Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lexington gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $218K, 4 years of the county’s $55K median household income. It grades C− overall, 127th among Tennessee's 175 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $49K, and 18% of residents live below the poverty line. On the plus side, its public schools beat 84% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation. 37% of working residents work locally in Lexington, above both Tennessee’s towns (12%) and U.S. towns (8%). Lexington has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Thompsie Edwards House and Montgomery High School. Lexington reports more crime per resident than 86% of U.S. towns, including 37 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025.
Where Lexington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Paul G. Caywood Elementary | PK–5 | 655 |
| Esther's Montessori Center | PK–K | 36 |
| Lexington Middle School | 6–8 | 238 |
Where Lexington’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 Lexington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 329 in 1880, 7,956 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1935 and 3 maps from 1936 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lexington, 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 Lexington.
Lexington pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Jackson and beyond.
6,734 jobs are based in Lexington, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Lexington’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Jackson (19%), Memphis (6%) and Nashville (3%).
| Lexington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $218K.
Its public schools are run by the Henderson County school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lexington High School, with 890 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul G. Caywood ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 655 | B |
| Lexington High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 890 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests
Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 71% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
21% of Lexington adults smoke cigarettes. Lexington beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 12. 16% of Lexington adults have diabetes.
| Lexington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 19% |
| What stands out | Lexington | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 11% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.6% | 3.7% |
| More smokers | 21% | 17.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 268 to 163 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Lexington is 4.6 per 1,000 residents. Lexington reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 86% report less. The property crime rate in Lexington is 15.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Lexington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15.6 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
3.9 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. Lexington Sports Complex, at 132 acres with 3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Lexington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.7% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lexington Sports Complex | 3 mi | 132 |
| 2. Guy B. Amis Park | 0.4 mi | 41 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Homes are within reach (about $218K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 23 miles.
Lexington’s median rent is $720 a month. Typical home values rose 6.3% in the year to September 2026. 63% of households own their home in Lexington.
| Lexington | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $720 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 63% | 66% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Lexington has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 29° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2010, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lexington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Lexington; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Lexington residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
7 notable people were born in Lexington.
City in Tennessee, United States
Lexington is a city in Henderson County, Tennessee, United States. It is midway between Memphis and Nashville, lying 10 miles (16 km) south of Interstate 40, which connects the two cities. Its population was 7,956 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Henderson County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lexington grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #127 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, D for safety and A− 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 B+.
7 notable people were born here, including Loyd Jowers and Buddy Cannon.