unemployment Rate: 6.6%
Poverty Rate: 8.3%
More on Atoka: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
And rounding out the top ten for 2024 is Atoka.
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 Memphis for 2024
Figuring out the best suburbs around Memphis 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 Memphis.
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 Memphis.
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 Memphis.” We’re lookin’ at you, Germantown.
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 Memphis suburbs. Skip to the end to see the list of all the suburbs ranked from best to worst.
Summary: Welcome to the Best Memphis ‘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 Memphis are .
So if you’re craving the amenities of a larger city like Memphis 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 Memphis Suburbs
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germantown, TN | 41,094 | $140,429 | $477,703 |
| 2 | Collierville, TN | 51,170 | $129,729 | $496,528 |
| 3 | Lakeland, TN | 13,811 | $108,206 | $436,028 |
| 4 | Arlington, TN | 14,342 | $116,409 | $403,058 |
| 5 | Bartlett, TN | 57,481 | $94,603 | $323,963 |
| 6 | Olive Branch, TN | 45,938 | $93,762 | $325,825 |
| 7 | Piperton, TN | 2,350 | $120,000 | $687,350 |
| 8 | Munford, TN | 6,357 | $89,397 | $264,122 |
| 9 | Oakland, TN | 9,139 | $86,433 | $339,678 |
| 10 | Atoka, TN | 10,070 | $87,928 | $333,000 |
| 11 | Hernando, TN | 17,262 | $69,761 | $326,012 |
| 12 | Marion, TN | 13,635 | $77,350 | $215,239 |
| 13 | Brighton, TN | 2,878 | $76,202 | $253,921 |
| 14 | Southaven, TN | 54,908 | $72,513 | $258,896 |
| 15 | Horn Lake, TN | 26,652 | $57,111 | $186,016 |
| 16 | Millington, TN | 10,558 | $49,543 | $226,046 |
| 17 | West Memphis, TN | 24,351 | $40,904 | $107,794 |