Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mount Pleasant earns a D, ranked 148th of 175 in Tennessee, mostly because of health and schools. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 86% of the country. Its schools rank behind 85% of the state's. In its favor, a typical home costs about $277K, 3.2 years of the Nashville metro’s $85K median household income. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Mount Pleasant, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. On history, just 13 of Tennessee’s 292 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 79% of U.S. towns.
Where Mount Pleasant beats most towns.
Rattle and Snap is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 466 in 1890, 4,784 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1819 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Mount Pleasant is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mount Pleasant, 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 Mount Pleasant.
Mount Pleasant trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 5,839 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mount Pleasant’s, it is less healthy than 66%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Tennessee it is less healthy than 58% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
42% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 21% of adults report frequent mental distress in Mount Pleasant.
| Mount Pleasant | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 38% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 14% |
| What stands out | Mount Pleasant | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.5% | 16.2% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 4.2% | 3.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Maury County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mt Pleasant High School, with 374 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| J E Woody ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 544 | B+ |
| Mt Pleasant High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 374 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
At 28.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 54% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
The violent crime rate in Mount Pleasant is 4.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Mount Pleasant | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.4 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Mount Pleasant has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Mount Pleasant’s July high is 89°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mount Pleasant has about as many jobs (1,838) as working residents, but only 206 people both live and work here. Jobs based here grew from 1,383 in 2013 to 1,838.
Most working residents leave Mount Pleasant for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Mount Pleasant grew to 1,838 in 2023, 455 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Columbia (27%), Nashville (14%) and Franklin (6%).
| Mount Pleasant | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $50,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $277K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles.
The typical Mount Pleasant home is worth about $277,000, up 0.7% in a year, 16% below the Tennessee typical home. 62% of Mount Pleasant households own their home.
| Mount Pleasant | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 62% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $839 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mount Pleasant.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Mount Pleasant | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.2% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Pleasant Little League Park | 0.1 mi | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Mount Pleasant
About 5 of every 100 Mount Pleasant residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
8 places in Mount Pleasant on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Mount Pleasant.
City in Tennessee, United States
Mount Pleasant is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. Mount Pleasant was the birthplace of 19th-century writer and humorist Samuel R. Watkins and formerly titled "The Phosphate Capital of the World." The population was 4,561 at the 2010 census, and 4,784 in 2020.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mount Pleasant grades D overall, better than 8% of U.S. towns and #148 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, C for safety and C− 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 A−.
3 notable people were born here, including Samuel D. Woods and Bill Kindle.
