Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Newton gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $115K for a typical one, or 2.3 years of the county’s $51K median household income. It grades C− overall, 43rd of 99 graded towns in Mississippi. The low prices come with trade-offs. Residents are less healthy than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, and the median household income is $32K, and 29% of residents live below the poverty line. 29% of residents live below the poverty line in Newton, above both Mississippi’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 86% of U.S. towns. Newton has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Alabama and Vicksburg Railroad Depot and Newton West Church Historic District.
Where Newton beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 154 in 1870, 3,195 in 2020. The archive holds 30 old photos and papers going back to 1903 and 2 maps from 1966 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Newton is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for cost of living (better than 95% of comparable towns) to D− for health (better than 3%), so the C− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Newton, 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 Newton.
Newton trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Meridian and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
Against the 816 U.S. towns with household incomes like Newton’s, it is less healthy than 68%, so that grade isn’t only a matter of income.
Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 8 have a higher share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Newton. In Newton, 36% of adults worry about having enough food. Of 31 CDC measures, Newton beats the Mississippi average on 2 and trails it on 15.
| Newton | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 9.7% | 13% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 54% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 24% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Newton | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 9.7% | 13.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.3% | 79.7% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 19% | 11.2% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Newton Municipal School District. Below: Two of its 4 schools, each with why it was picked. The 3 public schools in Newton teach 782 students between them.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newton Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 367 | C |
| Newton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 237 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
2,233 jobs are based in Newton, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here fell from 3,281 in 2013 to 2,233.
23% of Newton working residents work locally. Since 2013, Newton has lost 1,048 jobs, to 2,233 in 2023. Only 4 of the 99 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower typical household income than Newton. The top destinations are Forest (11%), Meridian (10%) and Jackson (4%).
| Newton | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $32,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes are within reach (about $115K for the typical one, A+ for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 25 miles. At 2.3 years of the county’s $51K median household income, the typical home (about $115K) costs less against local pay than in 80% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
A typical home in Newton is worth about $115,000, down 4.2% in a year, 41% below the Mississippi typical home. The share of households in Newton who live in a home they own: 60%.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Newton Exp Stn weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 222 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 79% of Mississippi places with climate records.
The typical July afternoon high locally is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median household earns $32,157, against $56,447 across Mississippi, one input to its D for jobs and income.
3,040 people lived in Newton by the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate, 4.9% fewer than in 2020. Nearly a fifth of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more locally. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 9 have a higher age of the median resident than Newton.
| Newton | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.3 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 19% | 25% | 29% |
57% women, 43% men
About 75 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±6.2 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Newton | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.4% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 15% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.8% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 27.3% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.9% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 9.3% | 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 · in a town of 3,000, single groups can be off by several points
Households in Newton have drawn federal disaster aid in 6 declared disasters, most recently in 2023. Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in 54% of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in the town, 32% come from tornadoes and 22% from inland flooding. Paid flood insurance claims in the town since 1979: 3.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Newton
About 4 of every 100 Newton residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Newton’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
City in Mississippi, United States
Newton is a city in Newton County, Mississippi. The population was 3,195 in the 2020 census. The population is about 70 percent Black Americans.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Newton grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #43 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D− for health and B for schools. Health 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+.