City · Union County, Mississippi

New Albany, Mississippi

New Albany is a city in Union County, Mississippi. It has 7,663 residents. New Albany, Mississippi has a quality-of-life score of 21 out of 100 (low), ranking #12,362 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Mississippi it ranks #50 of 194 cities and towns. It ranks best on math scores (high), pharmacies (high) and homicide rate (low). It ranks worst on grocery stores (low), access to exercise opportunities (low) and mental health providers (low).

21Low

Quality-of-life score: #12,362 of 15,651 cities and towns
Mississippi: #50 of 194 in MS
Population: 7,663 (2020-2024)
Land area: 18 mi²
Density: 420.3 /mi²
FIPS code: 2851000

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.

Safety66#5,362/15,637
Economy24#11,840/15,631
Housing47#7,890/14,977
Health19#12,605/15,609
Healthcare24#11,854/15,650
Environment36#9,936/15,453
Education67#5,094/15,649
Infrastructure22#12,187/15,650
Community13#13,636/15,651
Leisure & amenities4#15,092/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Math scores · high3.71
100/100Mississippi 3.11United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Pharmacies · high3.9 /10k
99/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value
Homicide rate · low0.0 /100k
94/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataUnion County value
Reading scores · high3.35
91/100Mississippi 3.06United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Social associations · high14.9 /10k
91/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Child care cost burden · low21.8%
89/100Mississippi 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.7 /10k
4/100Mississippi 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low37.5%
4/100Mississippi 58.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Mental health providers · low46 /100k
5/100Mississippi 243 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteUnion County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · low1.4 /10k
5/100Mississippi 3.1 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsUnion County value
Adult obesity · high44.2%
6/100Mississippi 42.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high14.8%
7/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
8,705 (2015-2019) → 7,663 (2020-2024)
−12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.1% (2015-2019) → 89.1% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
42.5% (2015-2019) → 52.4% (2020-2024)
+10 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
16.7% (2015-2019) → 25.8% (2020-2024)
+9 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
High school diploma or higherImproving
76.9% (2015-2019) → 85.6% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 88.0% → 89.6%
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
25.4% (2015-2019) → 30.7% (2020-2024)
+5.3 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, New Albany, Mississippi improved on 2 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 12 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

Bachelor's++9 points16.7% → 25.8%
Broadband+17 points72.1% → 89.1%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of New Albany, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	18.7 min2015-2019	18.4 min2020-2024	−0.2 min	Within the margin of error	50%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.7%2015-2019	25.8%2020-2024	+9 points	Improved	87%
Broadband subscriptions	72.1%2015-2019	89.1%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	85%
Child poverty rate	17.7%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	−2.9 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Effective property tax rate	0.51%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	11%
High school diploma or higher	76.9%2015-2019	85.6%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Within the margin of error	93%
Home price to income ratio	2.8×2015-2019	3.1×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	55%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4662015-2019	0.4542020-2024	−0.013	Within the margin of error	62%
Median household income	$44,2892015-2019	$51,3322020-2024	+16%	Within the margin of error	25%
Poverty rate	13.7%2015-2019	14.8%2020-2024	+1.2 points	Within the margin of error	33%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	25.4%2015-2019	30.7%2020-2024	+5.3 points	Within the margin of error	21%
Rent-burdened households	42.5%2015-2019	52.4%2020-2024	+10 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	12.5%2015-2019	14.5%2020-2024	+2 points	Within the margin of error	26%

“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 New Albany, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of New Albany, 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, New Albany, Mississippi itself moved −1.5 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

7,663 residents (±60)

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

2,851 households (±197)

New Albany, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k20%†576
$25k–50k28%†801
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

2,851 households (±197)

New Albany, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own62%1,759
Rent38%1,092

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

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,122 workers (±318)

New Albany, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone89%2,783
Carpool7.4%†230
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 Union County, the county holding most of New Albany's residents.

Union County has 536 employer establishments, 190 for every 10,000 residents (0.76× the US rate of 248; 0.92× Mississippi's), with 10,790 paid employees at an average annual pay of $47,968. The Census Bureau also counts 2,601 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 536; 2,601 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 190; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 10,790
Average annual pay: $47,968; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	48	17	0.81×About typical	405	$56,659	77
Religious organizations	42	14.9	2.68×More than typical	255	$16,031	—
Restaurants and other eating places	40	14.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	883	$16,729	16
Specialty trade contractors	24	8.5	0.55×Fewer than typical	142	$46,345	282
Offices of other health practitioners	21	7.4	1.22×About typical	127	$48,906	28
Limited-service restaurants	19	6.7	0.84×About typical	513	$15,645	—
Truck transportation	19	6.7	1.33×More than typical	528	$62,011	102
Gasoline stations	17	6	1.86×More than typical	119	$26,849	3
Services to buildings and dwellings	15	5.3	0.79×Fewer than typical	213	$35,085	247
Clothing and accessories stores	14	5	1.37×More than typical	46	$23,630	43
Full-service restaurants	13	4.6	0.60×Fewer than typical	326	$19,160	10
Offices of physicians	12	4.2	0.66×Fewer than typical	157	$72,809	10

Rank places for an industry Open Union County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 28,265 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 New Albany, Mississippi: $0 per resident (US $1,995).

Obligations: $0
Per resident: $0; US $1,995
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

795FY2017
1.2KFY2018

What was bought

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 6, 2026, loaded Oct 6, 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 New Albany, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

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

See federal money in Union 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.

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

House

Trent KellyR-MS-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 100%Missed 0.7%

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.

Union County22100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Union 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/2851000

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends