Living in Lebanon, Tennessee: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 3.7% below the U.S. average in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood147 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 2.7 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 7.1 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town13 public schools: 7 elementary, 2 middle, 3 high schools and 1 other.
A hospital close byVanderbilt Wilson County Hospital is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNashville is about 25 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 Lebanon 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

Boom town. The population is up 37% since 2020. Growing fast, with rising home values. Watch for chain stores and big apartment complexes: the small-town feel may not last.

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: $378,400U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 11%Wilson County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,306 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $72,848U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 62%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $1,899 a yearTennessee: $1,442
Homes built before 1940: 3%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 39%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 96.3U.S. average = 100 (the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin 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 11% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin metro area, not Lebanon 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: 53,4122020: 38,908
Median age: 35 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 16%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 23%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 31%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 11%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

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (23%); retail (14%); manufacturing (11%)
Unemployment rate: 2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 13%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 13%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital, Lebanon, TN, in town. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 5 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

13 public schools in Lebanon, run by Lebanon and Wilson County.

Colleges in or next to town: Cumberland University (1,000 to 4,999 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: 77%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 93%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: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 56 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 91 a year
Rain and melted snow: 54.1 inches a year
Snow: 1 inches a year
Elevation: 576 feet

Weather stations: Lebanon (3 miles away) and Gladeville (10 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Gallatin, TNCity of 55,00014

Nashville, TNMetro of 2.2 million25

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: Gallatin, Nashville.

Wilson 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

13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Castle Heights Academy Historic District, the Cedars of Lebanon State Park Historic District, the Ida New and William Madison Turner Farm and the Lebanon Commercial Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Stones River National Battlefield22 miles
Natchez Trace Parkway37 miles

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

Read about Lebanon's history on Wikipedia.

Know Lebanon?

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

Green Hill, TN6,900 people, 13 miles
Watertown, TN1,700 people, 13 miles
Hartsville/Trousdale County, TN12,600 people, 17 miles
Shackle Island, TN4,400 people, 20 miles
South Carthage, TN1,600 people, 22 miles
Goodlettsville, TN17,500 people, 22 miles

Smaller places

Gladeville, TN (unincorporated)2,199 people, 8 miles
Tuckers Crossroads, TN (unincorporated)426 people, 10 miles
Rural Hill, TN (unincorporated)2,075 people, 11 miles
Norene, TN (unincorporated)137 people, 12 miles
Castalian Springs, TN (unincorporated)678 people, 14 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.