Crime & Safety in Tennessee
Tennessee's statewide violent-crime rate runs genuinely above the national average -- cited as the third-highest among states behind only Maryland and Louisiana by one source -- but this record does not stop at that statewide figure, since crime and safety genuinely vary by specific city and neighborhood, and Memphis's own profile requires particularly direct, honest disclosure.
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Learn moreTennessee's statewide violent-crime rate runs genuinely above the national average, with a real recent improvement
One widely cited 2025-2026 analysis puts Tennessee's violent crime rate at roughly 8.91 incidents per 1,000 residents, versus a 4.43 national average -- the third-highest among states, behind only Maryland and Louisiana. At the same time, this record discloses a real, recent improvement rather than a static picture: Tennessee's overall crime rate is cited as falling roughly 12% year-over-year in the most recent comparison, with total crime down about 12.6% from 2019 to 2024 (4,802 to 4,198 per 100,000 residents).
Memphis's crime profile requires direct, sourced disclosure -- alongside a real, documented 2025 improvement
Memphis's 2025 violent-crime rate ran roughly 597% above the national average by one widely cited measure, and WalletHub's 2024 survey ranked Memphis the least-safe major U.S. metro out of 182 evaluated. This record does not minimize that baseline, but it also does not omit the real, substantial 2025 improvement: violent crime fell 28% from 2023 levels, and the city recorded 184 murders in 2025, down 26% from 249 in 2024 and down 47% from 2023 -- the first year under 200 homicides since 2019.
Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga each carry their own, genuinely different profile worth researching directly
This record does not extend Memphis's specific, sourced crime figures to the rest of the state -- Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga each have their own crime and safety profile, and this record recommends pulling current, specific, neighborhood-level data for your exact target destination rather than relying on either a statewide Tennessee impression or Memphis's specific, disclosed figures.
Research current, specific data for your target city or neighborhood
Anyone relocating to Tennessee should pull current crime statistics and safety data for their specific target city or neighborhood directly, rather than relying on a generalized statewide impression in either direction -- this is true whether the destination is Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, a Nashville satellite suburb, or a smaller Tennessee town.
Key takeaways
- Tennessee's statewide violent-crime rate runs genuinely above the national average (cited as third-highest among states) -- but recent trend data shows a real, disclosed improvement (roughly 12% down year-over-year in the most recent comparison).
- Memphis's 2025 crime profile requires direct, sourced disclosure (a genuinely elevated baseline, WalletHub's 2024 #1 least-safe-metro ranking) alongside a real, substantial 2025 improvement (murders down 47% from 2023).
- Nashville, Knoxville, and Chattanooga each carry their own, genuinely different crime and safety profile -- this record does not extend Memphis's specific figures statewide.
- Pull current, specific crime and safety data for your exact target destination before deciding.
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