Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Iuka gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $201K, 3.8 years of the county’s $53K median household income. It grades B− overall, ranked 20th of 99 in Mississippi. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its public schools beat 75% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. Iuka has 13 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Church of Our Savior and Iuka Battlefield. Only 1 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower January low than Iuka.
Where Iuka beats most towns.
Old Tishomingo County Courthouse| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Iuka Elementary School | K–4 | 414 |
| Iuka Middle School | 5–8 | 333 |
Census counts: 845 in 1880, 3,139 in 2020. The archive holds 9 old photos and papers going back to 1862 and 4 maps from 1911 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Iuka is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Iuka, 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 Iuka.
Iuka pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and draws workers from Burnsville and beyond.
1,856 jobs are based in Iuka, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Iuka’s working residents works in town. 20% of Iuka residents live below the poverty line, against 21% in Mississippi’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. Iuka’s median household income is $49,000.
| Iuka | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 21% | 19% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 20% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $49,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with an A for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $201K.
Its public schools are run by the Tishomingo County School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iuka Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 414 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,518 U.S. towns with household incomes like Iuka’s, it is less healthy than 57%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 56% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
46% of Iuka adults have high blood pressure, near the Mississippi town median (45%) and above the median of U.S. towns (35%). 17% of Iuka adults report frequent physical distress. Iuka beats the Mississippi average on 6 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 5.
| Iuka | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 45% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 36% | 25% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Iuka | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 12% | 16.8% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 8.1% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 35 to 64 are 26% of residents (37% statewide); people 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide). 17% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Iuka.
| Iuka | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 17% | 25% | 29% |
| Median age | 36.9 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.4 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Iuka | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 19.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.9% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.2% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.8% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 5.4% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 11% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.8% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 14.8% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15.9% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 33.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 23.7% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14.7% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 2.3% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,100, single groups can be off by several points
The Corinth 7 Sw weather station, 24 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 213 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 98% of Mississippi places with climate records. The Corinth 7 Sw weather station, 24 miles away, records that about 60 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 98% of Mississippi places with climate records.
Iuka has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Iuka is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 57% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Iuka.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Mississippi, it does better than 73% of towns.
| Iuka | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 15 per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $201K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 21 miles. Values fell 4% in the past year while the Mississippi typical home rose 2.2%.
Only 7 of the 96 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower median rent than Iuka. Typical home values fell 4% in the year to September 2026.
| Iuka | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $664 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Just 0 of its 6,181 acres are conserved, so there is little public open land in Iuka itself; its outdoors grade is D.
0.8 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mineral Springs Park | — | 8 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Iuka. Close and well known come first.
10 mi ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
30 mi MuseumMuscle Shoals Sound Studio
18 mi National Military ParkShiloh National Military Park347K visitors a yearin town MuseumApron Museum29 mi MuseumAlabama Music Hall of Fame
37 mi National park siteBrices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site2K visitors a yearNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Muscle Shoals Sound Studio: Dailynetworks, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Shiloh National Military Park: Ernest Mettendorf, Public domain · Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site: Wilson44691, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Iuka; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Iuka residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Iuka’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
13 places in Iuka on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Iuka.
City in Mississippi, United States
Iuka () is a city in and the county seat of Tishomingo County, Mississippi, United States. Its population was 3,139 at the 2020 census. Woodall Mountain, the highest point in Mississippi, is located just south of Iuka.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Iuka grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #20 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades C− for health, B− for safety and A− for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Within Mississippi, it does better than 73% of towns.
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.
3 notable people were born here, including Dick Merrill and Robert S. Lewis.
