Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Camden gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $196K for a typical one, or 3.8 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 96th of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 91% of the country, and the median household income is $55K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Camden has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William Thompson House (Additional Documentation) and US Post Office. Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 9 have a lower average trip to work than Camden. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 70% of U.S. towns.
Where Camden beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
William Thompson House (Additional Documentation)Where Camden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Camden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 176 in 1850, 3,674 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Camden, 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 Camden.
Camden draws workers from Paris and beyond, fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally.
2,321 jobs are based in Camden, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
About one in 4 of Camden’s working residents works in town. At $55,000, Camden’s median household income is near the Tennessee town median ($61,000) and below the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). The top destinations are Nashville (7%), Huntingdon (6%) and Jackson (5%).
| Camden | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Benton County school district. Three of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Camden Central High School, with 563 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camden ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 442 | – |
| Camden Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 563 | C+ |
| Briarwood SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 395 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 70% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
21% of Camden adults smoke cigarettes, against 19% in Tennessee’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 17% of adults report frequent physical distress in Camden. Camden beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7.
| Camden | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 29% | 23% |
| What stands out | Camden | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 21.8% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 10.9% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Home values rose 39% in five years, to about $196K, against 23% across Tennessee.
Typical home values rose 7.7% in the year to September 2026. Camden’s median rent is $749 a month.
| Camden | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $749 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 66% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Camden.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Camden has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Camden is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 15 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 78% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Camden; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Camden residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
2 places in Camden on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
Camden is a city in and the county seat of Benton County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,674 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Camden grades C overall, better than 26% of U.S. towns and #96 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, B for safety and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.
2 notable people were born here, including Charles F. Pendleton and Merle Flowers.
