Scores by category

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

Safety8#14,316/15,637
Economy2#15,309/15,631
Housing29#10,653/14,977
Health12#13,673/15,609
Healthcare21#12,364/15,650
Environment34#10,228/15,453
Education19#12,655/15,649
Infrastructure8#14,351/15,650
Community17#13,027/15,651
Leisure & amenities40#9,358/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where West Point, Mississippi ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Clay 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 · low110 min
92/100Mississippi 138 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesClay County value
Social associations · high14.3 /10k
88/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteClay County value
Child care cost burden · low22.7%
86/100Mississippi 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteClay County value
Depression · low19.6%
84/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Effective property tax rate · low0.55%
84/100Mississippi 0.58%United States 0.94%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25090
Average commute time · low20.5 min
81/100Mississippi 25.6 minUnited States 26.4 min2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08013

Weaknesses

Homicide rate · high24.4 /100k
1/100Mississippi 14.6 /100kUnited States 4.8 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimateProvisional dataClay County value
Adult obesity · high50.0%
1/100Mississippi 42.6%United States 38.2%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Child poverty rate · high41.3%
1/100Mississippi 25.0%United States 15.5%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B17001
Primary care shortage · high20.0
1/100Mississippi 16.2United States 6.2Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationClay County value
Physical inactivity · high40.8%
2/100Mississippi 35.7%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteModel-based estimate
Lack of reliable transportation · high19.3%
3/100Mississippi 12.4%United States 8.3%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate

Trends

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

PopulationFalling
10,626 (2015-2019) → 9,900 (2020-2024)
−6.8%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
74.3% (2015-2019) → 88.8% (2020-2024)
+15 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Home price to income ratioWorsening
2.9× (2015-2019) → 4.0× (2020-2024)
+38%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
Child poverty rateImproving
48.1% (2015-2019) → 41.3% (2020-2024)
−6.8 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Uninsured residents (under 65)Improving
16.7% (2015-2019) → 10.6% (2020-2024)
−6 pts5 yearsCensus table B27010US 10.8% → 9.8%
Poverty rateImproving
30.6% (2015-2019) → 25.6% (2020-2024)
−5 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, West Point, Mississippi improved on 3 of 15 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 10 moved within the margin of error and 1 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.

Improved3

Uninsured−6 points16.7% → 10.6%
Broadband+15 points74.3% → 88.8%
Household income+24%$30,664 → $38,064

Declined1

Price / income+1.1×2.9× → 4.0×

All 15 measures

Change of every measure of West Point, Mississippi between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	19.7 min2015-2019	20.4 min2020-2024	+0.8 min	Within the margin of error	38%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.4%2015-2019	16.2%2020-2024	−3.1 points	Within the margin of error	12%
Broadband subscriptions	74.3%2015-2019	88.8%2020-2024	+15 points	Improved	78%
Child poverty rate	48.1%2015-2019	41.3%2020-2024	−6.8 points	Within the margin of error	74%
Effective property tax rate	0.93%2015-2019	0.55%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Little change	83%
High school diploma or higher	80.8%2015-2019	80.8%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Home price to income ratio	2.9×2015-2019	4.0×2020-2024	+1.1×	Declined	18%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.5502015-2019	0.5052020-2024	−0.045	Within the margin of error	82%
Median household income	$30,6642015-2019	$38,0642020-2024	+24%	Improved	42%
Poverty rate	30.6%2015-2019	25.6%2020-2024	−5 points	Within the margin of error	80%
Public transit commuters	0.0%2015-2019	0.0%2020-2024	0 points	Within the margin of error	60%
Rent as share of income	32.4%2015-2019	32.6%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	53%
Rent-burdened households	53.8%2015-2019	57.0%2020-2024	+3.2 points	Within the margin of error	44%
Unemployment rate	11.1%2015-2019	11.6%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	38%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	16.7%2015-2019	10.6%2020-2024	−6 points	Improved	90%

“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 West Point, Mississippi five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of West Point, 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, West Point, Mississippi itself moved +0.5 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

9,900 residents (±18)

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 men (−2.2 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 B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

9,900 residents (±18)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

White31%3,067
Black67%6,658
Hispanic or Latino0.1%†12
Asian0.1%†7
American Indian and Alaska Native0.0%0
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander0.0%0
Other or two or more races1.6%†156

