Living in Clifton, Tennessee: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 15.1% below the U.S. average in the parts of Tennessee outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.8 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Clifton itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town1 public school: 1 K-12 and 1 other.
A hospital close byWayne Medical Center in Waynesboro, about 14 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNashville is about 87 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 Clifton 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.

What kind of town

Worth a closer look

Clifton has lost about 12% of its people since 2020. A shrinking town can mean bargains, but visit Main Street on a weekday and ask what's closed lately.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $122,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 21%Wayne County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $681 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $43,571U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 67%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $819 a yearTennessee: $1,442
Homes built since 2010: 8%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 13%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 84.9U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Tennessee outside metro areas)

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 21% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Tennessee outside metro areas, not Clifton 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: 2,3442020: 2,655
Median age: 44.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 12%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 10%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 5%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 5%U.S.: 6%

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

Work

Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Work from home: 5%U.S.: 15%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Wayne Medical Center, Waynesboro, TN, about 14 miles away. It's a rural emergency hospital (24-hour emergency care and outpatient services, no overnight stays). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Hardin Medical Center, Savannah, TN, about 17 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 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

1 public school in Clifton, run by Wayne 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.

Weather

January average low: 27°F
July average high: 88°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 39 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 99 a year
Rain and melted snow: 61.8 inches a year
Snow: 1 inches a year
Elevation: 477 feet

Weather station: Waynesboro (14 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

Wayne Medical CenterEmergency room14

Jackson, TNCity of 69,00051

Nashville, TNMetro of 2.2 million87

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: Wayne Medical Center, Jackson, Nashville.

Wayne County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 8, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Water Street Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Natchez Trace Parkway19 miles
Shiloh National Military Park24 miles

Read about Clifton's history on Wikipedia.

Know Clifton?

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

Waynesboro, TN2,300 people, 14 miles
Savannah, TN7,700 people, 17 miles
Linden, TN1,200 people, 18 miles
Parsons, TN2,200 people, 20 miles
Adamsville, TN2,100 people, 24 miles
Hohenwald, TN4,200 people, 27 miles

Smaller places

Saltillo, TN441 people, 15 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.