City profile · Mississippi · Census ACS 2023

Tupelo, MS

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Tupelo — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

37,825
Residents
$66,314
Median income
$201,300
Median home
$924
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Tupelo, MS

Tupelo is a city in Mississippi with a population of 37,825 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $66,314 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 9.3%. Typical homes in Tupelo are valued around $201,300, and the median resident age is 38.4 years. About 35.1% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 59.7% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 87 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Construction Slowdown), down 38% from five years earlier. FBI UCR reporting places total crime at 4168.3 incidents per 1,000 residents, above the national average, indicating elevated public-safety concerns. NOAA climate normals record an annual average temperature of 62.1°F with 57.9 inches of precipitation per year and 0.8 inches of snowfall.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Mississippi registers 87.0 (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $924 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $223 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.9 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

37,825 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Mississippi

Median Household Income

$66,314 /yr

Poverty 9.3%

Cost of Living Index

87.0 (US=100)

Below Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Tupelo compare to other US cities?

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

Household income 45% higher than other cities
Home value 43% pricier than other cities
Median rent 0% pricier than other cities
Safety 7% safer than other cities

Percentiles compare Tupelo against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Tupelo, MS Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Tupelo, MS. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Tupelo, MS — median $66,314/yr — Census ACS quintile shares 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%
Household income distribution for Tupelo, MS — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 35.1%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 9.3%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 59.7%

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

Population
37,825
Median Income
$66,314
Median Home Value
$201,300
Median Age
38.4
Poverty Rate
9.3%
Labor force participation
59.7%
Bachelor's Degree+
35.1%

Safety & Crime

Total Crime Rate
4168.3
per 1,000 residents
Violent Crime
391.0
per 1,000 residents
Property Crime
3777.3
per 1,000 residents

Climate

Avg Temperature
62.1°F
Annual Precipitation
57.9"
Annual Snowfall
0.8"

Schools

Total Schools
12
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

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

📉 Construction Slowdown
Total Permits (2024)
87
housing units authorized
Single-Family
85
detached homes
Multifamily
2
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
2.3
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 141
2020 138
2021 101
2022 82
2023 102
2024 87

Permit volume decreased 38% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Drive Alone
86.7%
Carpool
6.8%
Public Transit
0.3%
Walk
0.4%
Work from Home
5.1%
Other
0.7%

Based on 17,708 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

Mississippi state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
87.0
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$924/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
50.9 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Tupelo, MS Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Tupelo, MS — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Tupelo compares to nearby Mississippi cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Tupelo) plus the nearest peer cities in Mississippi, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MS

Tupelo

66.31% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$66,314
Brackets
38
Selected

MS

Meridian

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$3,450
Brackets
34
Selected

MS

Olive Branch

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,650
Brackets
47
Selected

MS

Greenville

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$2,880
Brackets
29
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MS FBI UCR NOAA Normals NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Tupelo, MS?

What is the population of Tupelo, MS? +

Tupelo, MS has a population of 37,825 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Tupelo, MS? +

The median household income in Tupelo is $66,314 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Tupelo? +

Tupelo has a cost of living index of 87.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

Is Tupelo, MS safe? +

Tupelo has a total crime rate of 4168.3 per 1,000 residents, which is above the national average. Source: FBI UCR data.

What is the median home value in Tupelo, MS? +

The median home value in Tupelo is $201,300, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the climate like in Tupelo? +

Tupelo has an average annual temperature of 62.1°F, 57.9 inches of precipitation, and 0.8 inches of snowfall per year. Source: NOAA Climate Normals.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, FBI UCR, 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.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

Verify with HUD →

Verify with FBI →

Verify with NOAA →

Verify with U.S. Census Bureau →

Verify with EPA →

Verify with FEMA →

Verify with BEA →

Verify with EIA →

Verify with NCES →