Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,162, settled in 1893.
The best of Parsons’ subject grades are a B+ for schools and a B for cost of living; the weakest is a D− for health. 25% of residents live below the poverty line in Parsons, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 12 of Tennessee’s 291 towns do worse. The median household income is $36K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. Parsons's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 85% of U.S. towns. Parsons has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Parsons beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Parsons Elementary | PK–4 | 365 |
| Widest gap | Parsons | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.4% | 14.6% |
2,373 counted in 2010 and 2,100 in 2020; an estimated 2,162 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Parsons is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 429 in 1920, 2,100 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 3 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Parsons, 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 Parsons.
21% of Parsons adults report frequent physical distress, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 16% and U.S. towns at 14%. 33% of Parsons adults say their health is fair or poor. Parsons beats the Tennessee average on 2 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| Parsons | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 24% | 19% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Parsons | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11.7% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 76.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 29.4% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Decatur County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parsons ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 365 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Only 3 of the 178 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower median household income than Parsons. 24% of working residents work locally in Parsons. Jobs based in Parsons fell to 2,192 in 2023, 189 fewer than in 2013.
| Parsons | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $36,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The typical Parsons home is worth about $168,000, up 5.9% in a year, 49% below the Tennessee typical home. Parsons’ median rent is $738 a month.
| Parsons | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $738 a month | $947 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
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Parsons has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Parsons is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 61% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Parsons; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Parsons residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Parsons’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Tennessee, United States
Parsons is a city in Decatur County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Parsons had a population of 2,100. Parsons is the largest city by population in Decatur County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 3.7 years of the area's median household income ($45,375 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
2 notable people were born here, including Calvin Garrett and Little David Wilkins.