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: White (−6.3 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

6,339 residents (±294)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

No high school diploma19%1,219
High school or GED32%2,028
Some college17%1,092
Associate degree15%971
Bachelor's degree8.8%†556
Graduate degree7.5%†473

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Associate degree (+5.4 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 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

4,147 households (±241)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $25k32%1,339
$25k–50k26%1,088
$50k–75k17%704
$75k–100k11%†464
$100k–150k7.1%†296
$150k–200k4.5%†186
$200k or more1.7%†70

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $50k–75k (+8.5 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

4,147 households (±241)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Own61%2,524
Rent39%1,623

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

1,574 households (±285)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $75050%†789
$750–1,00023%†367
$1,000–1,50027%†418

Home values

2,524 homes (±308)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under $150k48%1,211
$150k–250k28%†700
$250k–400k18%†460

Age of homes

4,741 homes (±218)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

2010 or later7.0%†332
2000–20096.8%†322
1980–199925%1,194

Size of homes

4,741 homes (±218)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Studio0.0%0
1 bedroom3.1%†145
2 bedrooms26%1,227

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

3,542 workers (±319)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Drive alone91%3,239
Carpool4.8%†171
Public transit0.0%0
Walk0.0%0
Bike0.0%0
Work from home3.7%†131
Other0.0%†1

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Bike (−2.5 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

3,411 workers (±313)

West Point, Mississippi
Mississippi share

Under 15 min44%1,502
15–29 min35%1,209
30–44 min9.8%†333

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

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 Clay County, the county holding most of West Point's residents.

Clay County has 340 employer establishments, 186 for every 10,000 residents (0.75× the US rate of 248; 0.91× Mississippi's), with 4,835 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,364. The Census Bureau also counts 1,889 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 340; 1,889 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 186; US 248 · Mississippi 205
Paid employees: 4,835
Average annual pay: $43,364; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	25	13.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	534	$14,801	22
Religious organizations	23	12.6	2.27×More than typical	177	$17,768	—
Specialty trade contractors	19	10.4	0.67×Fewer than typical	129	$50,674	194
Gasoline stations	17	9.3	2.87×More than typical	124	$23,847	3
Limited-service restaurants	15	8.2	1.02×About typical	388	$12,809	10
Ambulatory health care services	14	7.7	0.37×Fewer than typical	115	$70,522	80
Automotive repair and maintenance	12	6.6	1.31×More than typical	62	$45,290	56
Lessors of real estate	12	6.6	0.53×Fewer than typical	23	$23,870	106
Banks and credit unions	9	4.9	1.53×Too few to compare	55	$52,527	—
Building equipment contractors	9	4.9	0.82×Too few to compare	53	$53,283	20
Grocery and convenience stores	9	4.9	1.66×Too few to compare	75	$21,493	—
Services to buildings and dwellings	9	4.9	0.73×Too few to compare	33	$22,576	209

Rank places for an industry Open Clay County

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 18,260 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 $689.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in West Point, Mississippi: $69.62 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $689.2K; +10,897% vs FY2025
Per resident: $69.62; US $1,994
Sole-source: 99%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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$685.5K99%
Department of the Army$3,8020.6%

Top recipients

ND DEFENSE LLC$685.5K99%
PLUM CREEK ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC$3,6750.5%
CITY OF WEST POINT$1270.0%
SOUTHERN IONICS INCORPORATED-$28.730.0%

Spending by fiscal year

2.7KFY2017
2.3KFY2018
6.1KFY2019
3.3KFY2020
2.6KFY2021
14.9KFY2022
2.9KFY2023
4.5KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Rubber product manufacturing · 3262$685.5K99%
Boiler, tank, and shipping container manufacturing · 3324$3,6750.5%
Water, sewage and other systems · 2213$1270.0%

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 West Point, Mississippi, so they do not add up across cities.

West Point, Mississippi's figures are part of those of Clay County, MS ($6.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 10% of that total.

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

See federal money in Clay 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.

West Point, 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.

Clay County12100% of residents

Other cities and towns in Clay County

Largest first.

Pheba162

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/2879120

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends