City profile · Mississippi · Census ACS 2023

Moorhead, MS

Moorhead's Census ACS profile: residents, income, housing, and the joined public-record layers available for this place.

1,370
Residents
$35,885
Median income
$85,600
Median home
$924
Median rent (state)
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State rank, size-class rank, and four peer cities for Moorhead.

Place dossier plate

Sheet MS-MOORHEAD-MS · Moorhead, MS 1,370 pop · income 5th pct

POP-VILLAGE · INC-LOW · COL-BELOW · SAFE-UNK · RANK-BOTTOM · PHOTO-FINISH · HOME-LOW · BOOK-UNK

  • POP-VILLAGE 1,370
  • INC-LOW $35,885
  • COL-BELOW 87.0
  • SAFE-UNK Safety pending
  • RANK-BOTTOM 5th
  • PHOTO-FINISH ≈ Cypress Quarters
  • HOME-LOW $85,600
  • BOOK-UNK Tracts pending

Nearest income peer: Cypress Quarters, FL (+ $8 income $)

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 Moorhead

Lowest/highest poles plus peers nearest Moorhead on median household income. Full ladder: /browse and /rankings.

median HH income

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.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2026-08-08

Compare beyond this state

Nationwide peers by population, income

Out-of-state nearest neighbors for Moorhead 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: 1,370.

4 peers

Similar household income

Nearest out-of-state cities by ACS median household income. This city: $35,885. Population peers are excluded.

4 peers

Moorhead - the verdict

Measured against every US city with at least 1,000 residents, Moorhead lands in the 5th percentile for household income. Source: Census ACS.

5th
percentile, household income
5th
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: Moorhead, MS

Census ACS 2023 estimates count 1,370 residents in Moorhead, a small town within Mississippi. The typical household in Moorhead brings in $35,885 a year, in the lower quartile of U.S. cities for household income, with a poverty rate of 20.5%. Typical homes in Moorhead are valued around $85,600, and the median resident age is 33.5 years. 18.5% of adults here have a bachelor's degree or higher; 29.4% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

The Census Building Permit Survey recorded 0 residential units authorized here in 2024 (No Permits). NOAA puts Moorhead's yearly average temperature at 64.2°F with 55.8 inches of precipitation per year and 0.5 inches of snowfall.

Living costs in Mississippi run below the national norm: the state registers 87.0 on a 100-equals-national-average index (Well Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. A typical two-bedroom carries a HUD Fair Market Rent of $924 per month statewide. EIA 2023 residential energy data puts Mississippi's average monthly utility costs around $223 (state average). 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 Moorhead'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 population change to housing and income to climate and hazard context to work and mobility to schools and households to comparison shortlist; another city can have a different sequence or fewer supported layers because the source joins are not uniform.

For Moorhead, city-specific coverage includes local building permits, matched public-school count, commute-mode shares, annual population history. No matched row is reported here for within-city Census tract profiles, FBI reported-crime rates; the page leaves those layers out instead of substituting a statewide or national value.

1. Population change

Is Moorhead growing, shrinking, or holding steady?

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 -177 residents from 2020 to 2025, a -9.2% change. Separately, Census BPS recorded 0 housing units authorized in 2024. PEP and ACS are different Census series, so the trend is kept separate from the headline ACS population.

See the national growth ranking →

Question 2

How far does income reach against housing in Moorhead?

The home-value-to-income reference is relatively compact: the ACS median home value is 2.4 times median household income. The ACS poverty estimate is 20.5%, 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. The ratio makes housing the clearest place to start this profile, but a low multiple can coexist with slow demand, older stock, or household-level hardship. Compare the home-value distribution and same-state peer table before treating it as an advantage.

Compare the housing trade-off →

Question 3

What physical conditions frame life in Moorhead?

NOAA normals put the annual mean temperature at 64.2°F, with 55.8 inches of precipitation and 0.5 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.

Read the source boundaries →

Question 4

Which cities make useful reference points for Moorhead?

