Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Tennessee.
White Bluff gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $341K for a typical one, or 4 years of the Nashville metro’s $85K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 45th of 175 in Tennessee. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 81% of the country. White Bluff’s average trip to work is 37 minutes, against 25 minutes in Tennessee’s towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Farmers and Merchants Bank Building is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Where White Bluff beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| White Bluff Elementary | PK–5 | 479 |
| W James Middle School | 6–8 | 239 |
Farmers and Merchants Bank Building3,206 counted in 2010 and 3,862 in 2020; an estimated 4,516 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 16.9% since 2020, after 20.5% in the decade before.
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 White Bluff is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 419 in 1910, 3,862 in 2020. The archive holds 1 old photo or paper going back to 1904 and 3 maps from 1930 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in White Bluff, 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 White Bluff.
White Bluff trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, fares better on crime within Tennessee than nationally and looks healthier within Tennessee than nationally.
Within Tennessee it is healthier than 51% of the 176 graded towns: much of Tennessee scores lower on these measures.
31% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in White Bluff. White Bluff beats the Tennessee average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 21% of adults report frequent mental distress in White Bluff.
| White Bluff | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 29% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 20% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 75% | 78% | 79% |
| What stands out | White Bluff | TN |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 12.3% | 16.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 10.1% | 13.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 22% | 14.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Dickson County school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Bluff ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 479 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within TN on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 1,848 working residents takes 36.8 minutes, against 25.7 across Tennessee.
Most working residents leave White Bluff for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, White Bluff has added 134 jobs, to 796 in 2023. The top destinations are Nashville (38%), Dickson (12%) and Franklin (4%).
| White Bluff | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 12% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 10% | 14% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $69,000 | $60,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
January nights average 27.7°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 79% of Tennessee places with climate records; July afternoons average 88.5°.
White Bluff has chilly winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| White Bluff | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 89°F | 89°F | 85°F |
| January low | 28°F | 29°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Homes are within reach (about $341K for the typical one, B+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 24 miles.
77% of White Bluff households own their home.
| White Bluff | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 77% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $954 a month | $944 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 19.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 66% of Tennessee’s graded towns.
White Bluff’s property crime rate is 4.2 per 1,000 residents.
| White Bluff | Tennessee towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.2 per 1,000 residents | 11.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.6 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Just 1 of its 4,073 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in White Bluff itself; its outdoors grade is D−.
0.2 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Montgomery Bell State Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of White Bluff; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 White Bluff residents are enrolled in college, against 5 across Tennessee.
Where White Bluff’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Tennessee, United States
White Bluff is a town in Dickson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 3,862 at the 2020 census and 3,206 at the 2010 census. The community name derives from the White Bluff Iron Forge.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
White Bluff grades B− overall, better than 50% of U.S. towns and #45 of 175 in Tennessee. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the 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+.