Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,147, settled in 1822. A regional job hub with 3,623 jobs.
Livingston gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $235K for a typical one, or 4.2 years of the Cookeville area’s $55K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 92nd of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Livingston has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Alpine Institute and Overton County Courthouse. Only 5 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower share of adults with a bachelor’s degree than Livingston.
Where Livingston beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Livingston’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 Livingston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 881 in 1850, a low of 240 in 1870, 3,905 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1933 and 4 maps from 1944 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Livingston, 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 Livingston.
Livingston draws workers from Cookeville and beyond, fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 2,263 U.S. towns with household incomes like Livingston’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
23% of Livingston adults smoke cigarettes, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 14%. 29% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Livingston. Livingston beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15.
| Livingston | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 19% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| What stands out | Livingston | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13.2% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 9.7% | 7% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Overton County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Livingston Academy, with 773 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| A H Roberts ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 344 | C− |
| Livingston AcademyLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 773 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
3,623 jobs are based in Livingston, 2.3 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Livingston’s working residents works in town. Livingston’s median household income is $40,000, against $61,000 in Tennessee’s towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. The average trip to work in Livingston is 21 minutes.
| Livingston | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 16% | 14% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Livingston’s median rent is $730 a month. The typical Livingston home is worth about $235,000, up 2.5% in a year, 29% below the Tennessee typical home. 58% of Livingston households own their home.
| Livingston | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $730 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
January nights average 27.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 85% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 86.3°.
Livingston has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Livingston | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 86°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 27°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Livingston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 21.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 61% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Just 18 of its 4,157 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Livingston itself; its outdoors grade is C−.
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Livingston | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.4% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Livingston City Ballpark | — | 15 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Livingston; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Livingston residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 places in Livingston on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Livingston.
Town in Tennessee, United States
Livingston is a town in Overton County, Tennessee, United States, and serves as the county seat. The population was 3,905 at the 2020 census and 4,058 at the 2010 census. The current mayor, Lori Elder Burnette, Livingston's first female mayor, began serving her mayoral position on August 29, 2024. Livingston is part of the Cookeville, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area with a 2023 population of 148,226.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Livingston grades C overall, better than 27% of U.S. towns and #92 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health, C+ 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 B+.
3 notable people were born here, including John Ridley Mitchell and William H. Sproul.
