Floods - Mississippi River Flood, 1927
Ridgely’s story
139 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1927.
- 1887Ridgely is settled
RidgelyTN
A town of 1,616, settled in 1887.
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 4.0
Population
1,616
2025 Census estimate · −4.3% since 2020
Typical home
$116K
−3.8% in a year
Household income
$24K
median
Median age
35.8
years
Jobs based here
148
A commuter town
Is Ridgely a good place to live?
Ridgely’s weakest subject grade is a D− for incomes. 44% of residents live below the poverty line in Ridgely, against 14% in Tennessee’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. No town in Tennessee scores lower than Ridgely on health. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with earthquakes at the top. Ridgely's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Ridgely has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
A commuter town
92% of working residents leave Ridgely for work
Where Ridgely’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
148jobs based in Ridgely
8%of working residents work in town
17 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Ridgely grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Ridgely is from typical.
Jobs & incomeD−Open →HealthNear the bottom of U.S. towns on CDC estimates; Pemiscot County Memorial Hospital 14.6 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listD−Open →SchoolsDOpen →Cost of livingTypical home $116K, 4 years of the county’s $29K median household incomeBOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.4 of 20; 25% of households have no car; 2.8% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Outdoors0 miles of trailsDOpen →History1 notable person born hereC−Open →Civic life2 library visits per resident; 0.6 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsDOpen →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 35.8; 12% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Ridgely: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ridgely, and how to reach them.
PowerGibson Electric Members13.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRidgely Water System1 health-based violation in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet3 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpNot on file yetWe don’t have Ridgely’s trash rules yet
Register to voteOnlineIn Tennessee you can register online until 30 days before Election Day, in person until 30 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLake County Election CommissionLake County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2025
ZIP code3808038080 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Ridgely.
HealthD−
More of Ridgely’s adults say their health is fair or poor than in the typical Tennessee or U.S. town
38% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Ridgely, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 19%. 23% of Ridgely adults report frequent physical distress. Among 177 Tennessee towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Ridgely.
1%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Ridgely | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 24% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 19% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Tennessee
2 better6 too close to call23 worse
| What stands out | Ridgely | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 11% | 14.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 80.5% | 76.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 16.8% | 8.6% |
Pemiscot County Memorial Hospital
14.6 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsD
Ridgely’s public schools trail 91% of Tennessee districts
Its public schools are run by the Lake County school district. Its one school is below.
9%of TN districts it outscoresDSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lara Kendall ElementaryLargest public middle schoolGrades 3–8 | Grades 3–8 | 326 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
HousingCost of living grade B
Ridgely stands out in Tennessee and nationally: a smaller share of its households own their home
42% of households own their home in Ridgely. Only 2 of the 175 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower median rent than Ridgely. The typical Ridgely home is worth about $116,000, down 3.8% in a year, 65% below the Tennessee typical home.
$116KZillow home value
| Ridgely | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $560 a month | $947 a month | $1,185 a month |
Typical home value
Ridgely$116K
Tennessee$331K
−3.8%
value change, 1 year
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Ridgely faces a very high natural-hazard risk, led by earthquakes
Of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare, none has a higher FEMA risk score than Ridgely. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ridgely since 2011.
93risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesCold wavesTornadoes
1
paid flood claims since 2011
5
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D−
With 0.2 jobs for every working resident, most of Ridgely’s workers commute out
Most working residents leave Ridgely for work: only 8% work in town. Ridgely’s median household income is $24,000. Jobs based in Ridgely fell to 148 in 2023, 145 fewer than in 2013.
8%work in town
| Ridgely | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $24,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 8% | 12% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In Ridgely8%
Dyersburg18%
Tiptonville18%
Union City5%
Memphis5%
17 mi
median commute distance
148
jobs based in Ridgely
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 50% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Ridgely, expect four seasons and hot summers
Ridgely has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Ridgely is 90°F.
7″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter31–48°
Spring49–70°
Summer68–88°
Fall49–71°
Nov 9
typical first frost
Mar 24
typical last frost
+0.6°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Safety
Crime reported in Ridgely
Ridgely's reported crime rate is well below Tennessee's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2023.
| Ridgely | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 1.2 per 1,000 residents | 3.3 | 1.8 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 8.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.3 | 13.1 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Ridgely1.2
Tennessee6.5
U.S.3.9
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Ridgely8.4
Tennessee24
U.S.19.5
2
violent crimes reported in 2023
14
property crimes reported in 2023
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
0%conserved
0%
conserved · 0 of 1,265 acres
0.1 mi
of trails · 0.1 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ridgely Veteran's Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Ridgely
20pages on Ridgely
The big questions
SchoolsDBehind 91% of TN districts · 1 schoolSafety1.2 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2023)HealthD−Better than TN on 2 of 31 CDC measuresCost of livingB$116K typical home · down 3.8% in a yearWork & commuteD−$24K median household income · 148 jobs hereNatural hazardsD−FEMA risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities · earthquakes
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Ridgely; the nearest are
Dyersburg State Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Dyersburg15.7 mi$4,758 in-state tuitionThe University of Tennessee-MartinUniversity or college · Public · Martin34.7 mi$10,560 in-state tuition
About 2 of every 100 Ridgely residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
About Ridgely
Town in Tennessee, United States
Ridgely is a town in Lake County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ridgely had a population of 1,690.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 1.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 282 ft
- ZIP code
- 38080
- Area code
- 731
Questions about Ridgely
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Ridgely, TN expensive?
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.