Memphis Travel Risk — Moderate Risk (33/100)
Is Memphis safe to visit?
Moderate risk. Mostly safe. There are a few specific situations to watch for in Memphis — read the breakdown below.
Political instability (score 10)
Crime (score 58)
September 1, 2026
50%
Memphis, United States has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 33 out of 100 (moderate risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is crime at 58/100; the lowest-rated category is political instability at 10/100; last updated September 1, 2026. This page is a baseline travel safety overview for Memphis, United States, covering crime, health, government travel advisory, political stability, natural disasters, transport, environmental quality, digital security, and money safety. Real-time conditions — including today's weather, official US State Department advisory, GDACS disaster alerts, CDC health notices, and recent news headlines — are shown in the Live conditions section below and refreshed multiple times per day.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Memphis to visit in 2026?
Memphis currently sits at 33/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the moderate-risk tier. Most travelers will be fine with normal precautions, but a few categories below score high enough that planning matters. The highest-rated risk category for Memphis is crime (58/100), and the lowest is political instability (10/100). This page was last updated on September 1, 2026; the baseline category scores are editorial estimates, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Aug 31, 2026
As of today, Memphis carries a moderate overall safety rating, with a baseline composite score of 33 out of 100. While a green forest fire alert is active somewhere in the United States and the CDC has issued a Level 1 global dengue notice, the most immediate local concern is a recent autopsy report that a National Guard member fatally shot a Memphis man from behind.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Sep 1, 2026 00:49 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Crime (score 58/100): Use registered taxis or ride-share apps. Keep electronics out of sight in public transit. Read recent reviews for your specific neighborhood.
- Transport safety (score 40/100): Use the safest available transit. For high-risk routes, prefer reputable carriers and avoid late-night driving.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Safety by traveler type in Memphis
Computed from the category scores on this page plus general best practice — not personalized advice. For guidance tuned to your exact dates, transport, and profile, run a personalized assessment.
Solo travelers
Crime risk is elevated. Solo travelers should avoid quiet areas at night, keep a charged phone and offline map, and share a live location with someone.
Women traveling solo
General crime risk is elevated. Plan arrivals in daylight, avoid isolated areas, and prefer accommodation with 24h reception. We don't hold gender-specific incident data for Memphis, so also check the live official advisory above and local women-traveler communities.
Families with children
Health/disaster risk is moderate. Check required vaccinations, note the nearest hospital on arrival, and review any seasonal hazard for your dates.
Senior travelers
Health/transport risk is moderate. Confirm travel-medical cover, pace transfers, and keep medication and a medical summary in your carry-on.
Business travelers
Digital/money risk is moderate. Use a VPN on public Wi-Fi, prefer contactless or one dedicated card, and keep a backup payment method separate.
LGBTQ+ travelers
Local laws and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ travelers vary widely by country and are not captured in our category scores. The official advisory and political indicators for Memphis are currently low — still, check country-specific legal guidance before you travel.
Baseline scores
Source: AI-enriched 2026-08-31 (Ollama-grounded + Jina full text, cited; pending editorial verification) · Confidence: 50
Quick facts
| Hospital access | high |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | medium |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | medium |
| Last updated | September 1, 2026 |
Live conditions in Memphis
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
No current US State Department advisory entry matched United States in the latest feed. Check the official advisory directory before travel.
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
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Green notification for tropical cyclone FIVE-26. Population affected by Category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher is 0 (0 in Tropical Storm). GREEN · country-wide · 2026-08-31
From 31/08/2026 to 31/08/2026, a Tropical Depression (maximum wind speed of 93 km/h) FIVE-26 was active in Atlantic. The cyclone affects these countries: United States (vulnerability Low). Estimated population affected by category 1 (120 km/h) wind speeds or higher is 0 (0 in tro
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Green forest fire notification in United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-08-30
On 19/08/2026, a forest fire started in United States, until 30/08/2026.
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Green forest fire notification in United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-08-29
On 26/08/2026, a forest fire started in United States, until 29/08/2026.
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Green forest fire notification in United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-08-29
On 26/08/2026, a forest fire started in United States, until 31/08/2026.
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Green forest fire notification in United States GREEN · country-wide · 2026-08-28
On 22/08/2026, a forest fire started in United States, until 29/08/2026.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-09-01 00:49:38 UTC
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-07-30
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Samoa, Vietnam, New Caledonia (France), Maldives, Bolivia, Tonga, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia,
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-03-09
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-08-31 15:03:16 UTC
Recent headlines
No recent news headlines were returned for Memphis. This is not evidence that conditions are quiet; check local and official sources.
Emergency numbers (United States)
| Police | 911 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | 911 |
| Fire | 911 |
| General | 911 |
Medical access
| Hospital access | low |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | low |
| Emergency response | low |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | low |
The sources consulted do not provide specific details about hospitals, emergency services, or pharmacy availability in Memphis. Travelers should research local medical facilities and emergency numbers before their trip.
Common scam patterns
- Drink spiking at Beale Street bars. Individuals add substances to unattended drinks on Beale Street, especially on busy Friday and Saturday nights. Victims may lose memory of the incident and have valuables stolen. Tip: Never leave your drink unattended and watch it being prepared or served.
- Short‑term rental listing fraud near Beale Street. Fraudulent vacation‑rental ads claim proximity to Beale Street, collect deposits, and then disappear or provide a non‑existent property. Travelers often learn of the fraud only after arriving at the fake address. Tip: Book only through platforms with verified host programs and avoid off‑platform payments.
- Fake Graceland ticket resellers. Scammers sell counterfeit or invalid tickets for Graceland tours, often at inflated prices. Visitors discover the tickets are fake only when they arrive at the attraction. Tip: Buy tickets only from the official Graceland website or authorized ticket vendors.
Area notes
- Downtown Memphis. High tourist activity but also higher crime rates; stay alert, especially at night.
- Midtown Memphis. Popular residential district with lower crime and many accommodation options.
- Beale Street. Core nightlife and music hub; dense crowds make it a target for scams and petty theft.
Frequently asked questions
Is Memphis safe to visit right now?
Mostly safe. There are a few specific situations to watch for in Memphis — read the breakdown below. Composite score: 33/100 (Moderate risk). Crime category sits at 58/100; theft and pickpocketing in tourist areas are significant — keep documents and electronics secured. Last refreshed September 2026.
What is the current travel advisory for Memphis, United States?
The current US State Department advisory level for United States is shown in the Live conditions section above. Always cross-check your home country's foreign-ministry advisory — for many countries the tier differs from the US assessment. Real-time advisory text is fetched every 6 hours from the US State Department RSS feed.
How safe is Memphis for tourists?
Mostly safe. There are a few specific situations to watch for in Memphis — read the breakdown below. The biggest risk factor right now is Crime (58/100). Travelers should specifically prepare for this area before arrival.
What is the biggest risk in Memphis?
The highest-scoring risk category is Crime (score 58/100). Travelers should specifically prepare for this area before arrival. Full 9-category breakdown is in the Scores section of this page.
Is it safe to visit Memphis in September 2026?
For September 2026, the composite risk for Memphis is 33/100 (Moderate risk). Live weather, disaster alerts, and news shown in the Live conditions section above are refreshed every 30 minutes to 6 hours depending on the source. For an AI-synthesized briefing for your specific trip dates and traveler profile, use the Travel Risk Calculator linked at the top of this page.
How are these travel risk scores calculated?
Each category is scored 0-100 based on government travel advisories (US State Dept), crime indices (Numbeo), Global Peace Index data, WHO/CDC health context, and curated regional knowledge. The composite is a weighted sum — see /methodology for the full weight breakdown. Live data (weather, advisories, news) is layered on top of every assessment.
How often is this page updated?
This page is updated daily: live weather, official advisories, disaster alerts, health notices and news refresh automatically multiple times per day, and an AI safety snapshot is regenerated on the first visit each day. The baseline category scores are editorial estimates reviewed periodically (see the Transparency & Sources section below).
Is this a substitute for an official travel advisory?
No. Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated risk information for planning purposes only. Always check your home country's official travel advisory and any health notices from your national health authority before traveling.
Run a personalized assessment for Memphis
Get a tailored briefing in ~15 seconds, with live weather, advisories, and recent news.
Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 31, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Auto-enrichment from Ollama-grounded AI (https://kakapo.travel/blog/city/is-memphis-united-states-safe | https://beforeyougotravels.com/destinations/memphis/is-it-safe | https://www.travelsafe-abroad.com/united-states/mem) AI-enriched 2026-08-31 (Ollama-grounded + Jina full text, cited; pending editorial verification) |
50% |
Every editorial change to Memphis's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
Transparency & Sources
We try to be honest about what we know, what we estimated, and what we don't have. Below is the audit trail for this page.
Review status
needs_review
Last reviewed
2026-08-31 02:40:08
Data confidence
50%
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Memphis
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
What is estimated
- Composite tier and category scores are an editorial baseline estimate, not a real-time measurement.
- This city has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Treat the scores as preliminary until "reviewed" status appears.
What is unavailable
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
Methodology · Data review process · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.