Florence makes Mississippi’s top 10 on 2 lists
Florence is ranked on 34 lists against the 104 Mississippi towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 2 and the top quarter on 6.
More kids than 97% of Mississippi
Not better or worse, just Florence’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Florence does best on
Each list ranks every MS town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Florence marked.
Florence lands in the top half on 10 of 20 lists
Each dot is Florence’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MS, the right end is last. Areas where Florence does best come first.
2 spots from the top 25 for new homes
Lists where Florence sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Florence out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Every MS list, and where Florence lands
38 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Madison · 92 / 100
#33
M
Lowest obesity#1 Mississippi State · 26%
#32
M
Fewest smokers#1 Mississippi State · 8%
#35
G
Most active#1 Gluckstadt · 21%
#24
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 5%
#21
Lowest depression#1 Leakesville · 16%
#93
Closest to a top hospital#1 Oxford · 0.4 mi
#98 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Oxford · 21.6%
#83
Most new homes#1 Pass Christian · 16.4 per 1,000
#27
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Batesville · +73.1%
#51
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Clinton · 5.3 per home
#19 People
U Most educated#1 University · 80% #62 U Youngest#1 University · 19.1 #35
Oldest#1 Bay St. Louis · 53.3
#70
Most residents 65+#1 Diamondhead · 28.8%
#96
Most kids#1 New Hope · 34.5%
#4 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 Pearl River · 1.1 yrs
#84
Cheapest rent#1 Newton · $423/mo
#55
Lowest property tax#1 Pearl River · $331/yr
#77
Rent easiest to afford#1 Brandon · 36.9%
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Gulf Hills · 25.3%
#72
Most trails#1 Oxford · 1.2 mi / sq mi
Most walkable#1 Gulf Park Estates · 98.8 / sq mi
#82 Getting around
U Shortest commute#1 University · 9.2 min #94Climate
Snowiest#1 Holly Springs · 2.3 in
#17
Least snow#1 Jackson · 1.0 in
#1
Mildest winters#1 Pascagoula · 42.9°
#46
Hottest summers#1 Laurel · 92.2°
#14
Coolest summers#1 Ocean Springs · 89.2°
#92
Longest growing season#1 Biloxi · 301 days
#41
Wettest#1 Moss Point · 66 in
#44 Safety
Safest#1 Madison · 6.2
The number on the right is Florence’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.