Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waverly grades D overall, 139th among Tennessee's 175 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and health. The median household income is $44K, and 16% of residents live below the poverty line. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 94% of the country. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. Waverly’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both Tennessee’s towns (25 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 27 of Tennessee’s 292 towns score lower on hazard risk. Its National Register listings include Hurricane Mills Rural Historic District and Greyhound Half-Way House.
Where Waverly beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Tennessee), ordered by how far Waverly is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 174 in 1850, 4,297 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1870 and 4 maps from 1936 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waverly, 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 Waverly.
Waverly fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Tennessee (mostly inland flooding).
Against the 3,606 U.S. towns with household incomes like Waverly’s, it is less healthy than 76%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults smoke cigarettes in Waverly. Waverly beats the Tennessee average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 18% of adults report frequent physical distress in Waverly.
| Waverly | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 41% | 35% |
| What stands out | Waverly | TN |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 20.1% | 14.6% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.4% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.9% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Humphreys County school district. Its three schools are below. The largest public high school is Waverly Central High School, with 439 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waverly Jr High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 443 | C |
| Waverly Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 439 | C+ |
| Waverly ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 414 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of Tennessee towns, with expected losses of about $1,045 per resident a year; that rating is what its C− for hazard risk is built on. 217 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 41 properties have flooded more than once.
Waverly’s FEMA risk score is 78 of 100. Since 1984, 217 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waverly.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The typical Waverly home is worth about $240,000, up 6.2% in a year, 27% below the Tennessee typical home. The median rent in Waverly is $916 a month.
| Waverly | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $916 a month | $950 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 65% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Waverly has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 89°, January nights drop to 28° and about 3 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Waverly has about as many jobs (1,656) as working residents, but only 249 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 37.6 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
Most working residents leave Waverly for work: only 18% work in town. Since 2013, Waverly has added 290 jobs, to 1,656 in 2023. The top destinations are Dickson (11%), Nashville (7%) and Jackson (5%).
| Waverly | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $61,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 12% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 14 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 80% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
Only 8 of the 134 Tennessee towns we compare have a lower property crime rate than Waverly.
| Waverly | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Asbury Park, at 20 acres.
| Waverly | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 1.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Asbury Park | — | 20 |
| 2. Missionary Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Waverly; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Waverly residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Tennessee.
4 places in Waverly on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Waverly.
City in Tennessee, United States
Waverly is a city in and the county seat of Humphreys County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 4,297 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waverly grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #139 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades D for health, B for safety and C− for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($60,616 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 B.
3 notable people were born here, including George Morgan and Murray Bowen.
