Scores by category

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

Safety10#13,997/15,637
Economy3#15,204/15,631
Housing28#10,787/14,977
Health6#14,679/15,609
Healthcare30#10,961/15,650
Environment78#3,423/15,453
Education24#11,855/15,649
Infrastructure17#12,949/15,650
Community4#15,088/15,651
Leisure & amenities11#13,881/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Social associations · high16.9 /10k
95/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLauderdale County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
93/100Mississippi 27 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauLauderdale County value
Pharmacies · high2.6 /10k
91/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsLauderdale County value
Average commute time · low18.9 min
89/100Mississippi 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Primary care physicians · high106 /100k
86/100Mississippi 56 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLauderdale County value
Median Air Quality Index · low35
86/1002025U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyLauderdale County value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high55.8%
0/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Poverty rate · high34.3%
1/100Mississippi 17.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Public libraries · low0.1 /10k
1/100Mississippi 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesLauderdale County value
Primary care shortage · high20.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationLauderdale County value
Lack of reliable transportation · high20.6%
2/100Mississippi 12.4%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Food environment index · low5.2
2/100Mississippi 4.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteLauderdale County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
37,848 (2015-2019) → 34,137 (2020-2024)
−9.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
41.2% (2015-2019) → 55.8% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
68.5% (2015-2019) → 82.0% (2020-2024)
+13 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
27.1% (2015-2019) → 34.3% (2020-2024)
+7.1 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
48.3% (2015-2019) → 54.6% (2020-2024)
+6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
New homes permittedWorsening
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.2 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−24%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Meridian, Mississippi improved on 1 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+13 points68.5% → 82.0%

Declined2

Child poverty+15 points41.2% → 55.8%
Poverty+7.1 points27.1% → 34.3%

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Meridian, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	17.8 min2015-2019	18.9 min2020-2024	+1.1 min	Within the margin of error	35%
Bachelor's degree or higher	20.2%2015-2019	21.8%2020-2024	+1.6 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Broadband subscriptions	68.5%2015-2019	82.0%2020-2024	+13 points	Improved	74%
Child poverty rate	41.2%2015-2019	55.8%2020-2024	+15 points	Declined	8%
Effective property tax rate	1.04%2015-2019	0.85%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	56%
High school diploma or higher	81.8%2015-2019	85.1%2020-2024	+3.3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Home price to income ratio	2.6×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	56%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5282015-2019	0.5132020-2024	−0.015	Within the margin of error	64%
Median household income	$32,4222015-2019	$36,5622020-2024	+13%	Within the margin of error	20%
Poverty rate	27.1%2015-2019	34.3%2020-2024	+7.1 points	Declined	8%
Rent as share of income	29.4%2015-2019	33.8%2020-2024	+4.4 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Rent-burdened households	48.3%2015-2019	54.6%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Unemployment rate	7.3%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	+0.6 points	Within the margin of error	37%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.6%2015-2019	13.1%2020-2024	−1.5 points	Within the margin of error	64%

“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 Meridian, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Meridian, 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, Meridian, Mississippi itself moved −3.5 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

34,137 residents (±45)

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 (+1.6 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

34,137 residents (±45)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White30%10,343
Black60%20,371
Hispanic or Latino2.3%†777
Asian1.2%†417
American Indian and Alaska Native0.1%†27
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races6.5%†2,202

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Other or two or more races (+5.8 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

22,886 residents (±529)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma15%3,409
High school or GED31%7,179
Some college20%4,512
Associate degree12%2,794
Bachelor's degree12%2,768
Graduate degree9.7%2,224

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: High school or GED (+6.2 points).

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

14,559 households (±470)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k37%5,450
$25k–50k22%3,172
$50k–75k16%2,285
$75k–100k7.9%1,153
$100k–150k9.7%1,408
$150k–200k4.9%718
$200k or more2.6%373

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $25k–50k (−5.3 points).

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

14,559 households (±470)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own49%7,083
Rent51%7,476

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

6,901 households (±575)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75035%2,421
$750–1,00026%1,783
$1,000–1,50031%2,155

Home values

7,083 homes (±561)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k64%4,528
$150k–250k22%1,530
$250k–400k7.8%†551

Age of homes

17,677 homes (±429)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later2.7%†484
2000–20097.1%1,252
1980–199918%3,234

Size of homes

17,677 homes (±429)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio1.7%†299
1 bedroom12%2,052
2 bedrooms29%5,157

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

13,273 workers (±850)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone79%10,493
Carpool12%1,626
Public transit0.1%†14
Walk1.0%†137
Bike0.0%0
Work from home5.1%†673
Other2.5%†330

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−5.2 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 B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

12,600 workers (±813)

Meridian, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min46%5,851
15–29 min37%4,682
30–44 min7.6%†961

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 Meridian, 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 Lauderdale County, the county holding most of Meridian's residents.

Lauderdale County has 1,754 employer establishments, 247 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.20× Mississippi's), with 27,472 paid employees at an average annual pay of $45,565. The Census Bureau also counts 5,509 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 1,754; 5,509 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 247; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 27,472
Average annual pay: $45,565; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	141	19.9	0.95×About typical	2,209	$57,985	341
Restaurants and other eating places	135	19	1.04×About typical	2,946	$17,614	27
Religious organizations	94	13.3	2.39×More than typical	629	$17,188	—
Limited-service restaurants	80	11.3	1.41×More than typical	1,734	$16,151	6
Specialty trade contractors	67	9.5	0.61×Fewer than typical	722	$51,553	318
Lessors of real estate	55	7.8	0.63×Fewer than typical	152	$29,316	357
Gasoline stations	47	6.6	2.05×More than typical	474	$26,473	4
Clothing and accessories stores	44	6.2	1.71×More than typical	440	$20,107	81
Offices of physicians	44	6.2	0.96×About typical	968	$73,043	66
Banks and credit unions	39	5.5	1.70×More than typical	439	$69,809	—
Full-service restaurants	39	5.5	0.72×Fewer than typical	1,116	$20,539	10
Automotive repair and maintenance	37	5.2	1.04×About typical	198	$40,702	128

Rank places for an industry Open Lauderdale County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 70,888 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 $1.4M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Meridian, Mississippi: $41.51 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $1.4M; −25% vs FY2025
Per resident: $41.51; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.6%; US 30%
Single offer: 7.5%; 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

Defense Logistics Agency$942.7K67%
U.S. Marshals Service$294.2K21%
Department of the Army$88.6K6.3%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$69.9K4.9%
Federal Acquisition Service$14K1.0%
Department of the Navy$7,0620.5%
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$7370.1%

Top recipients

MERIDIAN AIRPORT AUTHORITY$941.2K66%
FROST & YOUNG GROUP LLC$309K22%
SOUTHERN PIPE & SUPPLY COMPANY, INC.$45.2K3.2%
T3 PROMOS LLC$24.7K1.7%
DRURY HOTELS COMPANY, LLC$19.6K1.4%

Spending by fiscal year

1.3MFY2017
2.1MFY2018
1.7MFY2019
1.6MFY2020
1MFY2021
1.2MFY2022
3.1MFY2023
678.1K

Top industries (NAICS)

Petroleum and coal products manufacturing · 3241$942.3K66%
Automobile dealers · 4411$294.2K21%
Traveler accommodation · 7211$61.5K4.3%
Other fabricated metal product manufacturing · 3329$32.9K2.3%
Commercial and industrial machinery and equipment repair and maintenance · 8113$24.7K1.7%
Motor vehicle manufacturing · 3361

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

Meridian, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Lauderdale County, MS ($23.4M in FY2026), never added to them: 6.1% of that total.

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

See federal money in Lauderdale 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.

Meridian, 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.

Lauderdale County21100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Meridian, MS10

Other cities and towns in Lauderdale 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/2846640

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends