Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Fayetteville earns a D, 146th of 175 graded towns in Tennessee, mostly because of safety and health. It reports more crime per resident than 93% of U.S. towns, including 70 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Residents are less healthy than 93% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 11 places on the National Register. Fayetteville’s violent crime rate is 9.8 per 1,000 residents, above both Tennessee’s towns (2.6) and U.S. towns (1.6). No town in Tennessee scores higher than Fayetteville on history. Fayetteville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 84% of U.S. towns.
Where Fayetteville beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hugh Bright Douglas House
Census counts: 995 in 1850, 7,068 in 2020. The archive holds 39 old photos and papers going back to 1836 and 4 maps from 1936 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 Fayetteville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Fayetteville, 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 Fayetteville.
7,352 jobs are based in Fayetteville, 2.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Fayetteville’s working residents works in town. 17% of Fayetteville residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Huntsville (10%), Nashville (8%) and Lewisburg (2%).
| Fayetteville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 35% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Lincoln County school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lincoln County High School, with 1,171 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ralph Askins SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 565 | B+ |
| Lincoln County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,171 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
The property crime rate in Fayetteville is 20.1 per 1,000 residents. Fayetteville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 93% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
17% of adults have diabetes in Fayetteville. Fayetteville beats the Tennessee average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 46% of adults have high blood pressure in Fayetteville.
| Fayetteville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 14% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Fayetteville | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.9% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80% | 76.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 19.9% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Fayetteville home is worth about $249,000, up 2.4% in a year, 25% below the Tennessee typical home. Fayetteville’s median rent is $779 a month.
| Fayetteville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 49% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $779 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Fayetteville has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 29° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 55% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Fayetteville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Fayetteville | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.6% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Stone Bridge Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 2. S.J. King Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Fayetteville; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Fayetteville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
Where Fayetteville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Fayetteville on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Fayetteville.
City in Tennessee, United States
Fayetteville is the county seat of and the largest city in Lincoln County, Tennessee, United States. The city's population was 7,095 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.
Fayetteville grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #146 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 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($64,667 across the Fayetteville, TN 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−.
28 notable people were born here, including Frank Kelso and Hatton W. Sumners.
