Memphis, Tennessee
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Memphis.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Memphis compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 629,063City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $51,211Incorporated place (ACS)35% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 68ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)32% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $157,100City limits (ACS)48% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,123City limits (ACS)17% below U.S. avgU.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.3%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 23 min8% below U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 3522% below U.S. avgU.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1901.4annualized per 100k · citywide215% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 6128.4annualized per 100k · citywide99% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 91°F4.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 35°FNear U.S. avg (34°F)U.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 54.9 in67% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 254Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Memphis with another city
About 629,063 people live in Memphis, TN. Median household income is roughly $51,211, while the ACS housing-cost index sits near 68 — among the more affordable large markets in this catalog on housing costs (100 ≈ U.S. average). Entry home prices around $157,100 still look attainable compared with coastal metros.
Memphis sits in that mid-to-large city band where urban and quieter residential pockets often share one municipal boundary. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Memphis with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Music/tourism hubs and auto manufacturing corridors sit under humid summers. With about 54.9 inches of rain a year, wet-season drainage and mold checks are worth asking about. Plan on roughly 23 minutes each way for a typical commute; Walk Score is about 35. Unemployment recently ran near 4.3%, broadly in line with many large U.S. counties. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1901.4 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Memphis city, 1600000US4748000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN471570000000003 (Shelby County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00013893 MEMPHIS INTL AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28