Scores by category

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

Safety10#830/924
Economy45#511/925
Housing58#385/925
Health26#687/925
Healthcare69#285/923
Environment55#417/917
Education43#532/925
Infrastructure10#832/925
Community10#831/925
Leisure & amenities60#375/925

Strengths · Weaknesses

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

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low20.0%
95/100Mississippi 25.5%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Mental health providers · high610 /100k
93/100Mississippi 243 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Primary care physicians · high94 /100k
88/100Mississippi 56 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Pharmacies · high2.3 /10k
86/100Mississippi 2.2 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties
Depression · low21.1%
84/100Mississippi 20.1%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Grocery stores · high2.1 /10k
83/100Mississippi 1.3 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsAggregated from counties

Weaknesses

Access to exercise opportunities · low51.9%
9/100Mississippi 58.2%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Firearm deaths · high25.4 /100k
10/100Mississippi 25.8 /100kUnited States 12.1 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Loneliness · high37.6%
11/100Mississippi 37.2%United States 33.2%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionAggregated from counties
Physical inactivity · high31.6%
13/100Mississippi 35.7%United States 26.5%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties
Broadband subscriptions · low84.3%
14/100Mississippi 84.1%United States 91.0%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B28002
Life expectancy · low72.7 yrs
14/100Mississippi 72.5 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteAggregated from counties

Trends

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

Drought exposureWorsening
0% (2021) → 19% (Oct 2025–Sep 2026)
+19 pts5 yearsUS 40% → 43%
Suicide rateWorsening
14.4 /100k (2021) → 24.0 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
+67%5 yearsUS 14.5 /100k → 14.1 /100k
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.0% (2015-2019) → 84.3% (2020-2024)
+12 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Homicide rateImproving
13.5 /100k (2020) → 6.7 /100k (May 2025–Apr 2026)
−50%6 yearsUS 7.4 /100k → 4.8 /100k
Mental health providersImproving
422 /100k (2021) → 610 /100k (2025)
+44%4 yearsUS 282 /100k → 348 /100k
New homes permittedImproving
1.1 /1k (2021) → 1.6 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
+39%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k

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, Tupelo, MS micropolitan area improved on 13 of 27 measures with a comparison and declined on 5. 6 moved within the margin of error and 3 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.

Improved13

High school++5.6 points81.1% → 86.7%
Restaurants+17%7.6 /10k → 8.9 /10k
Uninsured−2.5 points14.2% → 11.8%
Household income+37%$46,258 → $63,170
Bachelor's++4.9 points19.7% → 24.6%

Declined5

Overdose deaths+17%17.9 /100k → 20.9 /100k
Arts & recreation−6.3%2.7 /10k → 2.6 /10k
Suicides+10%21.8 /100k → 24.0 /100k
Pharmacies−9.8%2.5 /10k → 2.3 /10k
Price / income+0.2×2.5× → 2.7×

All 27 measures

Change of every measure of Tupelo, MS micropolitan area between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Arts, entertainment and recreation	2.7 /10k2020	2.6 /10k2025	−6.3%	Declined	19%
Average commute time	22.9 min2015-2019	22.4 min2020-2024	−0.6 min	Within the margin of error	79%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.7%2015-2019	24.6%2020-2024	+4.9 points	Improved	90%
Broadband subscriptions	72.0%2015-2019	84.3%2020-2024	+12 points	Improved	80%
Child poverty rate	23.1%2015-2019	17.9%2020-2024	−5.2 points	Improved	78%
Distance to an airport	90 mi2020	90 mi2025	+0 mi	Little change	21%
Drug overdose deaths	17.9 /100k2020	20.9 /100kMar 2025–Feb 2026	+17%	Declined	19%
Effective property tax rate	0.65%2015-2019	0.61%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Grocery stores	2.0 /10k2020	2.1 /10k2025	+2.9%	Little change	62%
Gyms and fitness centers	1.2 /10k2020	1.3 /10k2025	+5.4%	Improved	53%
High school diploma or higher	81.1%2015-2019	86.7%2020-2024	+5.6 points	Improved	97%
Home price to income ratio	2.5×2015-2019	2.7×2020-2024	+0.2×	Declined	76%
Homicide rate	13.5 /100k2020	6.7 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	−50%	Improved	78%
Income adjusted for local prices	$48,1292019	$61,2332024	+27%	Improved	17%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4572015-2019	0.4792020-2024	+0.022	Within the margin of error	12%
Median household income	$46,2582015-2019	$63,1702020-2024	+37%	Improved	90%
New business applications	13.2 /1k2020	15.4 /1k2025	+16%	Improved	13%
Pharmacies	2.5 /10k2020	2.3 /10k2025	−9.8%	Declined	47%
Poverty rate	15.8%2015-2019	15.1%2020-2024	−0.7 points	Within the margin of error	43%
Public libraries	0.5 /10k2019	0.5 /10k2024	+1%	Little change	70%
Rent as share of income	27.6%2015-2019	29.0%2020-2024	+1.4 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent-burdened households	44.3%2015-2019	47.9%2020-2024	+3.6 points	Within the margin of error	27%
Restaurants and bars	7.6 /10k2020	8.9 /10k2025	+17%	Improved	90%
Suicide rate	21.8 /100k2020	24.0 /100kMay 2025–Apr 2026	+10%	Declined	38%
Traffic deaths	25.1 /100k2015-2019	21.2 /100k2020-2024	−16%	Improved	83%
Unemployment rate	7.9%2020	3.5%2025	−4.4 points	Improved	87%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	14.2%2015-2019	11.8%2020-2024	−2.5 points	Improved	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 Tupelo, MS micropolitan area five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Tupelo, 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, Tupelo, MS micropolitan area itself moved +1.2 points in standing on average over the same 27 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

132,254 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

51,805 households (±647)

Tupelo, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Under $25k22%11,157
$25k–50k21%10,810
$50k–75k14%7,407

Homes

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

Owners and renters

51,805 households (±647)

Tupelo, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Own74%38,099
Rent26%13,706

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (+3.1 points).

