Living in Brighton, Tennessee: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 7.8% below the U.S. average in the Memphis metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.6 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 3.4 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 1 elementary, 1 middle and 1 high school.
A hospital close byBaptist Memorial Hospital Tipton in Covington, about 5 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMemphis is about 29 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Brighton meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $214,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 16%Tipton County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,204 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $80,882U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 78%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,067 a yearTennessee: $1,442
Homes built before 1940: 1%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 11%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 92.2U.S. average = 100 (the Memphis metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 16% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Memphis metro area, not Brighton alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,8922020: 2,885
Median age: 34.4 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 27%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 20%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 9%U.S.: 6%
College students: 7%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (24%); professional and business services (13%); retail (13%)
Average commute: 32 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 14%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 15%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton, Covington, TN, about 5 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 3 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Brighton, run by Tipton County.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Tennessee's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 77%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 89%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 28°F
July average high: 89°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 49 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 70 a year
Rain and melted snow: 55.8 inches a year
Snow: 2 inches a year
Elevation: 361 feet

Weather station: Covington 3 SW (5 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Baptist Memorial Hospital TiptonEmergency room5

Bartlett, TNCity of 56,00018

Memphis, TNMetro of 1.3 million29

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Baptist Memorial Hospital Tipton, Bartlett, Memphis.

Tipton County is in a metro area of 1 million people or more (USDA rural-urban code 1, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Brighton's history on Wikipedia.

Know Brighton?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Atoka, TN10,600 people, 5 miles
Munford, TN7,000 people, 5 miles
Covington, TN8,600 people, 8 miles
Mason, TN1,300 people, 12 miles
Millington, TN13,000 people, 14 miles
Lakeland, TN14,400 people, 15 miles

Smaller places

Burlison, TN368 people, 6 miles
Gilt Edge, TN472 people, 7 miles
Garland, TN286 people, 7 miles
Randolph, TN (unincorporated)252 people, 9 miles
Braden, TN252 people, 12 miles
Gallaway, TN520 people, 13 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.