Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Clarksdale grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of health and incomes. On CDC health estimates it is near the bottom nationally. The median household income is $36K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Clarksdale, above both Mississippi’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Only 14 of Mississippi’s 184 towns score lower on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Myrtle Hall Branch Library for Negroes and Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Passenger Depot.
Where Clarksdale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Passenger Depot
John Lee Hooker| Widest gap | Clarksdale | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.6% | 11.2% |
Census counts: 781 in 1890, a peak of 21,673 in 1970, 14,903 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1890 and 2 maps from 1935 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Clarksdale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Clarksdale, 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 Clarksdale.
Clarksdale has homes that are cheap against local pay, but it has poverty well above the Mississippi rate and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 1.5 years of the Clarksdale area’s $37K median household income, the typical home (about $56K) costs less against local pay than in 94% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The typical value, about $56K, is 42% below its November 2021 peak.
The typical Clarksdale home is worth about $56,000, up 2.4% in a year, 71% below the Mississippi typical home. 46% of households own their home in Clarksdale.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 46% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $774 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Clarksdale Municipal School District. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 652 | D− |
| Clarksdale High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 10–12 | Grades 10–12 | 473 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
23% of Clarksdale adults have diabetes. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 5 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Clarksdale. 47% of Clarksdale adults have obesity.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 55% | 45% | 35% |
| What stands out | Clarksdale | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.6% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 22.6% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
5.2 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Nosef Park, at 36 acres.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.8% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nosef Park | 0.2 mi | 36 |
| 2. Soldiers Field – American Legion Fairgrounds | — | 13 |
| 3. Sasse Street Park | — | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Clarksdale has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Clarksdale is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
74 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 74 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Clarksdale.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here fell from 6,317 in 2013 to 5,016. The average commute for its 5,316 working residents takes 17.9 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
Clarksdale’s average trip to work is 18 minutes. Jobs based in Clarksdale fell to 5,016 in 2023, 1,301 fewer than in 2013. Only 7 of the 99 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower median household income than Clarksdale.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $36,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.7% | 5.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No town among the 57 in Mississippi we compare has a higher violent crime rate than Clarksdale. Clarksdale's reported crime rate is well above Mississippi's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.9 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 28.4 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
40.3% of residents live below the poverty line, against 18.9% across Mississippi, which weighs on its D− for jobs and income. Only 45.9% of households own their home, against 70% across Mississippi.
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (23% statewide). Clarksdale has lost 8.4% of its people since 2020, down to 13,643 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 19% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Clarksdale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 34.9 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 25% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.5 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 36.9, men 32.7.
| Clarksdale | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.3% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.8% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.3% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 18.5% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.5% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.1% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.2% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.2% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1 within 15 miles of the center of Clarksdale
About 5 of every 100 Clarksdale residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
17,962 counted in 2010 and 14,903 in 2020; an estimated 13,643 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 8.4% since 2020, after 17% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
8 places in Clarksdale on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Clarksdale.
City in Mississippi, United States
Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Clarksdale had a population of 14,903. It is located along the Sunflower River and named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he established a timber mill and business. Clarksdale is in the Mississippi Delta region and is an agricultural and trading center. Many African American musicians developed the blues here and took this original American music with them to Chicago and other northern cities during the Great Migration. The Clarksdale Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Coahoma County. It’s located in the Mississippi Delta r…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Clarksdale.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clarksdale | #99 | D− | C | — | D | D− |
| Lyon | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Clarksdale reports no FBI crime data of its own. Lyon isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Clarksdale with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Clarksdale grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D− for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 1.5 years of the area's median household income ($37,461 across the Clarksdale, MS area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
45 notable people were born here, including John Lee Hooker and Sam Cooke.
