How Columbus compares across Mississippi
Columbus is ranked on 34 lists against the 104 Mississippi towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 1.
Hotter summers than 91% of Mississippi
Not better or worse, just Columbus’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
1 spot from the top 25 for conserved land
Lists where Columbus sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Columbus lands in the top half on 15 of 22 lists
Each dot is Columbus’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MS, the right end is last. Areas where Columbus does best come first.
The lists Columbus does best on
Each list ranks every MS town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Columbus marked.
Where Columbus lands in every MS ranking
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
U Shortest commute#1 University · 9.2 min #25Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Gulf Hills · 25.3%
#26
Most trails#1 Oxford · 1.2 mi / sq mi
#64
Most walkable#1 Gulf Park Estates · 98.8 / sq mi
#28 Health
Healthiest#1 Madison · 92 / 100
#62
M
Lowest obesity#1 Mississippi State · 26%
#46
M
Fewest smokers#1 Mississippi State · 8%
#52
G
Most active#1 Gluckstadt · 21%
#64
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 5%
#51
Lowest depression#1 Leakesville · 16%
#27
Closest to a top hospital#1 Oxford · 0.4 mi
#37 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pearl River · 1.1 yrs
#38
Cheapest rent#1 Newton · $423/mo
#49
Lowest property tax#1 Pearl River · $331/yr
#41
Rent easiest to afford#1 Brandon · 36.9%
#16 People
U Most educated#1 University · 80% #41 U Youngest#1 University · 19.1 #80
Oldest#1 Bay St. Louis · 53.3
#25
Most residents 65+#1 Diamondhead · 28.8%
#19
Most kids#1 New Hope · 34.5%
#90 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Oxford · 21.6%
#51
Most new homes#1 Pass Christian · 16.4 per 1,000
#65
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Batesville · +73.1%
#48
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Clinton · 5.3 per home
#7 
Climate
Snowiest#1 Holly Springs · 2.3 in
Least snow#1 Jackson · 1.0 in
Mildest winters#1 Pascagoula · 42.9°
#75
Hottest summers#1 Laurel · 92.2°
#10
Coolest summers#1 Ocean Springs · 89.2°
#88
Longest growing season#1 Biloxi · 301 days
#51
Wettest#1 Moss Point · 66 in
#93 Safety
Safest#1 Madison · 6.2
The number on the right is Columbus’s spot. All of Mississippi’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MS list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.