Town · Calhoun County, Mississippi

Vardaman, Mississippi

Vardaman is a town in Calhoun County, Mississippi. It has 1,100 residents. Vardaman, Mississippi has a quality-of-life score of 5 out of 100 (very low), ranking #14,894 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Mississippi it ranks #126 of 194 cities and towns. It ranks best on time spent in the emergency room (low), home price to income ratio (low) and drug overdose deaths (low). It ranks worst on average weekly wage (low), child poverty rate (high) and poverty rate (high).

5Very low

Quality-of-life score: #14,894 of 15,651 cities and towns
Mississippi: #126 of 194 in MS
Population: 1,100 (2020-2024)
Land area: 1 mi²
Density: 810.5 /mi²
FIPS code: 2876320

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 73 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.

Safety26#11,511/15,637
Economy10#14,069/15,631
Housing44#8,461/14,977
Health24#11,897/15,609
Healthcare5#14,880/15,650
Environment32#10,459/15,453
Education20#12,539/15,649
Infrastructure2#15,410/15,650
Community13#13,541/15,651
Leisure & amenities18#12,862/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Vardaman, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Calhoun 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 · low83 min
99/100Mississippi 138 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesCalhoun County value
Home price to income ratio · low1.4×
99/100Mississippi 3.0×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Drug overdose deaths · low0.0 /100k
99/100Mississippi 14.5 /100kUnited States 18.4 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionProvisional dataCalhoun County value
Property crime rate · low372 /100k
94/100Mississippi 1,264 /100kUnited States 1,535 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationCalhoun County value
Public libraries · high2.4 /10k
93/100Mississippi 0.8 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesCalhoun County value
Students per teacher · low11.1×
93/100Mississippi 13.4×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsCalhoun County value

Weaknesses

Average weekly wage · low$774
0/100Mississippi $1,024United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsCalhoun County value
Child poverty rate · high67.3%
1/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Poverty rate · high44.2%
1/100Mississippi 17.8%United States 12.1%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Homicide rate · high21.6 /100k
1/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataCalhoun County value
Mental health providers · low16 /100k
1/100Mississippi 243 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalhoun County value
Access to exercise opportunities · low15.4%
1/100Mississippi 58.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteCalhoun County value

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
1,420 (2015-2019) → 1,100 (2020-2024)
−23%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Child poverty rateWorsening
38.0% (2015-2019) → 67.3% (2020-2024)
+29 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Poverty rateWorsening
25.7% (2015-2019) → 44.2% (2020-2024)
+18 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
59.8% (2015-2019) → 77.2% (2020-2024)
+17 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Average commute timeWorsening
23.7 min (2015-2019) → 34.7 min (2020-2024)
+46%5 yearsCensus table B08013US 26.9 min → 26.4 min
Uninsured residents (under 65)Worsening
22.6% (2015-2019) → 29.5% (2020-2024)
+6.9 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, Vardaman, Mississippi improved on 1 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 2. 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.

Improved1

Broadband+17 points59.8% → 77.2%

Declined2

Poverty+18 points25.7% → 44.2%
Child poverty+29 points38.0% → 67.3%

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Vardaman, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	23.7 min2015-2019	34.7 min2020-2024	+11.0 min	Within the margin of error	2%
Broadband subscriptions	59.8%2015-2019	77.2%2020-2024	+17 points	Improved	86%
Child poverty rate	38.0%2015-2019	67.3%2020-2024	+29 points	Declined	2%
Effective property tax rate	0.89%2015-2019	0.94%2020-2024	+0.1 points	Within the margin of error	10%
High school diploma or higher	67.2%2015-2019	66.9%2020-2024	−0.3 points	Within the margin of error	30%
Home price to income ratio	1.8×2015-2019	1.4×2020-2024	−0.4×	Within the margin of error	92%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.3932015-2019	0.4022020-2024	+0.008	Within the margin of error	43%
Median household income	$32,6672015-2019	$38,4562020-2024	+18%	Within the margin of error	28%
Poverty rate	25.7%2015-2019	44.2%2020-2024	+18 points	Declined	1%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	27.0%2015-2019	28.1%2020-2024	+1.1 points	Within the margin of error	46%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	22.6%2015-2019	29.5%2020-2024	+6.9 points	Within the margin of error	6%

“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 Vardaman, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Vardaman, 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, Vardaman, Mississippi itself moved −8.4 points in standing on average over the same 8 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

1,100 residents (±216)

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

390 households (±82)

Vardaman, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k39%†152
$25k–50k24%†92
$50k–75k

Homes

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

Owners and renters

390 households (±82)

Vardaman, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own74%287
Rent26%†103

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

429 workers (±128)

Vardaman, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone71%303
Carpool28%†118
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 Calhoun County, the county holding most of Vardaman's residents.

Calhoun County has 224 employer establishments, 176 for every 10,000 residents (0.71× the US rate of 248; 0.86× Mississippi's), with 1,702 paid employees at an average annual pay of $39,074. The Census Bureau also counts 985 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 224; 985 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 176; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 1,702
Average annual pay: $39,074; US $68,342

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

Truck transportation	18	14.1	2.79×More than typical	79	$51,785	54
Ambulatory health care services	15	11.8	0.56×Fewer than typical	120	$35,375	27
Religious organizations	15	11.8	2.12×More than typical	64	$15,328	—
Grocery and convenience stores	12	9.4	3.17×More than typical	153	$18,039	—
Gasoline stations	10	7.8	2.42×More than typical	48	$22,813	4
Restaurants and other eating places	10	7.8	0.43×Fewer than typical	90	$12,333	11
General merchandise stores	8	6.3	3.55×Too few to compare	56	$20,893	7
Specialty trade contractors	8	6.3	0.41×Too few to compare	27	$49,815	83
Banks and credit unions	7	5.5	1.70×Too few to compare	40	$51,425	—
Auto parts, accessories and tire stores	6	4.7	2.70×Too few to compare	22	$33,136	—
Lessors of real estate	6	4.7	0.38×Too few to compare	11	$38,909	40
Health and personal care stores	5	3.9	1.48×Too few to compare	33	$33,152	10

Rank places for an industry Open Calhoun County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 12,739 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

No federal contract obligations recorded here in FY2026.

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

See federal money in Calhoun 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.

Vardaman, 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.

Calhoun County6100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Calhoun 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/2876320

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends