Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,621, incorporated in 1938.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Belle Meade grades B overall, 39th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee. The median household earns $250K. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $2.0 million, 23.4 years of the Nashville metro’s $85K median household income. 87% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Belle Meade, above both Tennessee’s towns (23%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 23 of Tennessee’s 232 towns score higher on civic life. Belle Meade has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Belle Meade and Belle Meade Apartments.
Where Belle Meade beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Belle Meade | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 3.4% | 16.2% |
Belle MeadeEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Belle Meade is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 8%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,061 in 1940, 2,901 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1807 and 5 maps from 1932 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Belle Meade. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaNissan Stadium
4 mi MuseumParthenon
12 mi TheatreRyman Auditorium
6 mi Stadium & arenaBridgestone Arena
4 mi Stadium & arenaFirstBank Stadium
5 mi Stadium & arenaGeodis ParkNissan Stadium: Kaldari, CC0 · Parthenon: Mayur Phadtare, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ryman Auditorium: Unknown, CC0 · Bridgestone Arena: EVula, CC BY 3.0 · FirstBank Stadium: Mhar564, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Geodis Park: CheckeredYeti, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belle Meade, 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 Belle Meade.
Belle Meade is among the three healthiest towns in Tennessee and fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Tennessee.
It ranks #2 of the 176 Tennessee towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Tennessee is food insecurity: 3.4% of its 2,185 adults worry about having enough food, against 16.2% statewide.
6.8% of Belle Meade adults smoke cigarettes. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 2 have a lower share of adults who get no exercise outside work than Belle Meade. 28% of Belle Meade adults sleep under 7 hours.
| Belle Meade | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.8% | 19% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 39% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 20% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Belle Meade | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 3.4% | 16.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 3.4% | 13.3% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.1% | 8.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 7.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 95% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 0 reported in 2025, 0 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Belle Meade is 0 per 1,000 residents.
| Belle Meade | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 2.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.9 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities. Since 2004, 19 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belle Meade.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Belle Meade has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Belle Meade’s July high is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Belle Meade has about as many jobs (934) as working residents, but only 19 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.5 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
Most working residents leave Belle Meade for work: only 2% work in town. 1.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Belle Meade. The top destinations are Nashville (68%), Brentwood (6%) and Franklin (5%).
| Belle Meade | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.4% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.8% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 23.4 years of the Nashville metro’s $85K median household income, the typical home costs more against local pay than in any other Tennessee town; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Only 1 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a higher share of households owning their home than Belle Meade.
| Belle Meade | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,501 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 97% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
17 within 15 miles of the center of Belle Meade
About 7 of every 100 Belle Meade residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 places in Belle Meade on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
Belle Meade is a suburban city on the west side of Nashville, Tennessee in Davidson County. Its total land area is 3.1 square miles (8.0 km2), and its population was 2,901 at the 2020 census. The city functions as an independent municipality with its own regulations, city hall, and police department, distinct from the Metropolitan Nashville Government (Metro). Residents pay property taxes for these services, and also pay taxes to Metro for fire protection, ambulance service, and other municipal functions. Belle Meade is the wealthiest city in Tennessee. The median annual income of Belle Meade residents is more than $250,000 according to the 2023 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Belle Meade.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belle Meade | #39 | B | D | A− | D | A+ |
| Forest Hills | #95 | C | D− | — | D | A+ |
Forest Hills reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Belle Meade with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Belle Meade grades B overall, better than 58% of U.S. towns and #39 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and D for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. The typical home is worth about $2,000,000, 505% above the Tennessee typical home. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
Belle Meade was incorporated in 1938 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 2 notable people were born here, including William Harding Jackson and William Giles Harding.
