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Jackson, Tennessee

Jackson is a small city of about 69,000 people in Madison County, Tennessee. It's the county seat. Its population has held about steady since 2020. A typical home costs about 4.1 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Memphis, is about 74 miles away as the crow flies.

County seatSmall city

Population
69,339
up 1.7% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$217,800
Madison County prices up 15% since 2022
Household income
$53,032
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Jackson area
85.5
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
In town
Jackson-Madison County General Hospital
To Memphis
74 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 14.5% below the U.S. average in the Jackson metro area.
  • More house for the moneyA typical home costs 4.1 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood503 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 7.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 26.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town23 public schools: 10 elementary, 5 middle, 6 high schools and 2 other.
  • A hospital close byJackson-Madison County General Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityMemphis is about 74 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 Jackson 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
$217,800U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 15%Madison County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,145 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$53,032U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
51%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$1,527 a yearTennessee: $1,442
Homes built before 1940
6%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
10%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
85.5U.S. average = 100 (the Jackson 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 15% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Jackson metro area, not Jackson 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
69,3392020: 68,191
Median age
35.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
24%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
28%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
7%U.S.: 6%
College students
8%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 (29%); manufacturing (17%); retail (11%)
Unemployment rate
8%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
18 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
10%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
22%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Jackson-Madison County General Hospital, Jackson, TN, in town. 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

23 public schools in Jackson, run by Madison County.

Colleges in or next to town: Union University (1,000 to 4,999 students); Jackson State Community College (1,000 to 4,999 students); Lane College (under 1,000 students).

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
78%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
27°F
July average high
91°F
Days 90°F or hotter
56 a year
Nights at or below freezing
71 a year
Rain and melted snow
56.9 inches a year
Snow
3 inches a year
Elevation
443 feet

Weather station: Jackson Exp Stn (3 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

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: Bartlett, Memphis.

Madison County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

23 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Chevy Chase House and First Presbyterian Church Complex, the East Main Street Historic District, the Lane College Historic District and the Northwood Avenue Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Shiloh National Military Park43 miles

Campus life. Check Union University's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Jackson's history on Wikipedia.

Know Jackson?

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

Smaller places

  • Gadsden, TN473 people, 12 miles
  • Beech Bluff, TN (unincorporated)437 people, 12 miles
  • Pinson, TN (unincorporated)565 people, 14 miles
  • Medon, TN198 people, 14 miles
  • Gibson, TN374 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

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.