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Moving to
Memphis.
Memphis is an unincorporated community in Manatee County, FL. It has no city government: the county runs it, and the Census counts it as its own place.
What it's like to live in Memphis
Memphis is an unincorporated community in Florida with rent below the national average, air quality that stays clean most of the year, a population that has grown fast since 2020, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Memphis deals with a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin, hot summers, above-average rainfall, and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Clean air
- Fast-growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Memphis compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Memphis
Based on Memphis's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,346
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $46,920 a year
- 56% of Memphis renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$62,760
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $31,380
- Homes cost 4.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 17% below US
$1,173/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,173 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices are reasonable, with a median around $313,800. Not a steal, but not intimidating either.
Median home value $313,800 · 56% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.2% county unemployment
Unemployment in Manatee County is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Manatee County (county-wide)
Safety
448 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Memphis doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Manatee County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction as a whole, which runs close to the national average for violent crime and covers many communities. Individual neighborhoods can differ a lot from that overall rate.
Property crime 1324/100k · Policed by Manatee County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2020 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 26.9 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 6% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are mild, with lows rarely dropping below 54°F. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 38% below US
23% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 23%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
1 public school inside the boundary
There is 1 public school inside the boundary and 1 private school. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is De Soto National Memorial (5 miles away).
Bottom line
Memphis's strongest points are rent below the national average and air quality that stays clean most of the year; the main tradeoffs are a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,173/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget.
Other places near Memphis
All Florida guides →Not sure Memphis is the one?
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