Town · Newton County, Mississippi

Decatur, Mississippi

Decatur is a town in Newton County, Mississippi. It has 1,929 residents. Decatur, Mississippi has a quality-of-life score of 12 out of 100 (very low), ranking #13,801 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Mississippi it ranks #84 of 194 cities and towns. It ranks best on property crime rate (low), social associations (high) and violent crime rate (low). It ranks worst on job growth (low), restaurants and bars (low) and primary care shortage (high).

12Very low

Quality-of-life score: #13,801 of 15,651 cities and towns
Mississippi: #84 of 194 in MS
Population: 1,929 (2020-2024)
Land area: 6 mi²
Density: 349.8 /mi²
FIPS code: 2818180

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 72 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety45#8,526/15,637
Economy5#14,783/15,631
Housing61#5,851/14,977
Health18#12,855/15,609
Healthcare1#15,441/15,650
Environment38#9,629/15,453
Education51#7,671/15,649
Infrastructure6#14,688/15,650
Community19#12,705/15,651
Leisure & amenities12#13,845/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Decatur, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Newton 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

Property crime rate · low190 /100k
99/100Mississippi 1,264 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureNewton County value
Social associations · high15.2 /10k
92/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNewton County value
Violent crime rate · low80 /100k
91/100Mississippi 227 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCovers part of the area: some reporting agencies or member counties have no figureNewton County value
Public libraries · high1.4 /10k
85/100Mississippi 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesNewton County value
Depression · low20.7%
79/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Math scores · high3.25
78/100Mississippi 3.11United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNewton County value

Weaknesses

Job growth · low-9.7%
0/100Mississippi -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional dataNewton County value
Restaurants and bars · low1.4 /10k
0/100Mississippi 7.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNewton County value
Primary care shortage · high21.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationNewton County value
Average weekly wage · low$820
1/100Mississippi $1,024United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsNewton County value
Primary care physicians · low14 /100k
2/100Mississippi 56 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNewton County value
Life expectancy · low70.2 yrs
3/100Mississippi 72.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteNewton County value

Trends

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

Child poverty rateImproving
61.4% (2015-2019) → 27.6% (2020-2024)
−34 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
66.4% (2015-2019) → 36.5% (2020-2024)
−30 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Median household incomeImproving
$26,250 (2015-2019) → $50,128 (2020-2024)
+91%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeImproving
41.6% (2015-2019) → 24.7% (2020-2024)
−17 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Poverty rateImproving
35.3% (2015-2019) → 20.7% (2020-2024)
−15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
65.5% (2015-2019) → 78.1% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%

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, Decatur, Mississippi improved on 5 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 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.

Improved5

Child poverty−34 points61.4% → 27.6%
Household income+91%$26,250 → $50,128
Rent / income−17 points41.6% → 24.7%
Rent burden−30 points66.4% → 36.5%
Broadband+13 points65.5% → 78.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Decatur, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	20.0 min2015-2019	21.6 min2020-2024	+1.6 min	Within the margin of error	31%
Bachelor's degree or higher	17.8%2015-2019	21.3%2020-2024	+3.5 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Broadband subscriptions	65.5%2015-2019	78.1%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	72%
Child poverty rate	61.4%2015-2019	27.6%2020-2024	−34 points	Improved	99%
Effective property tax rate	0.63%2015-2019	0.72%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
High school diploma or higher	85.9%2015-2019	81.0%2020-2024	−4.9 points	Within the margin of error	6%
Home price to income ratio	4.0×2015-2019	2.6×2020-2024	−1.5×	Within the margin of error	99%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5022015-2019	0.4412020-2024	−0.061	Within the margin of error	88%
Median household income	$26,2502015-2019	$50,1282020-2024	+91%	Improved	98%
Poverty rate	35.3%2015-2019	20.7%2020-2024	−15 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	41.6%2015-2019	24.7%2020-2024	−17 points	Improved	98%
Rent-burdened households	66.4%2015-2019	36.5%2020-2024	−30 points	Improved	98%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	13.4%2015-2019	16.1%2020-2024	+2.7 points	Within the margin of error	21%

“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 Decatur, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Decatur, 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, Decatur, Mississippi itself moved +20.1 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

1,929 residents (±290)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69†

Income

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

Household income

540 households (±124)

Decatur, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k22%†119
$25k–50k28%†149
$50k–75k18%

Homes

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

Owners and renters

540 households (±124)

Decatur, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own58%314
Rent42%†226

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

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

657 workers (±165)

Decatur, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone94%619
Carpool1.7%†11
Public transit0.0%0

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 Newton County, the county holding most of Decatur's residents.

Newton County has 315 employer establishments, 150 for every 10,000 residents (0.60× the US rate of 248; 0.73× Mississippi's), with 4,053 paid employees at an average annual pay of $46,955. The Census Bureau also counts 1,548 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 315; 1,548 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 150; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 4,053
Average annual pay: $46,955; US $68,342

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

Religious organizations	29	13.8	2.49×More than typical	108	$16,185	—
Ambulatory health care services	21	10	0.48×Fewer than typical	115	$60,426	64
Restaurants and other eating places	20	9.5	0.52×Fewer than typical	310	$12,994	15
General merchandise stores	14	6.7	3.77×More than typical	266	$26,650	8
Specialty trade contractors	14	6.7	0.43×Fewer than typical	73	$44,356	140
Limited-service restaurants	13	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	259	$13,691	—
Truck transportation	13	6.2	1.22×About typical	30	$40,867	76
Services to buildings and dwellings	12	5.7	0.85×About typical	55	$34,855	159
Banks and credit unions	11	5.2	1.62×More than typical	59	$42,847	—
Gasoline stations	9	4.3	1.32×Too few to compare	62	$23,661	—
Grocery and convenience stores	9	4.3	1.44×Too few to compare	125	$20,024	—
Offices of physicians	9	4.3	0.66×Too few to compare	34	$65,941	9

Rank places for an industry Open Newton County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 21,019 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 $0 of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Decatur, Mississippi: $0 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,994
Sole-source: —; US 30%
Single offer: —; 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

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

3.8KFY2017
8KFY2018
1.8KFY2019
31.6FY2020

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 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 Decatur, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

Decatur, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Newton County, MS ($13.3K in FY2026), never added to them: 0.0% of that total.

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

See federal money in Newton 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.

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

House

Michael GuestR-MS-3 · 100% of residentsWith party 98%Missed 1.3%

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.

Newton County19100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Newton 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/2818180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends