City · Rankin County, Mississippi

Florence, Mississippi

Florence is a city in Rankin County, Mississippi, part of the Jackson, MS metro area. It has 4,696 residents. Florence, Mississippi has a quality-of-life score of 37 out of 100 (low), ranking #9,823 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Mississippi it ranks #14 of 194 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an airport (low), public transit commuters (high) and income inequality (Gini index) (low). It ranks worst on rent as share of income (high), hospital quality rating (low) and grocery stores (low).

37Low

Quality-of-life score: #9,823 of 15,651 cities and towns
Mississippi: #14 of 194 in MS
Population: 4,696 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 580.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2824980

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 74 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.

Safety60#6,176/15,637
Economy54#7,186/15,631
Housing38#9,223/14,977
Health50#7,882/15,609
Healthcare61#6,067/15,650
Environment12#13,615/15,453
Education64#5,557/15,649
Infrastructure35#10,114/15,650
Community18#12,812/15,651
Leisure & amenities35#10,241/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Distance to an airport · low7 mi
99/100Mississippi 60 miUnited States 33 mi2025Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauRankin County value
Public transit commuters · high13.0%
99/100Mississippi 0.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301High uncertainty
Income inequality (Gini index) · low0.310
96/100Mississippi 0.482United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Violent crime rate · low63 /100k
95/100Mississippi 227 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRankin County value
Child care cost burden · low20.9%
92/100Mississippi 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteRankin County value
Property crime rate · low447 /100k
92/100Mississippi 1,264 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationRankin County value

Weaknesses

Rent as share of income · high51.0%
2/100Mississippi 30.7%United States 30.6%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25071At least this value: the publisher's top bracket is open-ended
Hospital quality rating · low1.5
3/100Mississippi 2.3United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesRankin County value
Grocery stores · low0.8 /10k
7/100Mississippi 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsRankin County value
Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) · high9.1 µg/m³
8/100Mississippi 8.5 µg/m³United States 8.0 µg/m³2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyRankin County value
Firearm deaths · high23.1 /100k
9/100Mississippi 25.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRankin County value
Homicide rate · high8.1 /100k
13/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataRankin County value

Trends

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

PopulationRising
4,413 (2015-2019) → 4,696 (2020-2024)
+6.4%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
72.4% (2015-2019) → 58.9% (2020-2024)
−14 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Public transit commutersImproving
0.0% (2015-2019) → 13.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B08301US 5.0% → 3.2%
Median household incomeImproving
$62,552 (2015-2019) → $86,308 (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
45.5% (2015-2019) → 51.0% (2020-2024)
+5.5 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%
Income inequality (Gini index)Improving
0.420 (2015-2019) → 0.310 (2020-2024)
−26%5 yearsCensus table B19083US 0.482 → 0.483

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, Florence, Mississippi improved on 1 of 10 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 8 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.

Improved1

Inequality−0.1100.420 → 0.310

Declined1

Rent / income+5.5 points45.5% → 51.0%

All 10 measures

Change of every measure of Florence, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.4 min2015-2019	31.5 min2020-2024	+4.2 min	Within the margin of error	13%
Bachelor's degree or higher	25.6%2015-2019	21.8%2020-2024	−3.8 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Broadband subscriptions	85.6%2015-2019	88.1%2020-2024	+2.5 points	Within the margin of error	17%
Effective property tax rate	0.64%2015-2019	0.74%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	7%
High school diploma or higher	96.0%2015-2019	94.4%2020-2024	−1.7 points	Within the margin of error	18%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.1×	Within the margin of error	72%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4202015-2019	0.3102020-2024	−0.110	Improved	97%
Median household income	$62,5522015-2019	$86,3082020-2024	+38%	Within the margin of error	71%
Rent as share of income	45.5%2015-2019	51.0%2020-2024	+5.5 points	Declined	20%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	6.1%2015-2019	5.0%2020-2024	−1.1 points	Within the margin of error	60%

“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 Florence, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Florence, 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, Florence, Mississippi itself moved −4.8 points in standing on average over the same 9 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

4,696 residents (±33)

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

1,715 households (±274)

Florence, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k13%†219
$25k–50k14%†234
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

1,715 households (±274)

Florence, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own70%1,195
Rent30%†520

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

2,353 workers (±271)

Florence, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone71%1,676
Carpool12%†272
Public transit13%†

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 Jackson, 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 Rankin County, the county holding most of Florence's residents.

Rankin County has 4,083 employer establishments, 255 for every 10,000 residents (1.03× the US rate of 248; 1.24× Mississippi's), with 62,811 paid employees at an average annual pay of $50,472. The Census Bureau also counts 15,241 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 4,083; 15,241 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 255; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 62,811
Average annual pay: $50,472; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	372	23.2	1.11×About typical	4,796	$61,698	699
Restaurants and other eating places	326	20.4	1.11×About typical	6,898	$18,686	68
Specialty trade contractors	304	19	1.23×About typical	2,143	$64,316	1,365
Limited-service restaurants	186	11.6	1.45×More than typical	4,008	$17,997	23
Services to buildings and dwellings	163	10.2	1.51×More than typical	1,473	$24,418	1,230
Lessors of real estate	159	9.9	0.81×About typical	453	$50,095	1,309
Building equipment contractors	132	8.2	1.37×More than typical	1,109	$66,933	259
Offices of physicians	129	8.1	1.24×About typical	1,962	$78,957	132
Religious organizations	116	7.2	1.31×More than typical	988	$24,288	—
Construction of buildings	104	6.5	0.86×About typical	549	$58,964	553
Clothing and accessories stores	101	6.3	1.74×More than typical	1,084	$18,396	213
Automotive repair and maintenance	99	6.2	1.23×About typical	696	$52,280	236

Rank places for an industry Open Rankin County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 160,145 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 $15.7K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Florence, Mississippi: $3.35 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $15.7K; −44% vs FY2025
Per resident: $3.35; US $1,994
Sole-source: 79%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

National Aeronautics and Space Administration$10.8K69%
Department of the Army$2,52816%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1,4459.2%
Federal Acquisition Service$6954.4%
Department of Veterans Affairs$2801.8%

Top recipients

LYLE MACHINERY CO$11.1K70%
QUINCY COMPRESSOR LLC$2,52816%
APAC-MISSISSIPPI, INC.$1,4459.2%
CLINTON BODY SHOP OF RICHLAND INC$6954.4%

Spending by fiscal year

92.9KFY2017
10.7KFY2018
6KFY2019
12.3KFY2020
46KFY2021
56.9KFY2022
14.2KFY2023
231.2KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Agriculture, construction, and mining machinery manufacturing · 3331$10.8K69%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$2,80818%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373$1,4459.2%
Automotive repair and maintenance · 8111$6954.4%

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 Florence, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

Florence, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Rankin County, MS ($4.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.3% of that total.

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

See federal money in Rankin 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.

Florence, 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.

Rankin County69100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jackson, MS29

Other cities and towns in Rankin 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/2824980

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends