The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Tennessee
Ranked on The Town Files lifestyle rankings among 103 towns of 2,500–10,000 people in Tennessee. #1 is Unicoi, TN.
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25Mascot, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 82% of Tennessee towns
2,760 people · Knox County · median home $206,000 · income $60,250 · Jan low 27°F · 4 in snow
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24Church Hill, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 82% of Tennessee towns
6,998 people · Hawkins County · median home $211,000 · income $65,526 · Jan low 27°F · 7 in snow
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23Harrison, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 82% of Tennessee towns
7,902 people · Hamilton County · median home $307,400 · income $89,395 · Jan low 32°F · 4 in snow
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22Mount Carmel, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 83% of Tennessee towns
5,473 people · Hawkins County · median home $179,600 · income $68,866 · Jan low 27°F · 5 in snow
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21Kingston Springs, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 84% of Tennessee towns
2,824 people · Cheatham County · median home $426,500 · income $103,250 · Jan low 27°F · 1 in snow
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20Belle Meade, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 84% of Tennessee towns
2,901 people · Davidson County · median home $2,000,001 · income $250,001 · Jan low 28°F · 3 in snow
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19Oak Hill, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 84% of Tennessee towns
4,891 people · Davidson County · median home $1,199,600 · income $215,530 · Jan low 26°F · 5 in snow
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18Rogersville, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 86% of Tennessee towns
4,671 people · Hawkins County · median home $192,800 · income $47,500 · Jan low 26°F · 6 in snow
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17Waverly, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 88% of Tennessee towns
4,297 people · Humphreys County · median home $171,900 · income $43,773 · Jan low 26°F · 3 in snow
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16Lynchburg, Moore County metropolitan government, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 88% of Tennessee towns
6,461 people · Moore County · median home $285,300 · income $66,469 · Jan low 27°F · 2 in snow
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15Colonial Heights, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 89% of Tennessee towns
3,055 people · Sullivan County · median home $217,100 · income $80,148 · Jan low 27°F · 5 in snow
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14Algood, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 89% of Tennessee towns
3,963 people · Putnam County · median home $190,300 · income $42,359 · Jan low 27°F · 6 in snow
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13Louisville, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 90% of Tennessee towns
4,384 people · Blount County · median home $379,900 · income $89,744 · Jan low 30°F · 5 in snow
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12Huntingdon, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 91% of Tennessee towns
4,439 people · Carroll County · median home $160,500 · income $51,969 · Jan low 28°F · 3 in snow
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11South Pittsburg, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 92% of Tennessee towns
3,106 people · Marion County · median home $187,100 · income $57,865 · Jan low 29°F · 5 in snow
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10Apison, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 93% of Tennessee towns
4,428 people · Hamilton County · median home $459,000 · income $129,307 · Jan low 32°F · 0 in snow
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9Kingston, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 93% of Tennessee towns
5,953 people · Roane County · median home $220,000 · income $71,675 · Jan low 28°F · 2 in snow
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8Jonesborough, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 94% of Tennessee towns
5,860 people · Washington County · median home $299,200 · income $74,015 · Jan low 25°F · 8 in snow
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7Harrogate, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 97% of Tennessee towns
4,400 people · Claiborne County · median home $203,900 · income $65,586 · Jan low 23°F · 8 in snow
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6Tusculum, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 98% of Tennessee towns
3,298 people · Greene County · median home $267,500 · income $70,694 · Jan low 26°F · 8 in snow
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5Signal Mountain, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 98% of Tennessee towns
8,852 people · Hamilton County · median home $544,300 · income $141,008 · Jan low 29°F · 3 in snow
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4Tellico Village, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 99% of Tennessee towns
7,311 people · Loudon County · median home $517,200 · income $106,875 · Jan low 28°F · 4 in snow
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3Fairfield Glade, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 99% of Tennessee towns
9,152 people · Cumberland County · median home $356,800 · income $71,682 · Jan low 26°F · 6 in snow
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2Sewanee, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 100% of Tennessee towns
2,535 people · Franklin County · median home $465,500 · income $136,111 · Jan low 29°F · 5 in snow
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1Unicoi, Tennessee
Better for retirees than 100% of Tennessee towns
3,833 people · Unicoi County · median home $244,300 · income $42,424 · Jan low 25°F · 9 in snow
Price vs ranking
More Tennessee rankings
- The 25 Quietest Small Towns in Tennessee
- The 25 Most Affordable Small Towns in Tennessee
- The 25 Best Small Towns for Families in Tennessee
- 25 Small Towns in Tennessee With the Cheapest Homes
- 25 Small Towns in Tennessee With the Mildest Winters
- The 25 Most Walkable Small Towns in Tennessee
- 25 Small Towns in Tennessee With the Fewest Tornadoes Since 1950
- The 25 Best Small Towns for First-Time Home Buyers in Tennessee
- The 10 Best Affordable Small Towns to Retire in Tennessee With Mild Winters
- The 12 Best Affordable Small Towns for Remote Workers in Tennessee
Same ranking, other places
- The 50 Best Small Towns to Retire in America
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Pennsylvania
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in New York
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Michigan
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Texas
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in California
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in New Jersey
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Florida
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Wisconsin
- The 25 Best Small Towns to Retire in Ohio
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates (2020–2024)
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census and 2025 Gazetteer (2020 / 2025)
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020)
- NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (1950–2026)
- FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations (this product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API but is not endorsed by FEMA) (1953–2026)
- NCES Common Core of Data (2023–24)
- BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; USDA ERS county unemployment (BLS LAUS) (2000–2024)
- The Town Files lifestyle rankings, built from federal demographic, school, crime and housing data (2025)