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Place dossier plate
SheetMS-JACKSON-MS · Jackson, MS 149,827 pop · income 11th pct · 67 tracts
Instrument codes from this place’s ACS population and household income, BEA state COL, FBI safety, national income percentile, photo-finish peer city, home-value band, and matched Census-tract book - not a moving recommendation.
Income neighbourhood around Jackson
Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Jackson on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.
median HH income
Hooven · lowest
43,229
Hooven · lowest
43,229 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #1
Moberly · near
43,231
Moberly · near
43,231 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #2
Lancaster · near
43,234
Lancaster · near
43,234 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #3
Jackson · this city
43,238
Jackson · this city
43,238 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #4
Decatur · near
43,239
Decatur · near
43,239 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #5
Barnwell · near
43,239
Barnwell · near
43,239 median HH income
28.6% of the leader · rank #6
Naperville · highest
150,937
Naperville · highest
150,937 median HH income
100.0% of the leader · rank #7
What this shows Neighbourhood peers only - not a full nationwide city board. Open a near peer when the gap is small; open the poles when the spread is wide.
Compare beyond this state
Nationwide peers by population, income
Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Jackson on ACS population and median household income
. Link sets are deduped so each column is a distinct comparison path, not a forecast that peers share a labor market or climate.
Similar population
Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS population. This city: 149,827.
Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Jackson lands in the 11th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.
11th
percentile, household income
12th
percentile, home value
0th
percentile, median rent
📝 How we sourced this
Population, income, and housing-cost figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (B-series tables). Crime data uses FBI UCR; climate uses NOAA Climate Normals; school counts come from NCES Common Core of Data; permits use the Census Building Permits Survey (BPS). See our methodology page for the full ETL pipeline and OMB / FIPS join keys.
Data Snapshot: Jackson, MS
Census ACS 2023 estimates count 149,827 residents in Jackson, a mid-sized U.S. city within Mississippi. Jackson households earn a median of $43,238 annually, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 20.9%. Jackson's housing stock carries a median value of $108,200, and the median resident age is 34.7 years. Educational attainment runs 28.6% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 54.8% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 50 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 85% from five years earlier. The annual average temperature per NOAA climate normals runs 65.4°F with 57.4 inches of precipitation per year and 1.0 inches of snowfall.
Living costs in Mississippi run below the national norm: on BEA's 100-equals-national-average cost index, Mississippi scores 87.0 (Well Below Average), per the 2024 Regional Price Parities release. Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $924 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $223 across Mississippi, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Workers in Jackson report an average commute of 18.6 minutes, with 75.1% driving alone and 8.1% working from home. Natural-hazard exposure scores 50.9 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (Low).
A decision-led reading path
Useful questions to ask of Jackson's data
How this reading path is ordered
This is not a composite city score. It is a city-specific route through the available public records, ordered for this profile so the page starts with questions the joined data can actually answer. The route here runs from climate and hazard context to housing and income to work and mobility to population change to comparison shortlist to within-city variation to schools and households; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.
For Jackson, city-specific coverage includes annual population history, local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, within-city Census tract profiles.
No matched row is reported here for FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.
Question 1
What physical conditions frame life in Jackson?
NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 65.4°F, with 57.4 inches of precipitation and 1.0 inches of annual snowfall. FEMA's state-averaged National Risk Index score for Mississippi is 50.9 out of 100. Climate normals describe long-run weather; the FEMA score on PlainCities is a state average of county NRI inputs and combines hazards, exposure, vulnerability, and resilience.
The two sources should not be blended into one comfort or safety score. Use the climate values for baseline conditions and the risk index as a prompt to inspect specific hazards, insurance, and local emergency guidance for a particular address.
How far does income reach against housing in Jackson?
The home-value-to-income reference sits in a middle range: the ACS median home value is 2.5 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 20.9%, which keeps the citywide median from describing every household.
This is a citywide price-to-income reference, not a mortgage-affordability test; it does not include interest rates, taxes, insurance, household size, or an individual buyer's down payment. Income and home value move within the same broad scale here. The useful next check is not a generic affordability label, but whether similar-size cities offer a materially different income, housing, or commute trade-off.
Which cities make useful reference points for Jackson?
Within Mississippi, the closest population matches are Gulfport (72,533 residents, $46,044 income); Southaven (55,531 residents, $76,159 income); Biloxi (49,011 residents, $55,958 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Joliet, IL (149,785 residents); Escondido, CA (149,913 residents); Surprise, AZ (149,519 residents). A third, income-matched reference set of 6 out-of-state cities sits in the income neighbourhood chart near the Place Dossier plate. These are mechanical peer sets, not claims that the places share a labor market, climate, culture, or metro context.
Use the in-state set to hold state policy and broad price conditions more nearly constant. Use the nationwide size set to ask whether cities with a similar resident count produce different housing, income, or commute outcomes. The income set is a third lens, deliberately separate from population matching.
That layer breaks the citywide income, rent, and home-value medians into smaller Census geographies, which can reveal differences that one municipal median necessarily hides. A tract is a statistical area, not a locally defined neighborhood or a promise about conditions on a particular block. Start with the city profile for the broad comparison, then use the tract layer to test whether the same housing and income pattern is consistent across the city. Large within-city spreads are a reason to avoid treating any citywide median as a universal resident experience.
PlainCities matches 67 Census tracts to this city.
These joined records add useful context, but they do not need another full-size panel. Each remains a separate measure with its own geography and source boundary.
Work and mobility
What does the journey to work look like in Jackson?
Mode share answers how workers usually travel; it does not measure congestion, reliability, distance to a particular job, or the quality of transit service. No single mode completely explains the work trip here. The mix is more useful than a one-number commute grade, especially when comparing places where transit, walking, and remote work divide the non-driving share differently.
Driving alone is the largest reported mode at 75.1%. The reported mean trip to work is 18.6 minutes.
Public transit
0.6%
Work from home
8.1%
Drive alone
75.1%
City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 63,056 workers age 16+.
Recent estimates point downward. A falling count can reflect migration, household size, annexation boundaries, or estimation noise, so it is a prompt to inspect the full series rather than a claim about local economic health.
Census PEP estimates show the population declined by -11,829 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -7.7% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 50 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.
Period change
-7.7%
2025 estimate
141,196
2020 estimate
153,025
Census Population Estimates Program, 2020–2025; permit context uses Census BPS.
The NCES join finds 9 public schools within the city match. 28.6% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher in the ACS estimate. These measures answer different questions: the school count describes local institutions, while adult attainment describes residents and cannot be used as a school-quality rating.
The city has a broader matched school footprint, but count alone does not describe performance, capacity, program availability, or attendance boundaries. This profile deliberately avoids converting it into an unsupported family-friendliness score.
Matched public schools
9
Bachelor's degree+
28.6%
Poverty estimate
20.9%
NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.
Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Mississippi average
D
City profile score · Jackson, MS
41/100
4 published dimensions · ACS/FBI 2023
Comparative score against U.S. cities with population of 1,000 or more on Census ACS medians
(income, poverty, bachelor's share, cost of living) and FBI UCR violent-crime rates when
published. Higher means a stronger standing on those published figures, not a livability
rating, not a recommendation to move, buy, or pick a "best" city. Missing inputs drop out
and redistribute weight.
How it is calculated.
Cost of living A+
87.0 index
BEA state Regional Price Parities index (100 ≈ national average); lower is stronger on this axis. Same value for every city in the state.
Bachelor's+ share C
28.6%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.
Poverty rate F
20.9%
Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.
Household income F
$43,238
Median household income vs U.S. cities (pop ≥1,000); ACS.
Violent crime N/A
N/A
No FBI UCR violent-crime rate for this place (coverage is incomplete).
Jackson profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)Read the chart values
Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 87.0 index
Bachelor's+ share: 56/100 (C) · 28.6%
Poverty rate: 12/100 (F) · 20.9%
Household income: 11/100 (F) · $43,238
How does Jackson compare to other US cities?
Where Jackson sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.
Household income11% higher than other cities
Home value12% pricier than other cities
Median rent0% pricier than other cities
"Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.
How we calculate these percentiles & ranks
Each percentile compares Jackson against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Mississippi only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Mississippi-relative analysis
Median Gross Rent places Jackson near the bottom of Mississippi's cities
Among the 395 Mississippi cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Jackson ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Jackson only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Household Income
#191 of 345
45th percentile in Mississippi
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 395
0th percentile in Mississippi
Median Home Value
#179 of 348
49th percentile in Mississippi
Poverty Rate
#157 of 393
60th percentile in Mississippi
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#70 of 394
82nd percentile in Mississippi
How in-state ranks are ordered
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "better" for every measure, see each metric's own context above. This is a comparison within Mississippi only, not a livability score. See the methodology for the source and calculation.
Gauge source note
11th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.
How Jackson's home value compares nationally
Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)
$108,200Among the most affordablemore affordable than 88% of 15,600 US cities
Show national distribution
Each bar is a $25K-wide band; taller bars hold more US cities. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2023
Jackson's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.5×
ACS median home value divided by median household income.
Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#4,002 of 15,516
More affordable than 74% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#36 of 750
Mid-size cities (50,000–199,999)
At 2.5×, Jackson sits in the affordable band:
national rank #4,002 of 15,516 and #36 of 750mid-size cities (50,000–199,999).
The multiple is comparatively compact among tracked cities, but a low ratio can still coexist with slow demand or household-level hardship.
How this ratio is calculated
Ratio = Census ACS 2023 median home value ÷ median household income for cities with both fields and population ≥ 1,000.
Rank 1 = lowest ratio (most compact). Bands match the fleet affordability thresholds used on guides (<3.0 / 3.0–5.0 / >5.0).
This is not a mortgage payment estimate and does not include rates, taxes, insurance, or down payment.
Income distribution context
$43,238Jackson, MS median household income (Census ACS)
Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Jackson, MS median household income (Census ACS 5-year) with U.S. national quintile shares for context. Diagonal = equality; the curve is national, not computed for Jackson, MS.
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+)28.6%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL)20.9%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+)54.8%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
149,827
Median Income
$43,238
Median Home Value
$108,200
Median Age
34.7
Poverty Rate
20.9%
Labor force participation
54.8%
Bachelor's Degree+
28.6%
Climate
Avg Temperature
65.4°F
Annual Precipitation
57.4"
Annual Snowfall
1.0"
Schools
Total Schools
9
Public schools in this city
Population Change
PEP vintage
Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025
Jackson's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.Read the chart as text
Period
Population
2020
153,025 residents
2021
149,528 residents
2022
145,870 residents
2023
143,623 residents
2024
142,042 residents
2025
141,196 residents
Housing Supply
BPS source
Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized
📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
50
housing units authorized
Single-Family
37
detached homes
Multifamily
13
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
0.3
permits per 1,000 residents
5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)
Year
Total
Single-Family
Multifamily
Est. Value
2019
330
10
320
$37.1M
2020
15
12
3
$4.1M
2021
11
11
0
$2.7M
2022
50
50
0
$9.2M
2023
39
39
0
$7.3M
2024
50
37
13
$9.8M
Permit volume decreased 85% from 2019 to 2024.
Commute Patterns
Commute source
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Average Commute Time
18.6 minutes
Drive Alone
75.1%
Carpool
14.2%
Public Transit
0.6%
Walk
1.4%
Work from Home
8.1%
Other
0.6%
Based on 63,056 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
Mississippi statewide monthly utility average (EIA 2023): $223
EIA 2023 residential energy data puts average monthly utilities across Mississippi at $223 (electricity about $135 , water and sewer about $38 ).
These are Mississippi statewide averages, not a meter reading for Jackson. Actual bills vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Mississippi's BEA cost-of-living index is 87.0 (Well Below Average; US average = 100, RPP 2024). HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in the county around Jackson is $924/mo. FEMA's National Risk Index, averaged to Mississippi statewide on PlainCities, rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.9 / 100 (Low).
Cost/risk geography note
Cost of living is a Mississippi statewide BEA average; rent is a county-level HUD Fair Market Rent for the county Jackson sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.
How Jackson compares to similar-size Mississippi cities
Same-state peer method
Closest same-state population matches, not geographic neighbors. Population + median household income come from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 and B19013.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.