Within Mississippi, the closest population matches are Columbus AFB (1,368 residents, $75,952 income); Wade (1,380 residents); Walls (1,392 residents, $54,375 income). Outside the state, the closest population matches in this dataset are Contoocook, NH (1,370 residents); Morgandale, OH (1,370 residents); Loretto, PA (1,370 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.

Open a side-by-side comparison →

Other supported questions

Why these stay compact

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 Moorhead?

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 69.6%. A reliable mean commute time is not available for this row, so the mode shares carry the comparison.

Public transit
1.9%
Work from home
8.8%
Drive alone
69.6%

City-level Census ACS commuting estimates covering 319 workers age 16+.

Compare commute patterns →

Schools and households

What does the education layer cover for Moorhead?

The NCES join finds 2 public schools within the city match. 18.5% 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 matched institution count is small, so district boundaries and schools outside the city line may matter more than the municipal count suggests. Use the number as a coverage cue, then verify attendance zones with the district before making a household decision.

Matched public schools
2
Bachelor's degree+
18.5%
Poverty estimate
20.5%

NCES Common Core of Data school locations plus Census ACS resident characteristics.

See how the family ranking is built →

Population

1,370 residents

Micro place (under 10k)

Median Household Income

$35,885 /yr

Lowest-decile income · poverty 20.5% (High poverty)

Cost of Living Index (state)

87.0 (US=100)

Very affordable · BEA RPP 2024, Mississippi average

City profile score · Moorhead, MS

33/100

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 F
18.5%

Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher; ACS.

Poverty rate F
20.5%

Share of residents below the poverty line; lower scores better on this axis.

Household income F
$35,885

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).

Moorhead profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions) 4-axis radar comparing 1 series across Cost of living, Bachelor's+ share, Poverty rate, Household income. Cost of livingBachelor's+ sharePoverty rateHousehold income 33 F
Moorhead profile (scored ACS/FBI dimensions)
Read the chart values
  • Cost of living: 97/100 (A+) · 87.0 index
  • Bachelor's+ share: 30/100 (F) · 18.5%
  • Poverty rate: 12/100 (F) · 20.5%
  • Household income: 1/100 (F) · $35,885

How does Moorhead compare to other US cities?

Where Moorhead sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure, computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 5% higher than other cities
Home value 5% pricier than other cities
Median rent 0% 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 Moorhead 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 Moorhead near the bottom of Mississippi's cities

Among the 395 Mississippi cities PlainCities tracks with reported median gross rent data, Moorhead ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide percentiles above: it compares Moorhead only against its own state's cities, not the full US field.

Median Household Income
#255 of 345
26th percentile in Mississippi
Median Gross Rent
#1 of 395
0th percentile in Mississippi
Median Home Value
#251 of 348
27th percentile in Mississippi
Poverty Rate
#162 of 393
58th percentile in Mississippi
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
#178 of 394
54th 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.

5thIncome percentile
Gauge source note

5th percentile nationally for median household income. Source: Census ACS 2023 / FBI UCR 2023.

How Moorhead's home value compares nationally

Median home value vs. every US city (population 1,000+)

$85,600 Among the most affordable more affordable than 95% of 15,600 US cities

Show national distribution $0–$25,000: 5 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $25,000–$50,000: 54 US cities (0%). Below this entry. $50,000–$75,000: 352 US cities (2%). Below this entry. $75,000–$100,000: 1,086 US cities (7%). This entry sits in this band. $100,000–$125,000: 1,516 US cities (10%). Above this entry. $125,000–$150,000: 1,170 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $150,000–$175,000: 1,278 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $175,000–$200,000: 1,229 US cities (8%). Above this entry. $200,000–$225,000: 1,035 US cities (7%). Above this entry. $225,000–$250,000: 976 US cities (6%). Above this entry. $250,000–$275,000: 754 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $275,000–$300,000: 712 US cities (5%). Above this entry. $300,000–$325,000: 521 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $325,000–$350,000: 526 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $350,000–$375,000: 465 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $375,000–$400,000: 393 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $400,000–$425,000: 317 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $425,000–$450,000: 300 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $450,000–$475,000: 307 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $475,000–$500,000: 250 US cities (2%). Above this entry. $500,000–$525,000: 160 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $525,000–$550,000: 156 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $550,000–$575,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $575,000–$600,000: 172 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $600,000–$625,000: 163 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $625,000–$650,000: 167 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $650,000–$675,000: 135 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $675,000–$700,000: 101 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $700,000–$725,000: 95 US cities (1%). Above this entry. $725,000–$750,000: 71 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $750,000–$775,000: 65 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $775,000–$800,000: 70 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $800,000–$825,000: 57 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $825,000–$850,000: 67 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $850,000–$875,000: 60 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $875,000–$900,000: 58 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $900,000–$925,000: 47 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $925,000–$950,000: 37 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $950,000–$975,000: 31 US cities (0%). Above this entry. $975,000–$1,000,000: 470 US cities (3%). Above this entry. $1,000,000–$1,025,000: 0 US cities (0%). Above this entry. Moorhead $0 $1,025,000 every US city, bucketed by value

