RaleighMS
A town of 1,066, established in 1834.
Is Raleigh a good place to live?
The best of Raleigh’s subject grades is an A+ for cost of living; the weakest is a D for health. On cost of living, just 1 of Mississippi’s 184 towns do better. Raleigh's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 92% of U.S. towns. Raleigh has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Raleigh stand out
Where Raleigh beats most towns.
Raleigh has shrunk 27% since 2010
1,462 counted in 2010 and 1,094 in 2020; an estimated 1,066 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
How Raleigh grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Raleigh is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Raleigh: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Raleigh, 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Raleigh.
Residents of Raleigh are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns
Raleigh beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 51% of Raleigh adults have high blood pressure, above both Mississippi’s towns (45%) and U.S. towns (35%). 19% of adults have diabetes in Raleigh.
| Raleigh | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 13% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Raleigh | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 83.7% | 79.7% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 6.1% | 4.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Public schools in Raleigh beat 66% of Mississippi districts
Its public schools are run by the Smith County School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 649 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
The median rent in Raleigh is lower than in most of Mississippi or the rest of the country
At $496 a month, Raleigh’s median rent is below both the Mississippi town median ($905 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 82% of Raleigh households own their home. Typical home values fell 6.3% in the year to September 2026.
| Raleigh | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $496 a month | $905 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 62% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
In Raleigh, expect mild winters and hot summers
Raleigh has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Raleigh is 92°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Raleigh has 1.4 jobs for every working resident, and 515 people commute in
Most working residents leave Raleigh for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Raleigh grew to 544 in 2023, 51 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Jackson (8%), Bay Springs (5%) and Magee (4%).
| Raleigh | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.3% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Raleigh stands out in Mississippi and nationally, with property crime lower than most
Raleigh’s property crime rate is 0.9 per 1,000 residents. Among 58 Mississippi towns, just 1 have a lower violent crime rate than Raleigh. Raleigh's reported crime rate is well below Mississippi's.
| Raleigh | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 16.6 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 2.3 | 1.6 |
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Property crime per 1,000 residents
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Inland flooding leads a moderate hazard risk in Raleigh
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 59% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Raleigh | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 0.3% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Everything we know about Raleigh
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Raleigh; the nearest are
About 0 of every 100 Raleigh residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
1,066 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Famous people from Raleigh
4 notable people were born in Raleigh.
About Raleigh
Town in Mississippi, United States
Raleigh is a town in and the county seat of Smith County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,094 at the 2020 census. Named for English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh, Raleigh has been home to such Mississippians as Governor Robert Lowry, Governor/U.S. Senator Anselm McLaurin and pioneer William H. Hardy.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 5.1 sq mi
- Elevation
- 545 ft
- ZIP code
- 39153
- Area code
- 601
Questions about Raleigh
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Raleigh, MS expensive?
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+.
What is Raleigh, MS known for?
Raleigh was established in 1834. 4 notable people were born here, including Donte Moncrief and Bobby Keyes.