Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Covington earns a D, ranked 155th of 175 in Tennessee, mostly because of health and safety. Residents are less healthy than 98% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its crime rate is higher than 97% of U.S. towns, with 86 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Covington, above both the Tennessee town median (14%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On history, just 3 of Tennessee’s 292 towns do better. The median household income is $42K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Covington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church (Additional Documentation)| Widest gap | Covington | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.4% | 16.2% |
Census counts: 368 in 1850, 8,663 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1858 and 3 maps from 1961 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Covington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Covington, 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 Covington.
Covington trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Memphis and beyond, but it reports violent crime at about twice the Tennessee rate.
49% of adults have obesity in Covington. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who have diabetes than Covington. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Covington.
| Covington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 39% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 38% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 49% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Covington | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.2% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 78.9% | 76.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 26.4% | 16.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Tipton County school district. Two of its 6 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Covington High School, with 643 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crestview ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 569 | B− |
| Covington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 643 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 10.1 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Tennessee rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Reported crimes fell from 422 to 287 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Covington is 10.1 per 1,000 residents. Covington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less. The property crime rate in Covington is 23.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Covington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 23.5 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
6.5 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Covington’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Covington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Shelton Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
7,030 jobs are based in Covington, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Covington’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Covington grew to 7,030 in 2023, 923 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Memphis (24%), Jackson (4%) and Nashville (3%).
| Covington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $42,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.6% | 9.6% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $205K for the typical one, B for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 26 miles.
The typical Covington home is worth about $205,000, up 2.2% in a year, 38% below the Tennessee typical home. 45% of Covington households own their home.
| Covington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $933 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 73% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Covington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Covington has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 31° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Covington; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Covington residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Covington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Covington on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Covington.
City in Tennessee, United States
Covington is a city in central Tipton County, Tennessee, United States. Covington is the second largest city in and the county seat of Tipton County. The city is located in West Tennessee, 12 mi (19 km) east of the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, Covington had a population of 8,663. Located 42 mi (68 km) northeast of Memphis, Covington is part of the Memphis, Tennessee Metropolitan Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Covington grades D overall, better than 6% of U.S. towns and #155 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.1 years of the area's median household income ($66,401 across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
6 notable people were born here, including Isaac Hayes and Augustus Hill Garland.
