Scores by category

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

Safety2#15,321/15,637
Economy4#14,936/15,631
Housing29#10,604/14,977
Health13#13,588/15,609
Healthcare27#11,462/15,650
Environment55#7,010/15,453
Education22#12,281/15,649
Infrastructure13#13,676/15,650
Community6#14,705/15,651
Leisure & amenities53#7,380/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Mammography screening · high54.0%
88/100Mississippi 43.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Depression · low18.9%
87/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Drinking water violations · low0
86/100Mississippi 0United States 02024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
85/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAdams County value
Average commute time · low19.3 min
84/100Mississippi 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013
Social associations · high13.2 /10k
83/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value

Weaknesses

Child poverty rate · high47.6%
1/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Homicide rate · high21.9 /100k
1/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataAdams County value
Income inequality (Gini index) · high0.537
1/100Mississippi 0.482United States 0.4832020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B19083
Poverty rate · high33.7%
1/100Mississippi 17.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Food environment index · low5.5
2/100Mississippi 4.1United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAdams County value
Average weekly wage · low$850
3/100Mississippi $1,024United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAdams County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
14,981 (2015-2019) → 14,192 (2020-2024)
−5.3%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
New homes permittedWorsening
0.3 /1k (2021) → 0.1 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−75%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
71.2% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+14 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
High school diploma or higherImproving
80.2% (2015-2019) → 88.5% (2020-2024)
+8.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Median household incomeImproving
$26,443 (2015-2019) → $36,735 (2020-2024)
+39%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
18.4% (2015-2019) → 10.7% (2020-2024)
−7.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%

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, Natchez, Mississippi improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 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.

Improved4

Uninsured−7.8 points18.4% → 10.7%
Broadband+14 points71.2% → 85.6%
Household income+39%$26,443 → $36,735
Bachelor's++5.6 points21.7% → 27.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Natchez, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.5 min2015-2019	19.3 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	21.7%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Improved	72%
Broadband subscriptions	71.2%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+14 points	Improved	77%
Child poverty rate	54.4%2015-2019	47.6%2020-2024	−6.7 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.63%2015-2019	0.60%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	20%
High school diploma or higher	80.2%2015-2019	88.5%2020-2024	+8.3 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Home price to income ratio	3.7×2015-2019	3.3×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5462015-2019	0.5372020-2024	−0.009	Within the margin of error	59%
Median household income	$26,4432015-2019	$36,7352020-2024	+39%	Improved	72%
Poverty rate	34.5%2015-2019	33.7%2020-2024	−0.8 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Rent as share of income	32.9%2015-2019	32.4%2020-2024	−0.5 points	Within the margin of error	59%
Rent-burdened households	54.2%2015-2019	56.8%2020-2024	+2.6 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Unemployment rate	11.2%2015-2019	6.5%2020-2024	−4.7 points	Within the margin of error	95%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	18.4%2015-2019	10.7%2020-2024	−7.8 points	Improved	94%

“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 Natchez, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Natchez, 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, Natchez, Mississippi itself moved +5.9 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

14,192 residents (±30)

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: 30–39 women (+2.6 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

14,192 residents (±30)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White34%4,891
Black62%8,833
Hispanic or Latino0.4%†54

Education

9,343 residents (±342)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma11%1,073
High school or GED30%2,793
Some college25%2,345

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

5,856 households (±332)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k34%1,979
$25k–50k26%1,508
$50k–75k13%759
$75k–100k11%626
$100k–150k8.6%506
$150k–200k2.9%†169
$200k or more5.3%†309

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Under $25k (−12.1 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

5,856 households (±332)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own56%3,271
Rent44%2,585

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

2,455 households (±292)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75046%1,125
$750–1,00029%†714
$1,000–1,50020%†480

Home values

3,271 homes (±348)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k59%1,925
$150k–250k18%590
$250k–400k15%490

Age of homes

7,813 homes (±347)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later2.4%†184
2000–20093.6%†284
1980–199912%948

Size of homes

7,813 homes (±347)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio2.2%†170
1 bedroom8.3%†651
2 bedrooms28%2,165

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

4,997 workers (±453)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone86%4,318
Carpool5.1%†256
Public transit0.1%†6
Walk1.0%†50
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.8%†192
Other3.5%†175

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Drive alone (−4.0 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

4,805 workers (±445)

Natchez, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min63%3,023
15–29 min18%844
30–44 min6.7%†321

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 Natchez, MS-LA

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 Adams County, the county holding most of Natchez's residents.

Adams County has 713 employer establishments, 248 for every 10,000 residents (1.00× the US rate of 248; 1.21× Mississippi's), with 9,588 paid employees at an average annual pay of $41,124. The Census Bureau also counts 2,637 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 713; 2,637 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 248; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 9,588
Average annual pay: $41,124; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	68	23.7	1.14×About typical	602	$48,723	128
Restaurants and other eating places	51	17.8	0.97×About typical	1,042	$19,696	15
Religious organizations	35	12.2	2.20×More than typical	169	$18,231	—
Lessors of real estate	26	9.1	0.73×Fewer than typical	62	$56,774	217
Limited-service restaurants	26	9.1	1.13×About typical	579	$18,128	4
Specialty trade contractors	24	8.4	0.54×Fewer than typical	147	$42,020	153
Offices of physicians	22	7.7	1.18×About typical	166	$61,193	26
Full-service restaurants	20	7	0.91×About typical	451	$21,273	3
Automotive repair and maintenance	18	6.3	1.24×About typical	86	$39,767	55
Offices of other health practitioners	18	6.3	1.03×About typical	92	$38,315	29
Banks and credit unions	17	5.9	1.83×More than typical	141	$76,745	—
Gasoline stations	17	5.9	1.83×More than typical	146	$27,384	—

Rank places for an industry Open Adams County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,717 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 $83.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Natchez, Mississippi: $5.86 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $83.2K; +38% vs FY2025
Per resident: $5.86; US $1,994
Sole-source: 39%; US 30%
Single offer: 10%; 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

RABORN ELECTRICAL SERVICES, INC$32.3K39%
VALOR HEALTHCARE INC$29.4K35%
HDR ENGINEERING INC$6,9628.4%
COLLINS POWER SYSTEMS INC.$2,8743.5%
COASTAL ENVIRONMENTS, INC.$1,8382.2%

Spending by fiscal year

4.5MFY2017
97.8KFY2018
263.9KFY2019
-620.7KFY2020
414.9KFY2021
195.8KFY2022
297.9KFY2023
222.3KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Nonresidential building construction · 2362$32.3K39%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$29.4K35%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$8,80011%
Building equipment contractors · 2382$3,2874.0%
Other professional, scientific, and technical services · 5419$1,5901.9%

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

Natchez, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Adams County, MS ($3.1M in FY2026), never added to them: 2.7% of that total.

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

See federal money in Adams 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.

Natchez, 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.

Adams County16100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Natchez, MS-LA5

Other cities and towns in Adams 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/2850440

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends