Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 9,257, settled in 1860.
Booneville gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $138K, 2.2 years of the Tupelo area’s $63K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 32nd among Mississippi's 99 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. Its police reported 34 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 88% of U.S. towns. 33% of working residents work locally in Booneville, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 8%. Booneville is home to Northeast Mississippi Community College. Booneville's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Booneville beats most towns.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Northeast Mississippi Community College | 2,562 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Booneville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for safety (better than 12%), so the C+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 458 in 1870, 9,126 in 2020. The archive holds 14 old photos and papers going back to 1936 and 2 maps from 1921 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Booneville, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Booneville.
Booneville draws workers from Corinth and beyond, fares better on crime within Mississippi than nationally and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
5,651 jobs are based in Booneville, 1.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 19.6 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
About one in 3 of Booneville’s working residents works in town. Booneville’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. Jobs based in Booneville grew to 5,651 in 2023, 428 more than in 2013.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 15% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $51,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Booneville School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Booneville High School, with 370 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anderson Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 551 | A− |
| Booneville High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 370 | A |
| R.H. Long Booneville Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 416 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
At 46.1 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 73% of Mississippi’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 375 to 277 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Booneville is 25.8 per 1,000 residents. Booneville reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 88% report less. The violent crime rate in Booneville is 3.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 25.8 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 2.2 years of the Tupelo area’s $63K median household income, the typical home (about $138K) costs less against local pay than in 83% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its A+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $138K, is 10% below its August 2022 peak.
Only 6 of the 96 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower median rent than Booneville. The typical Booneville home is worth about $138,000, up 3.9% in a year, 29% below the Mississippi typical home.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $645 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 6,098 U.S. towns with household incomes like Booneville’s, it is healthier than 70%, so its C isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 61% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
Booneville beats the Mississippi average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 32% of adults get no exercise outside work in Booneville. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Booneville.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Booneville | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 12.1% | 15.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 3.6% | 4.5% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 76.8% | 79.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Booneville weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 216 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 89% of Mississippi places with climate records. The Booneville weather station records that about 41 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 98% of Mississippi places with climate records.
Booneville has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 90°, January nights drop to 31° and about 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 30% of residents (22% statewide). 20% of Booneville residents are under 18. 28% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 34 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 24% | 22% |
| Aged 65 or older | 15% | 17% | 18% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Booneville | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.4% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.1% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.4% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.1% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.8% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 13.3% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.7% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.7% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
2.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Swift Park, at 82 acres.
| Booneville | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.6% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Swift Park | 0.9 mi | 82 |
| 2. Booneville City Park | 0.5 mi | 20 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 50% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Booneville since 2012.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Booneville. Close and well known come first.
15 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
18 mi National Military ParkShiloh National Military Park347K visitors a year
29 mi MuseumElvis Presley Birthplace
14 mi National park siteBrices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site2K visitors a year
30 mi National BattlefieldTupelo National Battlefield686 visitors a year
29 mi MuseumTupelo Automobile MuseumNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Shiloh National Military Park: Ernest Mettendorf, Public domain · Elvis Presley Birthplace: Markuskun at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site: Wilson44691, Public domain · Tupelo National Battlefield: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tupelo Automobile Museum: James Case from Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.A., CC BY 2.0
1 within 15 miles of the center of Booneville
College town 15 of every 100 Booneville residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Booneville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 notable people were born in Booneville.
City in Mississippi, United States
Booneville is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi and is the county seat of Prentiss County. It is located in the hilly North Mississippi region, and ecologically is part of the Southeastern Plains region. The city of Booneville is nicknamed "the City of Hospitality," in reference to the town's southern hospitality. The city flag, welcome sign, and city website have an image of a magnolia blossom, a symbol of hospitality as well as the state flower of Mississippi. Booneville was incorporated in 1861 and named after R.H. Boone, a relative of Daniel Boone. As of the 2020 census, Booneville had a population of 9,126. It is one of 21 certified Mississippi retirement cities. Booneville is ho…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Booneville grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #32 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades C for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A+.
9 notable people were born here, including Hayden Thompson and Travis Childers.
