Population
218 residents
Census ACS 2023 - Mississippi
City profile · Mississippi · Census ACS 2023
Bethlehem, MS
Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Bethlehem - drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.
- 218
- Residents
- $1,110
- Median rent (state)
Bethlehem - the verdict
Mississippi's Bethlehem counts 218 residents. Source: Census ACS.
- 30th
- 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: Bethlehem, MS
Bethlehem is a small town in Mississippi, home to 218 residents per U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. The median resident age is 11.6 years. Educational attainment runs 9.4% of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher. Separately, 75.5% of working-age residents are in the labor force.
Living costs in Mississippi run below the national norm: BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 puts Mississippi at 87.0 on a 100-equals-national-average scale (Well Below Average). Statewide, HUD pegs Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom unit at $1,110 monthly. Monthly utility costs average around $223 across Mississippi, per EIA 2023 residential energy estimates. Natural-hazard exposure scores 71.2 out of 100 on FEMA's National Risk Index (High).
Median Household Income
N/A /yr
Poverty 70.2%
Cost of Living Index (state)
87.0 (US=100)
Well Below Average - BEA RPP 2024, Mississippi average
How does Bethlehem compare to other US cities?
Bethlehem measured against every US city with 1,000+ residents, computed live from the same Census and FBI data shown throughout this page.
Median rent 30% 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 Bethlehem against every qualifying US city; each in-state rank narrows that to Mississippi only. Full formula and direction notes: methodology.
Mississippi-relative analysis
Poverty Rate is Bethlehem's strongest outlier among Mississippi cities
Among the 393 Mississippi cities PlainCities tracks with reported poverty rate data, Bethlehem ranks #7 - the 98th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Bethlehem only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.
Median Gross Rent
#62 of 395
83rd percentile in Mississippi
Poverty Rate
#7 of 393
98th percentile in Mississippi
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#313 of 394
21st percentile in Mississippi
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.
Income distribution context
Median household income is not available for Bethlehem in the current Census ACS release (common for very small places).
Key socioeconomic indicators
Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 9.4%
Census ACS S1501, educational attainment
Poverty rate (households below FPL) 70.2%
Census ACS S1701, poverty status
Labor force participation (adults 16+) 75.5%
Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force
Population
218
Median Income
N/A
Median Home Value
N/A
Median Age
11.6
Poverty Rate
70.2%
Labor force participation
75.5%
Bachelor's Degree+
9.4%
Commute Patterns
How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023
Drive Alone
78.8%
Carpool
21.3%
Public Transit
0.0%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
0.0%
Based on 80 workers 16 and over.
Monthly Utility Costs
State-average estimates for Mississippi - EIA 2023 residential energy data
Electricity
$135
avg/month
Natural Gas
$50
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$38
avg/month
Total Utilities
$223
estimated/month
Estimates reflect Mississippi state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.
Living Costs & Risk
Cost of living is a Mississippi state average from BEA; rent and hazard risk are county-level figures from HUD and FEMA for the county Bethlehem sits in
Cost of Living Index
87.0
Well Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$1,110/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
County-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
71.2 / 100
High
FEMA NRI composite score (county)
Similar Cities in Mississippi
Cities of a Similar Size Nationwide
Population-matched peers from other states, closest to Bethlehem's 218 residents (Census ACS 5-Year 2023).
Race & Ethnicity Composition
City-level race and ethnicity, Census ACS 5-year 2023 (tables B02001, B03001), OMB Directive 15 categories.
How Bethlehem compares to nearby Mississippi cities
Population + median household income, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
| City | Population | Median Household Income |
|---|---|---|
| Bethlehem (this city) | 218 | N/A |
| Lula | 218 | $38,333 |
| Doddsville | 219 | $31,458 |
| Ethel | 217 | $36,389 |
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MS OMB Bulletin 23-01
What do people ask about Bethlehem, MS?
What is the population of Bethlehem, MS? +
218 people live in Bethlehem, MS according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the cost of living in Bethlehem? +
BEA does not publish a city-level cost-of-living figure for Bethlehem; the closest available measure is the Mississippi state average, a cost of living index of 87.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Well Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data. Costs within Mississippi vary by metro area.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, 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.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES.
Citation & verification links
Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCitiesEvery figure on PlainCities is rendered directly from Census ACS source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on Census ACS source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.