Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Oxford grades B− overall, 26th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools rank ahead of 77% of Mississippi towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $415K, 6.4 years of the Oxford area’s $65K median household income. 53% of working residents work locally in Oxford, above both the Mississippi town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Only 14 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on health. Oxford has 10 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them William Faulkner House and Ammadelle.
Where Oxford beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Upper Elementary School | 3–6 | 803 |
| Lafayette Elementary School | PK–2 | 776 |
| Bramlett Elementary School | K–1 | 715 |
William Faulkner House
William Faulkner House is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 492 in 1850, 25,416 in 2020. The archive holds 11 old photos and papers going back to 1843 and 2 maps from 1940 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Oxford takes its name from Oxford in Oxfordshire, England, 4,330 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionOxford, settled in 1837, takes its name from Oxford, a city in Oxfordshire, England.
3 more U.S. towns are named after Oxford:Oxford, OH22,387Oxford, CT13,311Oxford, ME4,449
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Oxford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Oxford, 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 Oxford.
Oxford is shaped by its college students, draws workers from Tupelo and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
At 6.4 years of the Oxford area’s $65K median household income, the typical home (about $415K) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. Home values rose 47% in five years, to about $415K, against 11% across Mississippi.
43% of Oxford households own their home. The typical Oxford home is worth about $415,000, up 2.6% in a year, about twice the Mississippi typical home.
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 43% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,071 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Oxford School District. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Upper Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 803 | B+ |
| Oxford High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,335 | B+ |
| Della Davidson Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 2–3 | Grades 2–3 | 704 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Oxford is 1.2 miles per square mile. South Campus Rail Trail Recreational Area, at 509 acres with 25.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 32 miles of trail in 15 parks and preserves.
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 1.3% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. South Campus Rail Trail Recreational Area | 25.3 mi | 509 |
| 2. mTrade Park | 0.9 mi | 90 |
| 3. Bailey Woods | 0.8 mi | 87 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
19,774 jobs are based in Oxford, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. Jobs based here grew from 11,548 in 2013 to 19,774.
25% of residents live below the poverty line in Oxford. Jobs based in Oxford grew to 19,774 in 2023, 8,226 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Memphis (5%), Tupelo (3%) and Batesville (2%).
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 25% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $64,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.1% | 5.3% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 9,815 U.S. towns with household incomes like Oxford’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Mississippi is diabetes: 9.2% of its 21,101 adults have diabetes, against 15.5% statewide.
Only 2 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Oxford. Oxford beats the Mississippi average on 19 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 4. Only 7 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Oxford.
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 16% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 13% | 16% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| What stands out | Oxford | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 9.2% | 15.5% |
| Fewer adults who have had a stroke | 2.7% | 4.5% |
| More binge drinkers | 18.2% | 13.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The University weather station records that the frost-free season runs about 210 days: longer than most of the country, but shorter than 95% of Mississippi places with climate records. July afternoons average 90.2°: hotter than most of the country, but cooler than 89% of Mississippi places with climate records; January nights average 32°.
Oxford has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Oxford’s January low is 32°F. About 1 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 2001, 18 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Oxford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 516 to 383 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Within Mississippi, it does better than 64% of towns.
| Oxford | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 12.7 per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Oxford
College town 21 of every 100 Oxford residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
18,916 counted in 2010 and 25,416 in 2020; an estimated 26,773 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
10 places in Oxford on the National Register of Historic Places.
40 notable people were born in Oxford.
City in Mississippi, United States
Oxford is the 14th most populous city in Mississippi, United States, and the county seat of Lafayette County, 75 miles (121 km) southeast of Memphis. A college town, Oxford surrounds the University of Mississippi or "Ole Miss". Founded in 1837, the city is named after Oxford, England. Purchasing the land from a Chickasaw, pioneers founded Oxford in 1837. In 1841, the Mississippi State Legislature selected it as the site of the state's first university, Ole Miss. Oxford is also the hometown of Nobel Prize-winning novelist William Faulkner, and served as the inspiration for his fictional Jefferson in Yoknapatawpha County. Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar, who served as a US Supreme Court Just…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Oxford grades B− overall, better than 45% of U.S. towns and #26 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and A− for schools, and has the most trail per square mile in the state. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Within Mississippi, it does better than 64% of towns.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
40 notable people were born here, including Lorenzen Wright and Arthur Guyton.