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

Moorhead's home-value-to-income ratio: 2.4×

ACS median home value divided by median household income.

Band
affordable
< 3.0×
National rank
#3,403 of 15,516
More affordable than 78% of tracked cities (pop. 1,000+)
Size class
#3,109 of 11,323
Micro cities (under 10,000)

At 2.4×, Moorhead sits in the affordable band: national rank #3,403 of 15,516 and #3,109 of 11,323micro cities (under 10,000). 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

$35,885 Moorhead, MS median household income (Census ACS)

Show U.S. national quintile / Lorenz context Household income distribution - Moorhead, MS Moorhead, MS's median household income ($35,885) against the U.S. national quintile-share pattern. The Lorenz curve and quintile bars are national context, not Moorhead, MS-specific shares. $ Household Income Distribution Moorhead, MS median $35,885/yr, vs. U.S. national quintile pattern QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Moorhead, 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 Moorhead, MS.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 18.5%

Census ACS S1501, educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 20.5%

Census ACS S1701, poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 29.4%

Census ACS S2301, share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
1,370
Median Income
$35,885
Median Home Value
$85,600
Median Age
33.5
Poverty Rate
20.5%
Labor force participation
29.4%
Bachelor's Degree+
18.5%

Climate

Avg Temperature
64.2°F
Annual Precipitation
55.8"
Annual Snowfall
0.5"

Schools

Total Schools
2
Public schools in this city

Population Change

PEP vintage

Annual U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program (PEP) estimates, 2020–2025

See the fastest-growing cities →
1,700 residents1,800 residents1,900 residents2,000 residents 202020212022202320242025 1,931 residents 1,754 residents ▼ -9.2%
Moorhead's Census PEP population estimates, 2020–2025.
Read the chart as text
Period Population
2020 1,931 residents
2021 1,869 residents
2022 1,845 residents
2023 1,812 residents
2024 1,769 residents
2025 1,754 residents

Housing Supply

BPS source

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) - annual residential permits authorized

Total Permits (2024)
0
housing units authorized
Single-Family
0
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 0
2020 0
2021 0
2022 0
2023 0
2024 0

Commute Patterns

Commute source

How workers travel to work, Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
69.6%
Carpool
17.9%
Public Transit
1.9%
Walk
0.0%
Work from Home
8.8%
Other
1.8%

Based on 319 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 Moorhead. 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 Moorhead 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 Moorhead sits in; the FEMA hazard score shown here is a statewide average of county NRI inputs, not a parcel-level reading.

How Moorhead 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.

City Population Median Household Income
Moorhead (this city) 1,370 $35,885
Columbus AFB 1,368 $75,952
Wade 1,380 N/A
Walls 1,392 $54,375
NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024
Primary sources on this page

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.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Citation & verification links Data sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities

Primary sources: Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA Climate Normals, NCES. Joins use OMB Bulletin 23-01 / FIPS keys.

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Estimate caveats

ACS and UCR figures are citywide estimates with vintage lags; they do not replace a local visit, school visit, or insurance quote.

Editorial standards, provenance, and how to cite this page

Every 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.

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