Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,421, settled in 1876.
Tusculum's standout: natural-hazard risk is low. Overall it grades A−, 7th among Tennessee's 175 graded towns. It is healthier than 77% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 80% of U.S. towns. 13% of residents are under 18 in Tusculum, where Tennessee’s towns sit at 22% and U.S. towns at 22%. Tusculum is home to Tusculum University. Among 134 Tennessee towns, just 7 have a lower violent crime rate than Tusculum.
Where Tusculum beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Tusculum | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 9.1% |
2,663 counted in 2010 and 3,298 in 2020; an estimated 3,421 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Tusculum is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 1,433 in 1960, 3,298 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 3 maps from 1936 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tusculum, 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 Tusculum.
Tusculum carries less natural-hazard risk than nearly all of Tennessee (mostly inland flooding), is shaped by its college students and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk lower than 100% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $172 per resident a year; that rating is what its A+ for hazard risk is built on.
Tusculum’s FEMA risk score is 2 of 100. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Tusculum since 2024.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Greene County school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Chuckey Doak High School, with 555 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doak ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 570 | B− |
| Chuckey Doak High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 555 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
26.9% of residents are enrolled in college, against 5.4% statewide, which pulls the median age down.
Adults 18 to 34 are 38% of residents (23% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 27% of residents (38% statewide). 39% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Tusculum. Tusculum has grown 3.8% since 2020, to 3,421 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Tusculum | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 33.9 years | 40 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 23% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±6.4 points. Across Tennessee, 50.9% of residents are women.
| Tusculum | TN | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.7% | 11.9% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 10.3% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 28.7% | 8.9% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9% | 13.8% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.6% | 12.8% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 12.4% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11.8% | 12.8% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13% | 10.3% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.3% | 6.7% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.2% | 10% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.8% | 31.2% | 26% |
| Some college | 18% | 19.9% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.7% | 7.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.8% | 19.4% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.5% | 11.7% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
Against the 10,571 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tusculum’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its A− isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Tennessee is utility shut-off threats: 5.2% of its 2,920 adults were threatened with a utility shut-off, against 9.1% statewide.
27% of Tusculum adults have high blood pressure. Among 176 Tennessee towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Tusculum. 30% of Tusculum adults have obesity.
| Tusculum | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 41% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 14% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 19% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Tusculum | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.2% | 9.1% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 8% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults getting cholesterol checked | 80.1% | 86.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Jobs based here fell from 543 in 2013 to 315. The average commute for its 983 working residents takes 19.7 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
Most working residents leave Tusculum for work: only 1% work in town. The average trip to work in Tusculum is 20 minutes. Since 2013, Tusculum has lost 228 jobs, to 315 in 2023.
| Tusculum | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 1% | 12% | 8% |
| Work from home | 5.1% | 9.6% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 27.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 79% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 87.4°.
Tusculum has chilly winters and warm summers. About 8 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Tusculum | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 87°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 28°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Tusculum's reported crime rate is well below Tennessee's. Among 134 Tennessee towns, just 10 have a lower property crime rate than Tusculum. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Tusculum home is worth about $319,000, up 0.8% in a year, close to the Tennessee typical home.
| Tusculum | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 88% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $841 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
0.1 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tusculum City Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Tusculum
College town 27 of every 100 Tusculum residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
3 places in Tusculum on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Tennessee, United States
Tusculum is a city in Greene County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,298 at the 2020 census. It is the site of Tusculum University, the oldest university in Tennessee and the 28th oldest in the United States. Tusculum is a suburb of nearby Greeneville. The population of both Greeneville and Tusculum combined was approximately 18,777 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Tusculum.
| Town | TN rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tusculum | #7 | A− | B− | — | B | A− |
| Greeneville | #102 | C− | B− | C− | A− | D |
Tusculum reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Tusculum with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Tusculum grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #7 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades A− for health and B for schools.
That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($56,194 across the Greeneville, TN area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
