Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US metro and micro areas.

Safety16#775/924
Economy19#752/925
Housing47#495/925
Health20#739/925
Healthcare18#761/923
Environment29#653/917
Education26#683/925
Infrastructure4#889/925
Community16#773/925
Leisure & amenities10#831/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area ranks highest and lowest among US metro and micro areas (score = percentile, 100 = best).

Strengths

Social associations · high17.0 /10k
95/100Mississippi 12.6 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Distance to an Amtrak station · low6 mi
95/100Mississippi 27 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Depression · low20.6%
88/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
New business applications · high16.6 /1k
85/100Mississippi 17.8 /1kUnited States 16.6 /1k2025U.S. Census BureauAggregated from counties
Child care cost burden · low23.2%
83/100Mississippi 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Job growth · high1.0%
79/100Mississippi -0.2%United States 0.1%2026 Q1U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsProvisional data

Weaknesses

Grocery stores · low0.6 /10k
2/100Mississippi 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high31.7 /100k
3/100Mississippi 25.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Average weekly wage · low$884
3/100Mississippi $1,024United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Public EV charging ports · low0.3 /10k
3/100Mississippi 2.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyAggregated from counties
Public transit commuters · low0.0%
3/100Mississippi 0.3%United States 3.2%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B08301
Restaurants and bars · low4.6 /10k
3/100Mississippi 7.1 /10kUnited States 9.0 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 38% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+38 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
New homes permittedImproving
0.4 /1k (2021) → 0.9 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+128%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
62.2% (2015-2019) → 86.1% (2020-2024)
+24 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Gyms and fitness centersImproving
0.9 /10k (2020) → 1.4 /10k (2025)
+66%5 yearsUS 1.2 /10k → 1.3 /10k
Flu vaccinationsWorsening
51.0% (2019) → 41.0% (2023)
−10 pts4 yearsUS 48.0% → 44.0%
Violent crime rateImproving
330 /100k (2018) → 181 /100k (2023)
−45%5 yearsUS 375 /100k → 382 /100k

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, Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area improved on 12 of 29 measures with a comparison and declined on 3. 9 moved within the margin of error and 5 barely changed.

Earlier period
Latest period
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among metro and micro areas: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts. Periods differ by measure (most compare 2015-2019 with 2020-2024); each row names its own in its tooltip and in the table.

Improved12

Broadband+24 points62.2% → 86.1%
Gyms+66%0.9 /10k → 1.4 /10k
Restaurants+6.1%4.3 /10k → 4.6 /10k
Unemployment−3.6 points7.6% → 4.0%
Arts & recreation+14%2.0 /10k → 2.3 /10k

Declined3

Suicides+30%13.0 /100k → 16.9 /100k
Firearm deaths+23%25.7 /100k → 31.7 /100k
Price / income+0.7×2.3× → 3.0×

All 29 measures

Change of every measure of Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.0 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	+14%	Improved	62%
Average commute time	27.2 min2015-2019	28.7 min2020-2024	+1.5 min	Within the margin of error	21%
Average weekly wage	$7702020	$8842025	+15%	Improved	3%
Bachelor's degree or higher	16.2%2015-2019	19.3%2020-2024	+3.1 points	Improved	58%
Broadband subscriptions	62.2%2015-2019	86.1%2020-2024	+24 points	Improved	99%
Child poverty rate	28.2%2015-2019	30.3%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	9%
Distance to an airport	57 mi2020	57 mi2025	0 mi	Little change	50%
Drug overdose deaths	22.3 /100k2020	15.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	−29%	Improved	56%
Effective property tax rate	0.56%2015-2019	0.57%2020-2024	+0 points	Within the margin of error	7%
Firearm deaths	25.7 /100k2020	31.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+23%	Declined	22%
Grocery stores	0.6 /10k2020	0.6 /10k2025	−0.5%	Little change	49%
Gyms and fitness centers	0.9 /10k2020	1.4 /10k2025	+66%	Improved	92%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	87.2%2020-2024	+0.9 points	Within the margin of error	25%
Home price to income ratio	2.3×2015-2019	3.0×2020-2024	+0.7×	Declined	25%
Homicide rate	19.5 /100k2020	15.2 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−22%	Improved	46%
Income adjusted for local prices	$46,5322019	$60,6282024	+30%	Improved	39%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4762015-2019	0.4712020-2024	−0.005	Within the margin of error	70%
Median household income	$42,6062015-2019	$51,1192020-2024	+20%	Improved	14%
New business applications	14.0 /1k2020	16.6 /1k2025	+18%	Improved	14%
Pharmacies	1.7 /10k2020	1.7 /10k2025	−0.5%	Little change	70%
Poverty rate	21.0%2015-2019	21.2%2020-2024	+0.2 points	Within the margin of error	23%
Public libraries	0.3 /10k2019	0.3 /10k2024	−2.6%	Little change	42%
Rent as share of income	26.8%2015-2019	28.6%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	24%
Rent-burdened households	43.9%2015-2019	45.7%2020-2024	+1.8 points	Within the margin of error	41%
Restaurants and bars	4.3 /10k2020	4.6 /10k2025	+6.1%	Improved	69%
Suicide rate	13.0 /100k2020	16.9 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+30%	Declined	17%
Traffic deaths	26.8 /100k2015-2019	28.1 /100k2020-2024	+4.8%	Little change	54%
Unemployment rate	7.6%2020	4.0%2025	−3.6 points	Improved	68%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	17.0%2015-2019	14.6%2020-2024	−2.4 points	Within the margin of error	90%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 786 metro and micro areas that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: Regional Economic Accounts; Local Area Unemployment Statistics; Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; Mapping Injury, Overdose, and Violence; American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates; Business Formation Statistics; Public Libraries Survey; Fatality Analysis Reporting System; Distance to airports and intercity rail. 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 925 metro and micro areas 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.

