Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,632, settled in 1866.
McKenzie gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $189K, 3.6 years of the county’s $52K median household income. It grades C+ overall, ranked 72nd of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $37K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 75% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. On the plus side, it is more walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. McKenzie's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 97% of U.S. towns. McKenzie is home to Bethel University. Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 3 have a lower median household income than McKenzie.
Where McKenzie beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| McKenzie Elementary | PK–4 | 552 |
| McKenzie Middle School | 5–8 | 378 |
| McKenzie High School | 9–12 | 366 |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Bethel University | 1,664 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far McKenzie is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,166 in 1890, 5,529 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1967 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in McKenzie, 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 McKenzie.
McKenzie fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and trades workers with Huntingdon and other neighbors.
64.2% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 48.8% across Tennessee.
At $663 a month, McKenzie’s median rent is below both Tennessee’s towns ($950 a month) and U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical McKenzie home is worth about $189,000, up 3.2% in a year, 43% below the Tennessee typical home. 60% of McKenzie households own their home.
| McKenzie | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $663 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 66% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the McKenzie school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is McKenzie High School, with 366 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McKenzie ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 552 | A |
| McKenzie High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 366 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,677 U.S. towns with household incomes like McKenzie’s, it is healthier than 80%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is healthier than 55% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
McKenzie beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 22% of adults report frequent mental distress in McKenzie, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 20% and U.S. towns at 17%. 76% of adults had a checkup this year in McKenzie.
| McKenzie | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 20% | 17% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 76% | 78% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | McKenzie | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults without reliable transportation | 10.4% | 8.9% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 82.5% | 86.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| McKenzie | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.3% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mulberry Park | 0.4 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
McKenzie has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in McKenzie is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
McKenzie has about as many jobs (1,926) as working residents, but only 451 people both live and work here. Jobs based here fell from 3,325 in 2013 to 1,926.
About one in 5 of McKenzie’s working residents works in town. McKenzie’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Since 2013, McKenzie has lost 1,399 jobs, to 1,926 in 2023.
| McKenzie | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 9.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 22.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 58% of Tennessee’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 105 to 61 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 McKenzie
About 14 of every 100 McKenzie residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 places in McKenzie on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in McKenzie.
City in Tennessee, United States
McKenzie is a city at the tripoint of Carroll, Henry, and Weakley counties in Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, McKenzie had a population of 5,529.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
McKenzie grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #72 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, C+ for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a C−.
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 Grailey Berryhill and Les Bingaman.
