Most Dangerous & Safest Counties in Tennessee

Tennessee has 66 counties with crime data. The county with the highest homicide rate is Shelby County at 28.3 per 100K , while the safest is Williamson County at 1.9 per 100K .

18 of 66 counties (27%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100K. All rates are per 100,000 residents and come from County Health Rankings, which compiles data from the CDC, FBI, and other federal sources.

Metric

Most Dangerous Counties in Tennessee

Top 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
1 Shelby County 28.3 per 100K +253.6%
2 Hardeman County 16.9 per 100K +111.9%
3 Grundy County 13.8 per 100K +72.1%
4 Davidson County 13.7 per 100K +71.5%
5 Madison County 13.1 per 100K +63.7%
6 Lauderdale County 12.9 per 100K +60.7%
7 Haywood County 12.3 per 100K +53.3%
8 Cannon County 11.2 per 100K +40.5%
9 Fayette County 11.1 per 100K +38.3%
10 Gibson County 10.4 per 100K +29.6%

Safest Counties in Tennessee

Bottom 10 counties ranked by homicide rate.

# County Homicides
66 Williamson County 1.9 per 100K -76.9%
65 Hamblen County 2.9 per 100K -64.1%
64 Jefferson County 2.9 per 100K -63.9%
63 Anderson County 3.0 per 100K -63.0%
62 Sevier County 3.0 per 100K -61.9%
61 Putnam County 3.0 per 100K -61.9%
60 Wilson County 3.1 per 100K -61.7%
59 Blount County 3.2 per 100K -59.9%
58 Hawkins County 3.3 per 100K -59.3%
57 Loudon County 3.4 per 100K -57.3%

All 66 Counties Ranked

Every county in Tennessee ranked by homicide rate. Click any county for its full profile.

# County Homicides
1 Shelby County 28.3 per 100K +253.6%
2 Hardeman County 16.9 per 100K +111.9%
3 Grundy County 13.8 per 100K +72.1%
4 Davidson County 13.7 per 100K +71.5%
5 Madison County 13.1 per 100K +63.7%
6 Lauderdale County 12.9 per 100K +60.7%
7 Haywood County 12.3 per 100K +53.3%
8 Cannon County 11.2 per 100K +40.5%
9 Fayette County 11.1 per 100K +38.3%
10 Gibson County 10.4 per 100K +29.6%
11 Polk County 10.0 per 100K +25.2%
12 Dyer County 9.6 per 100K +20.5%
13 Hamilton County 9.5 per 100K +19.2%
14 Benton County 8.9 per 100K +10.9%
15 Montgomery County 8.9 per 100K +10.9%
16 Unicoi County 8.8 per 100K +10.0%
17 Weakley County 8.6 per 100K +7.3%
18 Union County 8.2 per 100K +2.5%
19 McMinn County 7.7 per 100K -3.5%
20 Knox County 7.0 per 100K -12.0%
21 Tipton County 6.7 per 100K -15.7%
22 Grainger County 6.7 per 100K -16.2%
23 Morgan County 6.6 per 100K -17.6%
24 Marion County 6.5 per 100K -19.3%
25 Franklin County 6.4 per 100K -20.0%
26 Cocke County 6.3 per 100K -20.6%
27 White County 6.3 per 100K -21.6%
28 Henry County 6.2 per 100K -22.6%
29 Lawrence County 6.2 per 100K -23.1%
30 Carroll County 6.1 per 100K -23.6%
31 Hardin County 6.0 per 100K -24.6%
32 Carter County 5.8 per 100K -27.1%
33 Campbell County 5.8 per 100K -28.0%
34 Hickman County 5.7 per 100K -28.4%
35 Rutherford County 5.7 per 100K -28.7%
36 Henderson County 5.6 per 100K -29.6%
37 Dickson County 5.6 per 100K -30.5%
38 McNairy County 5.5 per 100K -31.0%
39 Marshall County 5.4 per 100K -32.0%
40 Sullivan County 5.3 per 100K -33.5%
41 Maury County 5.3 per 100K -34.4%
42 Robertson County 5.0 per 100K -38.0%
43 Claiborne County 4.9 per 100K -38.5%
44 Bedford County 4.9 per 100K -38.9%
45 Giles County 4.8 per 100K -40.0%
46 Lincoln County 4.7 per 100K -41.8%
47 Sumner County 4.5 per 100K -43.1%
48 Warren County 4.5 per 100K -43.6%
49 Bradley County 4.5 per 100K -43.8%
50 Cumberland County 4.5 per 100K -44.1%
51 Washington County 4.3 per 100K -46.6%
52 Greene County 4.1 per 100K -48.6%
53 Coffee County 3.8 per 100K -52.9%
54 Roane County 3.7 per 100K -53.4%
55 Monroe County 3.7 per 100K -54.1%
56 Cheatham County 3.5 per 100K -56.3%
57 Loudon County 3.4 per 100K -57.3%
58 Hawkins County 3.3 per 100K -59.3%
59 Blount County 3.2 per 100K -59.9%
60 Wilson County 3.1 per 100K -61.7%
61 Putnam County 3.0 per 100K -61.9%
62 Sevier County 3.0 per 100K -61.9%
63 Anderson County 3.0 per 100K -63.0%
64 Jefferson County 2.9 per 100K -63.9%
65 Hamblen County 2.9 per 100K -64.1%
66 Williamson County 1.9 per 100K -76.9%

About This Data

All figures are estimates from the County Health Rankings & Roadmaps (CDC, FBI, NCHS), published by the U.S. Census Bureau. Values are subject to sampling variability and margin of error.

Rankings are within Tennessee only and may differ from national rankings. For more information, see our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most dangerous county in Tennessee?
The county with the highest homicide rate in Tennessee is Shelby County, at 28.3 per 100,000 residents. This is 254% above the national rate of 8 per 100K.
What is the safest county in Tennessee?
The county with the lowest homicide rate in Tennessee is Williamson County, at 1.9 per 100,000 residents.
How does Tennessee's crime rate compare to the national average?
18 of 66 counties in Tennessee (27%) have a homicide rate above the national average of 8 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Tennessee has the most firearm fatalities?
Shelby County has the highest firearm fatality rate in Tennessee at 36.3 per 100,000 residents.
Which county in Tennessee has the most drug overdose deaths?
Anderson County has the highest drug overdose death rate in Tennessee at 96.6 per 100,000 residents.