Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Savannah earns a D−, 169th among Tennessee's 175 graded towns, mostly because of health and safety. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 96% of the country. It reports more crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns, including 40 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also has a long history, with 4 places on the National Register. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Savannah, above both Tennessee’s towns (14%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Cherry Mansion and Savannah Historic District. The median household income is $40K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line.
Where Savannah beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 466 in 1850, a low of 328 in 1870, 7,213 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and a map from 1986 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Savannah is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Savannah, 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 Savannah.
Savannah draws workers from Olivet and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it has poverty well above the Tennessee rate.
Against the 2,301 U.S. towns with household incomes like Savannah’s, it is less healthy than 77%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
Savannah: 18% of adults have diabetes. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 10 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Savannah. On the CDC’s 31 measures, Savannah is ahead of Tennessee on 1 and behind on 16.
| Savannah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 19% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 14% | 12% |
| What stands out | Savannah | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 79.4% | 76.2% |
| More adults with COPD | 13.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The public schools here belong to the Hardin County school district. The largest public high school is Hardin County High School, with 951 students. Below: Two of its 5 schools, each with why it was picked.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardin County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 643 | B− |
| Hardin County High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 951 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
4,131 jobs are based in Savannah, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Half the trips to work are shorter than 12 miles. The share of working residents in Savannah who work locally: 33%. Also worth knowing: only 9 of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower middle household income than Savannah. The top destinations are Jackson (6%), Memphis (5%) and Nashville (4%).
| Savannah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 12% | 8% |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes fell from 333 to 164 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Savannah’s violent crime rate is 5.3 per 1,000 residents. Its rate of thefts and burglaries is 16.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Savannah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.3 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
For Savannah, the going rate for rent is $758 a month. Typical home values rose 2.3% in the year to September 2026. Just over half of households are owner-occupiers here.
| Savannah | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 51% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $758 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The typical July afternoon high in Savannah is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Federal disaster aid has reached households in Savannah after 8 declared disasters, most recently in 2026. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 52% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects here, 33% come from earthquakes and 24% from cold waves.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The biggest park or preserve is Savannah City Park, at 35 acres. Count the trails in 4 parks and preserves and they come to 0.2 miles. Parks and preserves here: 4, covering 53 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Savannah City Park | — | 35 |
| 2. Wayne Jerrolds River Park | 0.1 mi | 12 |
| 3. Tennessee Street Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Savannah; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Savannah residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
Where Savannah’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 notable people were born in Savannah.
City in Tennessee, United States
Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,213 at the 2020 census. Savannah is located along the east side of the Tennessee River. Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996 to 2007, and is home to several places of historical significance, including the Cherry Family Mansion.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Savannah.
Olivet has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Olivet reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Savannah with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Savannah grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #169 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D− for health, D for safety and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($49,956 across the county).
5 notable people were born here, including Elizabeth Patterson and Hank DeBerry.