Metro and micro areas like Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area 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, Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area itself moved −0.6 points in standing on average over the same 28 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

34,877 residents

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

13,158 households (±397)

Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k26%3,361
$25k–50k23%3,060
$50k–75k15%2,010

Homes

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

Owners and renters

13,158 households (±397)

Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Own75%9,859
Rent25%3,299

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

13,780 workers (±828)

Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone85%11,701
Carpool9.1%1,252
Public transit0.0%0

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 no occupation wages for Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area.

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.

Brookhaven, MS has 810 employer establishments, 233 for every 10,000 residents (0.94× the US rate of 248), with 11,675 paid employees at an average annual pay of $43,857. The Census Bureau also counts 3,094 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 810; 3,094 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 233; US 248
Paid employees: 11,675
Average annual pay: $43,857; US $68,342

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

Restaurants and other eating places	61	17.5	0.95×About typical	1,249	$15,672	24
Ambulatory health care services	56	16.1	0.77×Fewer than typical	632	$60,913	241
Religious organizations	52	14.9	2.69×More than typical	295	$17,753	—
Specialty trade contractors	43	12.3	0.80×Fewer than typical	270	$44,452	305
Limited-service restaurants	34	9.8	1.22×About typical	798	$14,714	9
Gasoline stations	28	8	2.48×More than typical	248	$23,665	—
Clothing and accessories stores	25	7.2	1.98×More than typical	158	$15,677	40
Truck transportation	24	6.9	1.36×More than typical	287	$91,251	151
Automotive repair and maintenance	21	6	1.20×About typical	178	$48,809	70
Building equipment contractors	21	6	1.00×About typical	197	$47,218	46
Insurance agencies and brokerages	19	5.5	1.24×About typical	60	$76,433	53
Offices of physicians	19	5.5	0.84×About typical	209	$90,775	26

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 34,836 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.
A metro area's figures are the exact sums of its counties.
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 contract spending

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $2.1M on contracts performed in Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area: $59.35 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.1M; +526% vs FY2025
Per resident: $59.35; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; 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

Federal Emergency Management Agency$1.4M66%
Department of the Army$710K34%

Top recipients

WSP USA SERVICES INC.$1.4M66%
SUMMERWIND CONSULTANTS INC$710K34%
AHTNA INFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGIES LLC$00.0%

Spending by fiscal year

846.7KFY2017
-118.5KFY2018
239.3KFY2019
28.3KFY2020
103KFY2021
271.5KFY2022
49.8KFY2023
33.6KFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

THE PURPOSE OF THIS TASK ORDER IS TO PROVIDE A TOTAL OF 10,000 HOUSING INSPECTIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI FOR THE PRESIDENTIALLY DECLARED DISASTER DR-49XX-MS (REGION 4) AS A RESULT OF SEVERE STORMS, PRODUCING STRONG TORNADOES, FLASH F$1.4M
WSP USA SERVICES INC.· Lincoln County, MS· Professional services· Jul 6, 2026 – Jul 6, 2026· 70FBR426F00000022
FIFTH TASK ORDER FOR THE ANTI-TERRORISM/FORCE PROTECTION (AT/FP) DECISION SUPPORT TOOLS. REFERENCE SUMMERWIND CONSULTANT COST AND TECHNICAL PROPOSAL SUBMITTED 17 DECEMBER 2025. THE PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE SHALL BE 12 MONTHS FROM AWARD.$710K
SUMMERWIND CONSULTANTS INC· Lincoln County, MS· Research & development· Dec 29, 2025 – Apr 16, 2026· W912HZ26FA031
WRIGHT CHURCH, MCCALL CREEK, MS 39647, 180' GUYED TOWER$332.2K
AHTNA INFRASTRUCTURE & TECHNOLOGIES LLC· Lincoln County, MS· Other equipment & supplies

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.

