Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 15,703, incorporated in 1878. Public schools that outperform most of Tennessee.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Arlington grades A− overall, 18th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee. Its schools rank ahead of 96% of Tennessee towns. The median household earns $135K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 76% of the country. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $407K, 6.1 years of the Memphis metro’s $66K median household income. Arlington’s median rent is $2,164 a month, against $944 a month in Tennessee’s towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. Only 1 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of children under 18 than Arlington. Arlington has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Mt. Airy and Arlington Historic District.
Where Arlington beats most towns.
11,517 counted in 2010 and 14,549 in 2020; an estimated 15,703 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.9% since 2020, after 26.3% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Arlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 343 in 1890, 14,549 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Arlington, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Arlington.
Arlington has schools in the top 5% of Tennessee and has less heart disease than most of Tennessee, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Tennessee.
Its A+ ranks #8 of the 176 Tennessee towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $407K.
Its public schools are run by the Arlington school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Arlington High, with 1,674 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 960 | A |
| Arlington HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,674 | A− |
| Arlington ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 926 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Tennessee is heart disease: 4.1% of its 9,795 adults have heart disease, against 7% statewide. Against the 4,027 U.S. towns with household incomes like Arlington’s, it is less healthy than 68%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
19% of adults binge drink in Arlington. Arlington beats the Tennessee average on 19 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 11% of adults report frequent physical distress in Arlington.
| Arlington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 28% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Arlington | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.1% | 7% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.2% | 8.6% |
| More binge drinkers | 19% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here grew from 2,580 in 2013 to 3,877.
Most working residents leave Arlington for work: only 9% work in town. 4.9% of Arlington residents live below the poverty line. Jobs based in Arlington grew to 3,877 in 2023, 1,297 more than in 2013.
| Arlington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $135,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 9.5% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 6.1 years of the Memphis metro’s $66K median household income, the typical home (about $407K) costs more against local pay than in 85% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $3,411, against $1,442 across Tennessee, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Arlington home is worth about $407,000, down 1.5% in a year, 23% above the Tennessee typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Arlington has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Arlington is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
2.1 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Arlington Sports Complex, at 44 acres.
| Arlington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Arlington Sports Complex | 0.3 mi | 44 |
| 2. Forrest Street Park | 0.1 mi | 24 |
| 3. College Hill Park | — | 11 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1997, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Arlington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Arlington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw26 mi Ancient siteSS Sultana
20 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
24 mi MuseumNational Civil Rights Museum
23 mi Stadium & arenaFedExForum
24 mi MuseumBlues Hall of Fame
20 mi Stadium & arenaMid-South ColiseumSS Sultana: Template:Thomas W. Bankes, Public domain · Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · National Civil Rights Museum: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FedExForum: Marco Espino-Ovalle, Public domain · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mid-South Coliseum: bcbuckner, CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Arlington
About 7 of every 100 Arlington residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Arlington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Arlington.
Town in Tennessee, United States
Arlington is a town in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is one of the seven municipalities in Shelby County. The town was officially incorporated as Haysville in 1878 and again as Arlington in 1900. The population was 2,569 at the 2000 census, 11,517 at the 2010 census, and 14,549 at the 2020 Census. From 2010 until 2020 the town's population grew by 26.33%.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Arlington.
Arlington and Lakeland report no FBI crime data of their own. Gallaway isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Arlington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Arlington grades A− overall, better than 75% of U.S. towns and #18 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
Arlington was incorporated in 1878 and has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 3 notable people were born here, including Hunter Goodman and Cody Fowler.
