What it's like to live in Arlington
Arlington is a small city in Tennessee with household incomes running above the national average, a highly educated workforce, a growing population, 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. Arlington deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and hot summers.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Highly educated workforce
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Arlington compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Arlington
Based on Arlington's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,328
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $86,560 a year
- 30% of Arlington renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$84,880
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $42,440
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 53% above US
$2,164/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,164 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices run above average, with a median around $424,400. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $424,400 · 30% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.6% county unemployment
Unemployment in Shelby County is 4.6%, 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.
Shelby County (county-wide)
Safety
329 violent crimes per 100k, whole jurisdiction
Arlington doesn't have its own police department, so there's no crime rate for it alone. The figures shown are for the Shelby 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 1331/100k · Policed by Shelby County Sheriff's Office (county-wide rate) · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
27 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 27.3 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 15% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 90°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 32°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a wet climate overall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▲ 42% above US
51% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a highly educated city, with over half the adult population holding a college degree. That tends to shape the job market and the broader culture, and it's a solid indicator of a strong professional scene.
Schools
4 public schools inside the boundary
There are 4 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Trail Of Tears National Historic Trail (55 miles away). There are 6 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Arlington's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and a highly educated workforce; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,164/mo) equals 19% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit college-educated professionals. It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget.
Other places near Arlington
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