Memphis is a popular city to visit if you love Elvis and the music scene, want access to culture and museums, and plenty of parks, but how is it as a place to live? Overall cost of living is very affordable, and Memphis is a warm and sunny city too, but what about the bad points…?
Safety in Memphis
We’ve got to admit that Memphis isn’t exactly a safe place to live. Over the last decade crime has risen and fallen but it’s always stayed above both the Tennessee and national averages. The Memphis Police Department oversees law and order, and they have a busy job keeping citizens safe – Memphis is safer than only 0.6 percent of the cities in the nation and you have a 1 in 13 chance of being a victim of crime here. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, but with a crime index that is 106 percent higher than the Tennessee average you need to have your wits about you.
Memphis Employment and the Economy
The central location of Memphis has always meant the city is important as a hub for trade and commerce so transportation links with the rest of the country are excellent. Memphis International Airport is the second busiest cargo airport in the world and Memphis is the main hub of FedEx, employing many Memphians. There are nine Fortune 500 companies in the city, and the services industry is the biggest employer. Having said all this, Memphis has a slightly higher than average unemployment rate at 8.8 percent, and over 20 percent of the population lives in poverty.
Cost of Living in Memphis
The good news is Memphis has a low cost of living so buying goods and services is cheaper here than in the rest of Tennessee and the United States as a whole. The cost of living index is 16 percent less than the national average, and 6 percent less than the state average with housing coming in most affordable. Utilities are cheaper here too, as are goods and services, while health care, is closer to the national average.
Schools and Education in Memphis
Memphis City Schools takes care of the 200 elementary, middle and high schools in the city, plus there are numerous private and college prep schools in Memphis too. The University of Memphis is the city’s public university, and Memphis is home to the oldest dental college in the South, the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Education levels achieved in Memphis are good with 76.4 percent of students completing high school, and 20.9 percent completing a bachelors. Both figures are well above the national and state averages.
Air Quality in Memphis
Air quality in Memphis is worse than both the state and national averages at 18.6 percent and 24.3 percent greater respectively. If you are sensitive to poor air quality there are usually around 7 days in a year when it can become ‘poor’, and one day when levels are ‘unhealthy’. Only 210 days in a year are considered ‘good’. It’s a different story when it comes to pollution though – the Memphis pollution index is 91.7 percent less than the Tennessee average , and 95.4 percent less than the national average.
So if you want to live in a city that is affordable, has a pretty good education system, and a stable economy, but you don’t mind living with crime and a poorer air quality, Memphis is the place to be!
