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Compare towns

Marks vs Shaw

53 miles apart. The biggest differences: property tax bill (+79% in Marks) and rent (+58% in Marks).

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Marks, MSOne of the healthiest townsMississippi · 1,377 people
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Shaw, MSOne of the healthiest townsMississippi · 1,508 people
Swap order
Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

MarksOne of the healthiest towns
Health98% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates SchoolsBetter than 63%of MS districts All about Marks →
ShawOne of the healthiest towns
Health99% of U.S. towns are healthieron CDC estimates Housing$93K typical home53% below the MS typical home SchoolsBetter than 12%of MS districts All about Shaw →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Property tax bill+79%
Tax bills are bigger in Marks
Marks $1,478Shaw $828
Rent+58%
Rent runs higher in Marks
Marks $876Shaw $556
Jobs per worker2.8×
Marks is more of a job hub
Marks 0.78Shaw 0.28
Growth since 2010+8.6 pts
Marks has grown faster since 2010
Marks -16.8%Shaw -25.4%
Work in town+13.2 pts
More of Marks’s workers stay in town
Marks 16.7%Shaw 3.5%
Typical home built15 yrs
Marks’s homes are older
Shaw 1976Marks 1961
★ What stands out · Report cards

Grades and rankings, side by side

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Mississippi ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Schools
BMarksBetter than 63% of districts in the state DShawBetter than 12% of districts in the state
Health
D−MarksHealthier than 2% of U.S. towns D−ShawHealthier than under 1% of U.S. towns
Monthly cost

A typical home costs about the same each month

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Marks$630/mo
Typical home $97K (Census) · tax rate 1.53% · or rent about $876/mo · Housing →
Shaw$550/mo
Typical home $93K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.81% · or rent about $556/mo · Housing →

The difference: $80 a month, about $1,000 a year, between Marks and Shaw.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
MarksShaw
Snow a year0″2″
January low32°F33°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)233d248d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)57th65th
Outdoors & history
MarksShaw
Settled1907—
National Register places11
Archive photos1210
Famous people born here66
Community
MarksShaw
Library hours a week40 hrs—
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

53 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

MarksMSShawMS
Marks ↔ Shaw53 miles apart
Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

MarksShaw
People
Population 1,377Lowest 1,508Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -16.8%Highest -25.4%Lowest
Median age 38.9±7.4Highest about the MS average 38.8±7.8Lowest about the MS average
Marks and Shaw are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 23.4%±4.8Lowest MS: 23.3% 26.7%±7Highest MS: 23.3%
Shaw and Marks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 16%±3.7Lowest MS: 17.2% 17.8%±5.3Highest MS: 17.2%
Shaw and Marks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 24.5%Highest MS: 25.1% 16.3%Lowest MS: 25.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.7%±3.3Highest MS: 6.1% 4.8%±3.4Lowest MS: 6.1%
Marks and Shaw are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $32,132±$11kHighest 43% below MS $30,469±$11kLowest 46% below MS
Marks and Shaw are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $96,700±$7kLowest 43% below MS $102,100±$96kHighest 40% below MS
Shaw and Marks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly $876±$110Highest 8% below MS $556±$51Lowest 42% below MS
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,478Highest 22% above MS $828Lowest 32% below MS
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 46.1%±19.7Highest MS: 51.3% 45.9%±21.7Lowest MS: 51.3%
Marks and Shaw are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line 18.5%Lowest MS: 18.9% 37.5%Highest MS: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 66%Highest MS: 70% 62.8%Lowest MS: 70%
Typical home builtmedian year 1961Lowest 25 yrs older than MS 1976Highest 10 yrs older than MS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 26 minHighest about the MS average 23 minLowest 12% below MS
Work from home 6.1%±5.8Highest MS: 5.9% 0%±2.5Lowest MS: 5.9%
Marks and Shaw are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Work in townworking residents 16.7%Highest 3.5%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 27.8 miHighest 20.8 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.78Highest 0.28Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Memphis (9%)Cleveland (19%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ShawFew work in Marks
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 7.5%Highest 0%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 0.9 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.7 miHighest 0.0 miLowest
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 102Lowest 120Highest
Schools
School district Quitman County School DistrictWest Bolivar Consolidated School District
High school in town None in townShaw High School
Students per teacherat that high school — 11.4
Mississippi average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Marks neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Marks’s Town Square.

Shaw neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Shaw’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Marks and Shaw

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Marks

+ Compare
Shelby1,700 people · $90K homes
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Port Gibson1,261 people · $114K homes
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Charleston1,979 people · $89K homes
+ Compare
Lexington1,350 people · $89K homes

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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