Federal grants & assistance

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

In FY2026, federal agencies obligated $217.8M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area: $6,221 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $217.8M; +0.5% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,221; US $12,955
Loan face value: $2.3M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.1%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$128.3M59%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$25M11%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$19.3M8.9%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$14.3M6.6%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$9.6M4.4%
20.279 · National Highway Performance Program (NHPP)$5.9M2.7%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$4.2M1.9%
57.001 · Social Insurance for Railroad Workers$2.4M1.1%

Top recipients (organizations)

MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$12M5.5%
JACKSON, MS
HOUSING AUTHORITY OF CITY OF BROOKHA$1.5M0.7%
BROOKHAVEN, MS
NORTH HAVEN MS, LLC$528.5K0.2%
BROOKHAVEN, MS
KING DAUGHTERS ELDERLY HOUSING$348.2K0.2%
BROOKHAVEN, MS
FELDER COOK PROPERTIES LLC

Organizations only: awards to individuals and county aggregate records count in the totals but are never listed. Grants to state governments recorded at the agency's own address are counted statewide, not in the capital's county.

Top agencies

Social Security Administration$182.2M84%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$16.6M7.6%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Federal Highway Administration$12M5.5%
Department of Transportation
Railroad Retirement Board$2.4M1.1%
Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing$1.5M

Assistance by fiscal year

184.1MFY2021
186.7MFY2022
193.4MFY2023
208.3MFY2024
216.7MFY2025
217.8MFY2026

County aggregates

92%

Share of obligations reported only as county totals of many small awards (for example Social Security or Medicare payments), with no recipient named.

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Counties in Brookhaven, MS

Whole counties, as the U.S. Office of Management and Budget delineates the area. Federal spending below is the exact sum of these counties.

Lincoln CountyCentral county1335,012

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

BrookhavenPrincipal city11,650

Largest cities and towns

By population, for places with most of their residents in the area.

Other metro and micro areas in Mississippi

Areas based in Mississippi, best score first.

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Places that share a border, best score first.

Similar metro and micro areas

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.

Mapping Injury, Overdose, and ViolenceCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2026-10-01
PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Daily county PM2.5 and ozone (EPA downscaler model)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2022
Care Compare: Hospital General Information and Timely and Effective CareCenters for Medicare & Medicaid Services · release 2026-07-22
Distance to airports and intercity railFederal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census Bureau · release 2025+amtrak-2026-04-23
Uniform Crime Reporting Program, Return A master filesFederal Bureau of Investigation · release 2025
Public Libraries SurveyInstitute of Museum and Library Services · release FY2024
U.S. Drought Monitor county statisticsNational Drought Mitigation Center (University of Nebraska–Lincoln), USDA and NOAA · release 2026-09-29
Fatality Analysis Reporting SystemNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration · release 2024
nClimGrid-Daily county averagesNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · release 2025
Regional Economic AccountsU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis · release 2024
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
Quarterly Census of Employment and WagesU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2026 Q1
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Business Formation StatisticsU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-10-01
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
Alternative Fuels Data Center station locatorU.S. Department of Energy · release 2026-10
Election Administration and Voting SurveyU.S. Election Assistance Commission · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M15020

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved12

Declined3

Metro and micro areas like Brookhaven, MS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

Who lives here

Age and sex

Income

Household income

Homes

Owners and renters

Getting to work

How people get to work

Jobs and pay

Local businesses

Federal contract spending

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Brookhaven, MS

Principal cities

Largest cities and towns

Other metro and micro areas in Mississippi

Neighboring metro and micro areas

Similar metro and micro areas

Data and sources

Improved12

Declined3

Age and sex

Household income

Owners and renters

How people get to work

Race and Hispanic origin

Education

Rent paid

Home values

Age of homes

Size of homes

Time to get to work

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

Largest awards

What was bought

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type