What Are Middle Tennessee’s ‘Super’ Zip Codes?

37215, which includes Green Hills and Forest Hills, has a medium income of just over $90,000, and it tops Middle Tennessee in education, with 73% having a college degree. Image: Wikimedia Commons

There’s an interactive map of the US on the Washington Post’s website that gives each zip code in America a score from 0-99, based on 2 factors: education and income.

The accompanying article analyzes the clustering of “Super Zips” around the Washington, DC suburbs. A Super Zip — as defined by author Charles Murray — has a median household income of $120,000, and 7 out of 10 adults have college degrees.

Though Middle Tennessee doesn’t have any Super Zips, by that strict definition, we have a few that are very close, and certainly on par in education. 73% of 37215 residents, which includes Green Hills and Forest Hills, are college grads. Franklin’s 37069 tops the area median household income list at $114,374, followed closely by 37027 of Brentwood’s $113,696.

Taking in all of Middle Tennessee on the color coded map, it’s striking to see the education and income clustering south and southwest of downtown Nashville. Both measures drop dramatically outside the cluster.

69% of 37205 residents have college degrees, but in its neighboring zip to the north, 37209, that percentage drops to 31% and median income drops by half.

As Middle Tennessee grows and changes, do you see income and education becoming more clustered or less? Share your thoughts in the comments.

You can play with the map here.