Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ridgeland grades B overall, ranked 18th of 99 in Mississippi. Its public schools beat 93% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. The trade-off is money: the typical home is worth about $285K, 4.6 years of the Jackson metro’s $62K median household income. Only 11 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on health. Ridgeland is home to Wesley Biblical Seminary. Only 10 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on the outdoors.
Where Ridgeland beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ann E. Smith Elementary | PK–2 | 715 |
| Highland Elementary School | 3–5 | 629 |
| Old Town Middle School | 6–8 | 693 |
| Widest gap | Ridgeland | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.6% | 18.5% |
Where Ridgeland’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Ridgeland is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Its founding year, 1805, comes before those of 95% of the Mississippi towns we grade with a known year.
Census counts: 158 in 1910, 24,340 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1995 and 5 maps from 1905 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ridgeland. Close and well known come first.
in town ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
7 mi Stadium & arenaMississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
6 mi National MonumentMedgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument61K visitors a year
22 mi National Military ParkVicksburg National Military Park410K visitors a year8 mi Zoo & aquariumJackson Zoo
9 mi MuseumMississippi Civil Rights MuseumNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium: Jfurr1981 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vicksburg National Military Park: Eoghanacht at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Mississippi Civil Rights Museum: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ridgeland, 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 Ridgeland.
Ridgeland draws workers from Jackson and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and pairs an A for schools with high home prices.
25,080 jobs are based in Ridgeland, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Ridgeland for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Ridgeland grew to 25,080 in 2023, 3,826 more than in 2013. 9.9% of residents live below the poverty line in Ridgeland, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%.
| Ridgeland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 9.9% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 20% | 8% |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A for schools comes with a C− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $285K.
Its public schools are run by the Madison County Schools. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ridgeland High School, with 995 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ann E. Smith ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 715 | – |
| Ridgeland High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 995 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
The median property tax bill is $1,909, against $1,215 across Mississippi, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
47% of households own their home in Ridgeland, against 62% in Mississippi’s towns and 73% across U.S. towns. The median rent in Ridgeland is $1,336 a month. The typical Ridgeland home is worth about $285,000, up 1.8% in a year, 46% above the Mississippi typical home.
| Ridgeland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 47% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,336 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5.9 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Natchez Trace Trail, at 753 acres.
| Ridgeland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 7.6% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freedom Ridge Park | 3.2 mi | 76 |
| 2. Hite-Wolcott Park | 1 mi | 32 |
| 3. Friendship park | 0.8 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Against the 10,095 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ridgeland’s, it is healthier than 93%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Its widest gap with Mississippi is tooth loss: 8.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.5% statewide.
32% of Ridgeland adults sleep under 7 hours. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 5 have a lower share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Ridgeland. 26% of Ridgeland adults get no exercise outside work.
| Ridgeland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 18% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 39% | 36% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Ridgeland | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.6% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 5.3% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Ridgeland has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Ridgeland’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 48 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ridgeland.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Ridgeland's reported crime rate is close to Mississippi's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 78 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Ridgeland | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 13.8 per 1,000 residents | 18.8 | 11.5 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
6 within 15 miles of the center of Ridgeland
About 8 of every 100 Ridgeland residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
7.6% of the town is conserved land, across 7 parks and preserves.
City in Mississippi, United States
Ridgeland is a city in Madison County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 24,340 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Jackson metropolitan area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Ridgeland.
Ridgeland and Jackson report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ridgeland with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ridgeland grades B overall, better than 57% of U.S. towns and #18 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades B+ for health and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
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