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

58,979 workers (±1,336)

Tupelo, MS micropolitan area
United States share

Drive alone86%50,710
Carpool7.6%4,469
Public transit0.1%†59

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 Tupelo, 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.

Tupelo, MS has 3,432 employer establishments, 259 for every 10,000 residents (1.04× the US rate of 248), with 58,474 paid employees at an average annual pay of $48,999. The Census Bureau also counts 11,462 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 3,432; 11,462 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 259; US 248
Paid employees: 58,474
Average annual pay: $48,999; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	288	21.8	1.04×About typical	3,263	$74,275	463
Restaurants and other eating places	281	21.2	1.16×About typical	5,642	$17,233	90
Religious organizations	141	10.7	1.92×More than typical	840	$24,493	—
Limited-service restaurants	128	9.7	1.21×About typical	2,938	$15,033	31
Specialty trade contractors	127	9.6	0.62×Fewer than typical	1,259	$55,689	862
Full-service restaurants	111	8.4	1.09×About typical	2,387	$20,119	39
Truck transportation	107	8.1	1.60×More than typical	1,822	$59,520	405
Lessors of real estate	94	7.1	0.58×Fewer than typical	224	$43,375	870
Automotive repair and maintenance	93	7	1.40×More than typical	545	$38,222	274
Gasoline stations	92	7	2.14×More than typical	621	$23,454	16
Offices of physicians	92	7	1.07×About typical	1,337	$104,161	117
Banks and credit unions	91	6.9	2.13×More than typical	1,607	$87,086	—

Rank places for an industry

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 132,351 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 $49.4M on contracts performed in Tupelo, MS micropolitan area: $371 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $49.4M; +189% vs FY2025
Per resident: $371; US $1,994
Sole-source: 52%; US 30%
Single offer: 1.4%; 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

Department of Energy$19.5M39%
Federal Emergency Management Agency$12.3M25%
Federal Acquisition Service$7.9M16%
Department of Veterans Affairs$4.1M8.2%
Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$1M2.1%
Transportation Security Administration$992.3K2.0%
Defense Logistics Agency$884.2K1.8%
Department of the Army$878.1K1.8%

Top recipients

GENERAL ATOMICS$21.2M43%
WSP USA SERVICES INC.$10.7M22%
RITE-KEM, INC.$7.9M16%
STERLING MEDICAL ASSOCIATES, INC$4M8.0%
TOPPS PRIVATE INVESTIGATION & SECURITY FIRM, PLLC$1.6M3.3%

Spending by fiscal year

18.7MFY2017
26.4MFY2018
40.7MFY2019
44MFY2020
24.2MFY2021
24.4MFY2022
31MFY2023
16.6M

Top industries (NAICS)

Basic chemical manufacturing · 3251$19.5M39%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$10.8M22%
Other miscellaneous manufacturing · 3399$4.4M8.9%
Outpatient care centers · 6214$4.1M8.3%
Soap, cleaning compound, and toilet preparation manufacturing · 3256$3.6M7.3%
Investigation and security services · 5616

Part of this section could not be loaded in time.

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 $856.3M in grants, loans, direct payments and insurance for Tupelo, MS micropolitan area: $6,430 per resident (US $12,955).

Assistance · FY2026: $856.3M; −2.6% vs FY2025
Per resident: $6,430; US $12,955
Loan face value: $310.7M; lent or guaranteed
To individuals: 0.9%; counted, never named

Top programs

96.002 · Social Security Retirement Insurance$490.9M57%
96.001 · Social Security Disability Insurance$115.4M13%
64.109 · Veterans Compensation for Service-Connected Disability$75.6M8.8%
96.004 · Social Security Survivors Insurance$47.4M5.5%
96.006 · Supplemental Security Income$32.7M3.8%
84.063 · Federal Pell Grant Program$28.7M3.4%
93.600 · Head Start$9.9M1.2%
20.205 · Highway Planning and Construction$8.8M1.0%

Top recipients (organizations)

ITAWAMBA COMMUNITY COLLEGE$17M2.0%
FULTON, MS
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE$12.2M1.4%
BOONEVILLE, MS
TUPELO AIRPORT AUTHORITY$11M1.3%
TUPELO, MS
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION$10.3M1.2%
JACKSON, MS
DELTA HEALTH ALLIANCE, INC.$9.9M

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$686.4M80%
Under Secretary for Benefits/Veterans Benefits Administration$85.2M9.9%
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education$29.4M3.4%
Administration for Children and Families$10.3M1.2%
Department of Health and Human Services
Federal Highway Administration$10.3M

Assistance by fiscal year

775MFY2021
722.8MFY2022
762.1MFY2023
813.5MFY2024
878.7MFY2025
856.3MFY2026

County aggregates

90%

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 Tupelo, 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.

Principal cities

The cities the area is named for.

TupeloPrincipal city37,791

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
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
Air Quality Index Annual Summary by CountyU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · release 2025
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/M46180

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends

What changed in five years

Improved13

Declined5

Metro and micro areas like Tupelo, 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)

Federal grants & assistance

Top programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

Counties in Tupelo, 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

Improved13

Declined5

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 programs

Top recipients (organizations)

Top agencies

Assistance by fiscal year

County aggregates

By type

Top buying agencies

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

Top industries (NAICS)

What was bought