Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Trenton gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $158K, 2.6 years of the Jackson metro’s $61K median household income. It grades C− overall, ranked 116th of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 92% of the country, and the median household income is $59K, and 30% of residents live below the poverty line. 30% of residents live below the poverty line in Trenton, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 14% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 17 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score lower on hazard risk. Trenton has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gibson County Courthouse (Additional Documentation) and Col. Robert Z. Taylor House.
Where Trenton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 694 in 1850, 4,240 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1861 and 2 maps from 1951 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Trenton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Trenton, 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 Trenton.
Trenton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Milan and beyond, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly earthquakes).
2,916 jobs are based in Trenton, 1.8 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 4 of Trenton’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Trenton grew to 2,916 in 2023, 480 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Trenton is 28 minutes.
| Trenton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 12% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $59,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Trenton school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Peabody High School, with 319 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trenton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 550 | B− |
| Peabody High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 319 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
16% of adults have diabetes in Trenton. Trenton beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14. 44% of adults have high blood pressure in Trenton.
| Trenton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 14% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 41% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 14% | 16% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Trenton | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22.7% | 14.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 23.4% | 16.2% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 12.5% | 9.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $158K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. At 2.6 years of the Jackson metro’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $158K) costs less against local pay than in 98% of Tennessee towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
42% of Trenton households own their home. The typical Trenton home is worth about $158,000, about the same as a year ago, 52% below the Tennessee typical home. Trenton’s median rent is $829 a month.
| Trenton | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 42% | 66% | 73% |
| Median rent | $829 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 97% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $1,577 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 84 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 12 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 84 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Trenton. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 6 have a higher FEMA risk score than Trenton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Trenton has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 29° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Trenton; the nearest are
About 8 of every 100 Trenton residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where Trenton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Trenton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Trenton.
City in Tennessee, United States
Trenton is the county seat and fourth largest city of Gibson County, Tennessee, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,240.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Trenton grades C− overall, better than 19% of U.S. towns and #116 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health and B− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
10 notable people were born here, including Peter Matthew Hillsman Taylor and Gene Hickerson.
