Madison is #1 in Mississippi for health
Madison is ranked on 36 lists against the 104 Mississippi towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 10 and the top quarter on 14.
Madison is on Mississippi’s podium 6 times
Each list ranks every MS town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Madison marked.
1 spot from the top 10 for public schools
Lists where Madison sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Madison lands in the top half on 16 of 22 lists
Each dot is Madison’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MS, the right end is last. Areas where Madison does best come first.
Older than 82% of Mississippi
Not better or worse, just Madison’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Madison 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 Madison 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
#1
M
Lowest obesity#1 Mississippi State · 26%
#3
M
Fewest smokers#1 Mississippi State · 8%
#2
G
Most active#1 Gluckstadt · 21%
#1
Fewest uninsured#1 Madison · 5%
#1
Lowest depression#1 Leakesville · 16%
#9
Closest to a top hospital#1 Oxford · 0.4 mi
#94 Safety
Safest#1 Madison · 6.2
#1 People
U Most educated#1 University · 80% #3 U Youngest#1 University · 19.1 #84
Oldest#1 Bay St. Louis · 53.3
#20
Most residents 65+#1 Diamondhead · 28.8%
#58
Most kids#1 New Hope · 34.5%
#31 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Gulf Hills · 25.3%
#35
Most trails#1 Oxford · 1.2 mi / sq mi
#41
Most walkable#1 Gulf Park Estates · 98.8 / sq mi
#16 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Oxford · 21.6%
#50
Most new homes#1 Pass Christian · 16.4 per 1,000
#28
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Batesville · +73.1%
#41
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Clinton · 5.3 per home
#9 Getting around
U Shortest commute#1 University · 9.2 min #64
The number on the right is Madison’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.