Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 2,936, settled in 1870.
Sewanee grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 86% of the country and it has 21 miles of trail. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $440K, 6.9 years of the Winchester area’s $63K median household income. Sewanee is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Tennessee’s towns. 78% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sewanee, against 23% in Tennessee’s towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare, none has a lower median age than Sewanee. Sewanee is home to The University of the South.
Where Sewanee beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Sewanee | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 5% | 13.6% |
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| The University of the South | 1,693 |
6.5% of the town is conserved land, across 3 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Sewanee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 2,361 in 2000, 2,535 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1936 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Sewanee is unincorporated, so Franklin County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Sewanee.
Sewanee is shaped by its college students and has less diabetes than most of Tennessee, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Tennessee.
Its public schools are run by the Franklin County school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sewanee ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 145 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
Its A− for the outdoors ranks #5 of 177 in Tennessee.
The trail density in Sewanee is 5.3 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Abbo's Alley, 26 acres with 1.1 miles of trail. Sewanee’s conserved land covers 6.5% of the town.
| Sewanee | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 5.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.5% | 1.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Abbo's Alley | 1.1 mi | 26 |
| 2. Manigault Park | — | 3 |
| 3. Elliott Park | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Tennessee is diabetes: 5% of its 2,368 adults have diabetes, against 13.6% statewide. Against the 3,930 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sewanee’s, it is healthier than 53%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
25% of adults have obesity in Sewanee. Of the 176 Tennessee towns we compare, none has a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Sewanee. 20% of adults have high blood pressure in Sewanee.
| Sewanee | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 39% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5% | 14% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 20% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.4% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sewanee | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 5% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 1.4% | 3.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.2% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 6.9 years of the Winchester area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $440K) costs more against local pay than in 92% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its C− for cost of living.
81% of Sewanee households own their home. The typical Sewanee home is worth about $440,000, up 3.3% in a year, 33% above the Tennessee typical home.
| Sewanee | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 81% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,173 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 68% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sewanee has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Sewanee’s July high is 84°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 755 working residents takes 10.3 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
About one in 3 of Sewanee’s working residents works in town. Of the 177 Tennessee towns we compare, none has a lower average trip to work than Sewanee. Since 2013, Sewanee has lost 113 jobs, to 921 in 2023.
| Sewanee | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 10 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $136,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 31% | 12% | 8% |
| Work from home | 13% | 9.5% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sewanee
College town 68 of every 100 Sewanee residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
6 notable people were born in Sewanee.
CDP in Tennessee, United States
Sewanee () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 2,535 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Winchester, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area. Sewanee is best known as the home of The University of the South, commonly known as "Sewanee".
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sewanee grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns. Sewanee is a college campus (most residents are students), so it isn’t ranked among Tennessee’s towns. It grades A for health and C− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
6 notable people were born here, including John Calhoun Bell and Harriette Kershaw Leiding.