Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Ripley earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of health and safety. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. Its crime rate is higher than 98% of U.S. towns, with 110 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 6 places on the National Register. 31% of residents live below the poverty line in Ripley, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 16 of Tennessee’s 291 towns score lower on incomes. Ripley's public schools trail 93% of Tennessee towns on state tests and graduation.
Where Ripley beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Lauderdale County Courthouse| Widest gap | Ripley | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.9% | 14.6% |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Ripley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 532 in 1870, a low of 353 in 1880, 7,800 in 2020. The archive holds 8 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 2 maps from 1972 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ripley, 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 Ripley.
Ripley has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Tennessee rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly earthquakes).
34% of adults say their health is fair or poor in Ripley. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Ripley. 19% of adults report frequent physical distress in Ripley.
| Ripley | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 34% | 24% | 19% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 50% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 14% | 12% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 38% | 36% |
| What stands out | Ripley | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.7% | 14.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.9% | 8.2% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 28.9% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Lauderdale County school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ripley High School, with 614 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 589 | – |
| Ripley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 614 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 14.7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Tennessee rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−.
The violent crime rate in Ripley is 14.7 per 1,000 residents. Ripley reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less. The property crime rate in Ripley is 17.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Ripley | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 17.1 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.9 years of the county’s $50K median household income, the typical home (about $147K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Ripley home is worth about $147,000, up 15.7% in a year, 56% below the Tennessee typical home. 45% of Ripley households own their home.
| Ripley | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $800 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $915 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on.
Ripley’s FEMA risk score is 77 of 100. Since 1978, 11 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ripley.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ripley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 31° and about 2 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
About one in 4 of Ripley’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Ripley grew to 4,238 in 2023, 661 more than in 2013. Only 4 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower median household income than Ripley.
| Ripley | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $37,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1.6 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. Ripley Park, at 51 acres with 1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Ripley | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.2% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ripley Park | 1 mi | 51 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Ripley; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Ripley residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
13 notable people were born in Ripley.
City in Tennessee, United States
Ripley is a city in Lauderdale County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ripley had a population of 7,800. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Ripley.
Henning isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Ripley with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ripley grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.9 years of the area's median household income ($49,879 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 C+.
13 notable people were born here, including Sleepy John Estes and Peetie Wheatstraw.