Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Martin grades C− overall, ranked 107th of 175 in Tennessee, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the median household income is $43K, and 26% of residents live below the poverty line. 34% of working residents work locally in Martin, against 12% in Tennessee’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 14 of Tennessee’s 292 towns do worse. Martin is home to The University of Tennessee-Martin.
Where Martin beats most towns.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Martin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,730 in 1900, 10,825 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 3 maps from 1950 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Martin, 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 Martin.
Martin is shaped by its college students and draws workers from Union City and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly earthquakes).
7.5 miles of trail in 6 parks and preserves. Martin Recreational Complex, at 112 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Martin’s trail density is 0.6 miles per square mile.
| Martin | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.6 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. University of Tennessee at Martin Campus Arboretum | 5.1 mi | 52 |
| 2. Martin Recreational Complex | 1.3 mi | 112 |
| 3. Harmon Field | 0.3 mi | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Weakley County school district. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Westview High School, with 611 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Martin PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 470 | – |
| Westview High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 611 | B− |
| Martin ElementaryTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 391 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
27.5% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.4% statewide, which pulls the median age down. Only 42.4% of households own their home, against 66.9% across Tennessee.
The median age in Martin is 24.5 years. Martin has grown 2.1% since 2020, to 11,060 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 16% of Martin residents are under 18.
| Martin | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 24.5 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 16% | 22% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 11% | 18% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 30% | 23% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.3 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Martin | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.2% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.6% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 34.8% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.5% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.2% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 6.2% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.7% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.2% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 37.9% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 5.8% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.8% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13.6% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
6,362 jobs are based in Martin, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 13.7 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
About one in 3 of Martin’s working residents works in town. Only 1 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower average trip to work than Martin. The top destinations are Union City (12%), Dresden (7%) and Jackson (5%).
| Martin | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 14 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $43,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 7.4% | 9.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $1,020 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 5 have a higher FEMA risk score than Martin. Since 1980, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Martin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Against the 3,450 U.S. towns with household incomes like Martin’s, it is healthier than 69%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is healthier than 57% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
Martin beats the Tennessee average on 7 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 25% of adults report frequent mental distress in Martin. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Martin.
| Martin | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 20% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 29% | 23% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 16% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Martin | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.3% | 8.2% |
| Fewer adults with arthritis | 24.9% | 30.6% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 15.1% | 8.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Home values rose 41% in five years, to about $218K, against 23% across Tennessee.
The typical Martin home is worth about $218,000, up 5.6% in a year, 34% below the Tennessee typical home. Only 4 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower share of households owning their home than Martin.
| Martin | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $859 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Martin has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 25.7 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 54% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 254 to 158 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Martin
College town 28 of every 100 Martin residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Martin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Martin on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Martin.
City in Tennessee, United States
Martin is a city in Weakley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 10,825 according to the 2020 census. The city is the home of the University of Tennessee at Martin.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Martin grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #107 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($51,880 across the Martin, 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−.
6 notable people were born here, including Hayden White and Chad Clifton.
