Scores by category

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

Safety24#11,948/15,637
Economy3#15,238/15,631
Housing74#3,916/14,977
Health14#13,446/15,609
Healthcare7#14,608/15,650
Environment24#11,733/15,453
Education17#13,026/15,649
Infrastructure11#13,955/15,650
Community10#14,074/15,651
Leisure & amenities1#15,492/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Time spent in the emergency room · low88 min
98/100Mississippi 138 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesSimpson County value
Rent-burdened households · low24.2%
88/100Mississippi 51.3%United States 51.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25070
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Mississippi 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSimpson County value
Effective property tax rate · low0.55%
84/100Mississippi 0.58%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Social associations · high12.8 /10k
82/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSimpson County value
Public libraries · high1.2 /10k
80/100Mississippi 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesSimpson County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$745
0/100Mississippi $1,024United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSimpson County value
Preventable hospital stays · high5,551 /100k
1/100Mississippi 3,252 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteSimpson County value
Primary care shortage · high20.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationSimpson County value
Homicide rate · high17.5 /100k
2/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataSimpson County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low0.8 /10k
2/100Mississippi 3.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsSimpson County value
Broadband subscriptions · low73.7%
3/100Mississippi 84.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
2,924 (2015-2019) → 2,103 (2020-2024)
−28%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Rent-burdened householdsImproving
68.2% (2015-2019) → 24.2% (2020-2024)
−44 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
42.0% (2015-2019) → 16.9% (2020-2024)
−25 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.7 /1k (2021) → 0.0 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−100%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
57.1% (2015-2019) → 73.6% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent as share of incomeImproving
34.5% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
−8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

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, Mendenhall, Mississippi improved on 2 of 11 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.

Improved2

Inequality−0.1000.544 → 0.443
Broadband+17 points57.1% → 73.6%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 11 measures

Change of every measure of Mendenhall, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.5 min2015-2019	27.9 min2020-2024	+8.5 min	Within the margin of error	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.0%2015-2019	22.3%2020-2024	+1.3 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Broadband subscriptions	57.1%2015-2019	73.6%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	84%
Effective property tax rate	0.69%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	45%
High school diploma or higher	83.3%2015-2019	79.9%2020-2024	−3.3 points	Within the margin of error	10%
Home price to income ratio	3.1×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.0×	Within the margin of error	77%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5442015-2019	0.4432020-2024	−0.100	Improved	96%
Median household income	$29,2862015-2019	$40,1412020-2024	+37%	Within the margin of error	69%
Poverty rate	32.9%2015-2019	31.7%2020-2024	−1.3 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Rent as share of income	34.5%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	−8.7 points	Within the margin of error	91%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.7%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	92%

“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 Mendenhall, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Mendenhall, 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, Mendenhall, Mississippi itself moved +4.9 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

2,103 residents (±315)

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: 40–49 men (+5.1 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

2,103 residents (±315)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White62%1,314
Black35%†745
Hispanic or Latino1.0%†21
Asian0.0%0
American Indian and Alaska Native0.3%†6
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races0.8%†17

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Black (−19.2 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 B03002View table on data.census.gov

Education

1,531 residents (±234)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma20%†307
High school or GED29%440
Some college17%†265
Associate degree12%†177
Bachelor's degree14%†211
Graduate degree8.6%†131

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

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B15003View 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.

Income

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

Household income

941 households (±153)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k26%†242
$25k–50k36%†340
$50k–75k18%†173
$75k–100k6.6%†62
$100k–150k9.5%†89
$150k–200k2.1%†20
$200k or more1.6%†15

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−20.4 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

941 households (±153)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own71%665
Rent29%†276

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

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

Rent paid

260 households (±105)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75044%†115
$750–1,00035%†91
$1,000–1,50021%†

Home values

665 homes (±135)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k67%†448
$150k–250k24%†158
$250k–400k4.1%†27

Age of homes

1,089 homes (±173)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later0.0%0
2000–20094.2%†46
1980–199919%†207

Size of homes

1,089 homes (±173)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio0.3%†3
1 bedroom4.2%†46
2 bedrooms25%†274

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

754 workers (±180)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone80%600
Carpool12%†92
Public transit0.9%†7
Walk6.6%†50
Bike0.0%0
Work from home0.7%†5
Other0.0%0

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

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

Time to get to work

749 workers (±179)

Mendenhall, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min35%†262
15–29 min28%†211
30–44 min8.0%†

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 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 Simpson County, the county holding most of Mendenhall's residents.

Simpson County has 444 employer establishments, 173 for every 10,000 residents (0.70× the US rate of 248; 0.84× Mississippi's), with 5,608 paid employees at an average annual pay of $37,539. The Census Bureau also counts 2,059 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 444; 2,059 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 173; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 5,608
Average annual pay: $37,539; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	34	13.2	0.64×Fewer than typical	369	$49,298	119
Religious organizations	33	12.9	2.32×More than typical	152	$18,625	—
Restaurants and other eating places	33	12.9	0.70×Fewer than typical	577	$15,322	13
Specialty trade contractors	28	10.9	0.70×Fewer than typical	229	$73,891	234
Limited-service restaurants	23	9	1.12×About typical	453	$15,318	3
Gasoline stations	20	7.8	2.40×More than typical	182	$24,544	—
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	7	1.39×More than typical	65	$46,154	58
Building equipment contractors	18	7	1.17×About typical	214	$73,626	33
Construction of buildings	13	5.1	0.67×Fewer than typical	60	$73,150	109
Insurance agencies and brokerages	12	4.7	1.06×About typical	25	$45,200	24
Plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors	12	4.7	1.42×More than typical	194	$75,577	26
Legal services	11	4.3	0.80×Fewer than typical	49	$34,673	15

Rank places for an industry Open Simpson County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 25,670 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 Mendenhall, 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

525.6FY2022

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

Mendenhall, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Simpson County, MS ($268 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: Mendenhall is mostly in Simpson County.

See federal money in Simpson 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.

Mendenhall, 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.

Simpson County8100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Jackson, MS29

Other cities and towns in Simpson 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/2846600