Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety1#15,550/15,637
Economy1#15,478/15,631
Housing35#9,810/14,977
Health6#14,722/15,609
Healthcare23#12,121/15,650
Environment8#14,162/15,453
Education4#14,987/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,867/15,650
Community8#14,475/15,651
Leisure & amenities39#9,601/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Clarksdale, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Coahoma County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

New business applications · high21.6 /1k
93/100Mississippi 17.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauCoahoma County value
Mental health providers · high597 /100k
93/100Mississippi 243 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCoahoma County value
Average commute time · low17.9 min
91/100Mississippi 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Pharmacies · high2.5 /10k
90/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCoahoma County value
Depression · low18.7%
88/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Home price to income ratio · low2.3×
85/100Mississippi 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077

Weaknesses

Life expectancy · low65.3 yrs
0/100Mississippi 72.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCoahoma County value
Child poverty rate · high55.3%
0/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Poverty rate · high40.3%
0/100Mississippi 17.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Firearm deaths · high69.7 /100k
0/100Mississippi 25.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCoahoma County value
Homicide rate · high59.8 /100k
0/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCoahoma County value
Primary care shortage · high23.0
0/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationCoahoma County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationFalling
15,734 (2015-2019) → 14,231 (2020-2024)
−9.6%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
63.4% (2015-2019) → 79.4% (2020-2024)
+16 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
35.7% (2015-2019) → 40.3% (2020-2024)
+4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Unemployment rateImproving
14.9% (2015-2019) → 10.8% (2020-2024)
−4.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$30,223 (2015-2019) → $36,382 (2020-2024)
+20%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
52.6% (2015-2019) → 55.3% (2020-2024)
+2.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Clarksdale, Mississippi improved on 3 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 11 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Inequality−0.0580.522 → 0.464
Broadband+16 points63.4% → 79.4%
Household income+20%$30,223 → $36,382

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Clarksdale, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.6 min2015-2019	17.9 min2020-2024	−0.8 min	Within the margin of error	57%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.9%2015-2019	19.4%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Broadband subscriptions	63.4%2015-2019	79.4%2020-2024	+16 points	Improved	82%
Child poverty rate	52.6%2015-2019	55.3%2020-2024	+2.8 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Effective property tax rate	0.60%2015-2019	1.00%2020-2024	+0.4 points	Within the margin of error	1%
High school diploma or higher	82.6%2015-2019	81.5%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	22%
Home price to income ratio	2.2×2015-2019	2.3×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5222015-2019	0.4642020-2024	−0.058	Improved	87%
Median household income	$30,2232015-2019	$36,3822020-2024	+20%	Improved	34%
Poverty rate	35.7%2015-2019	40.3%2020-2024	+4.6 points	Within the margin of error	14%
Rent as share of income	31.4%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	50%
Rent-burdened households	53.4%2015-2019	54.4%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	52%
Unemployment rate	14.9%2015-2019	10.8%2020-2024	−4.2 points	Within the margin of error	94%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.6%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	29%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Clarksdale, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Clarksdale, Mississippi in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Clarksdale, Mississippi itself moved −2.1 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

14,231 residents (±18)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 70–79 women (+1.5 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

14,231 residents (±18)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White13%1,908
Black81%11,507
Hispanic or Latino3.8%540

Education

8,963 residents (±228)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma18%1,656
High school or GED25%2,285
Some college23%2,020

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,873 households (±221)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k35%2,077
$25k–50k31%1,807
$50k–75k14%844
$75k–100k8.8%†518
$100k–150k6.6%†387
$150k–200k1.8%†108
$200k or more2.2%†132

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−10.1 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,873 households (±221)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own46%2,695
Rent54%3,178

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

3,035 households (±267)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75046%1,390
$750–1,00033%1,002
$1,000–1,50021%†629

Home values

2,695 homes (±248)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k76%2,057
$150k–250k14%†373
$250k–400k7.4%†200

Age of homes

7,082 homes (±177)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later4.3%†301
2000–20097.6%†540
1980–199912%849

Size of homes

7,082 homes (±177)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio5.7%†404
1 bedroom4.1%†292
2 bedrooms23%1,655

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

5,079 workers (±407)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone78%3,975
Carpool12%†595
Public transit0.2%†10
Walk1.0%†52
Bike0.0%0
Work from home8.7%†440
Other0.1%†7

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (+5.6 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

4,639 workers (±424)

Clarksdale, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min66%3,053
15–29 min13%†625
30–44 min7.7%†359

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Clarksdale, MS

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Coahoma County, the county holding most of Clarksdale's residents.

Coahoma County has 505 employer establishments, 251 for every 10,000 residents (1.01× the US rate of 248; 1.22× Mississippi's), with 4,931 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,118. The Census Bureau also counts 2,285 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 505; 2,285 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 251; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 4,931
Average annual pay: $43,118; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Coahoma County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	49	24.3	1.17×About typical	342	$72,184	123
Restaurants and other eating places	32	15.9	0.86×About typical	518	$16,351	21
Lessors of real estate	31	15.4	1.25×About typical	70	$33,171	129
Offices of physicians	20	9.9	1.53×More than typical	59	$64,492	7
Religious organizations	20	9.9	1.79×More than typical	113	$18,407	—
Gasoline stations	18	8.9	2.76×More than typical	90	$29,000	—
Limited-service restaurants	17	8.4	1.05×About typical	380	$15,079	5
Specialty trade contractors	14	6.9	0.45×Fewer than typical	39	$101,487	92
Banks and credit unions	13	6.5	2.00×More than typical	97	$77,423	—
Grocery and convenience stores	13	6.5	2.17×More than typical	42	$25,286	11
Legal services	13	6.5	1.20×About typical	63	$98,937	19
Full-service restaurants	12	6	0.78×Fewer than typical	126	$19,246	12

Rank places for an industry Open Coahoma County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 20,147 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $6,176 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Clarksdale, Mississippi: $0.43 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $6,176
Per resident: $0.43; US $1,995
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 100%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Army$6,176100%

Top recipients

JOHNSON-MCADAMS SURVEYING & MAPPING LLC$6,176100%

Spending by fiscal year

12.9KFY2017
261.9KFY2018
51.4KFY2019
-3.2KFY2020
121.6KFY2021
219.8KFY2022
-9.2KFY2023
34.4KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$6,176100%

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Clarksdale, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

Clarksdale, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Coahoma County, MS ($82.9K in FY2026), never added to them: 7.4% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Clarksdale is mostly in Coahoma County.

See federal money in Coahoma County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Clarksdale, Mississippi is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Bennie G. ThompsonD-MS-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 3.9%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Coahoma County3100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Clarksdale, MS2

Other cities and towns in Coahoma County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2813820

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends