Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Greenwood earns a D−, ranked 94th of 99 in Mississippi, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $35K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: it is more walkable than 75% of U.S. towns. 48% of working residents work locally in Greenwood, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 8%. Its National Register listings include First Methodist Church of Greenwood and Southworth House. On the outdoors, just 5 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do better.
Where Greenwood beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 308 in 1880, a peak of 22,400 in 1970, 14,490 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 5 maps from 1936 on.
26 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Greenwood is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Greenwood, 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 Greenwood.
Greenwood draws workers from Greenville and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has homes that are cheap against local pay.
Its B+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 101 in Mississippi.
6.2 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. Only 7 of the 87 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher trail density than Greenwood. The biggest park or preserve is Stribling Park, at 65 acres.
| Greenwood | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 9.3% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wagner Park | 0.3 mi | 11 |
| 2. Clerico Park | 0.3 mi | 5 |
| 3. City Park | 0.3 mi | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Greenwood-Leflore Consolidated School District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Davis Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 377 | D |
| Greenwood High School/VotechLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 633 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,336 U.S. towns with household incomes like Greenwood’s, it is less healthy than 65%, so its D− isn’t only a matter of income.
21% of adults have diabetes in Greenwood. Greenwood beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 51% of adults have high blood pressure in Greenwood.
| Greenwood | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 16% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 24% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Greenwood | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 20.8% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9,439 jobs are based in Greenwood, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Since 2013, Greenwood has lost 1,613 jobs, to 9,439 in 2023. Among 99 Mississippi towns, just 6 have a lower median household income than Greenwood. The average trip to work in Greenwood is 22 minutes.
| Greenwood | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $35,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 2.1 years of the Greenwood area’s $40K median household income, the typical home (about $83K) costs less against local pay than in 86% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. Values fell 3.7% in the past year while the Mississippi typical home rose 2.2%.
The typical Greenwood home is worth about $83,000, 57% below the Mississippi typical home. Greenwood’s median rent is $678 a month.
| Greenwood | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 53% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $678 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 74 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Greenwood.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Greenwood has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Children under 18 are 27% of residents (23% statewide). Greenwood has lost 8.8% of its people since 2020, down to 13,429 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 25% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Greenwood | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 27% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 37 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.9 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Greenwood | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 16.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.2% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.1% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 17.1% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.2% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.5% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.6% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.7% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.8% | 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 Greenwood
About 5 of every 100 Greenwood residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
9.3% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
26 places in Greenwood on the National Register of Historic Places.
64 notable people were born in Greenwood.
City in Mississippi, United States
Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States. It is located approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta; Memphis, Tennessee is 130 miles to its north. As of the 2020 census, Greenwood had a population of 14,490. It is the principal city of the Greenwood Micropolitan Statistical Area. The first European-American settlement in the area was established in 1834 next to the Yazoo River. A nearby settlement was founded by Chief Greenwood Leflore. The city was incorporated as "Greenwood" in 1844. It became a center of cotton planting in the 19th century, as it is located in the fertile Mississi…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Greenwood grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #94 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D− for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 2.1 years of the area's median household income ($39,534 across the Greenwood, 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.
64 notable people were born here, including Donna Tartt and Juanita Moore.
