Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.
Ripley gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $138K for a typical one, or 2.6 years of the county’s $53K median household income. It grades C overall, 35th among Mississippi's 99 graded towns. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $55K, and 20% of residents live below the poverty line, and residents are less healthy than 86% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. On the plus side, its schools rank ahead of 81% of Mississippi towns. Ripley's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 83% of U.S. towns. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 2 have a lower January low than Ripley.
Where Ripley beats most towns.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Ripley Elementary School | K–4 | 611 |
| Ripley Middle School | 5–8 | 459 |
| Ripley High School | 9–12 | 465 |
US Post Office, Old-RipleyEach subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Ripley is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 683 in 1860, a low of 422 in 1870, 5,462 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1938 and 2 maps from 1955 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ripley, 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 Ripley.
Ripley pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices, trades lower home prices for longer drives to work and trades workers with Tupelo and other neighbors.
Within Mississippi it is healthier than 55% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
37% of adults get no exercise outside work in Ripley, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 36% and U.S. towns at 25%. 45% of Ripley adults have high blood pressure. Ripley beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Ripley | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 45% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 13% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 42% | 35% |
| What stands out | Ripley | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 14.2% | 11.5% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 8.9% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $138K.
Its public schools are run by the South Tippah School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ripley High School, with 465 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ripley Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 611 | B+ |
| Ripley High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 465 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Homes are within reach (about $138K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 22 miles. The typical value, about $138K, is 8% below its August 2022 peak.
At $735 a month, Ripley’s median rent is below both the Mississippi town median ($909 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). The typical Ripley home is worth about $138,000, up 1.9% in a year, 29% below the Mississippi typical home.
| Ripley | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $735 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (17% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 32% of residents (37% statewide). Ripley’s median age is 42.5 years. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Ripley | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 42.5 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 21% | 24% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 22% | 25% | 29% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.8 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Among residents 45 to 54, 70% are men (MS 48%).
| Ripley | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.9% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.8% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 9.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 23.5% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.9% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 4.4% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 5.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The Ripley 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. The Ripley weather station records that about 48 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 95% of Mississippi places with climate records.
Ripley has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Ripley is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ripley has about as many jobs (2,527) as working residents, but only 412 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Ripley for work: only 19% work in town. The top destinations are Tupelo (7%), New Albany (6%) and Memphis (4%).
| Ripley | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 20% | 8% |
| Median household income | $55,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 56% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Ripley since 2010.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
0.7 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Fred & Elizabeth Smith Sportsplex, at 49 acres.
| Ripley | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 0.8% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clayton Wommack Park | 0.5 mi | 16 |
| 2. Fred & Elizabeth Smith Sportsplex | — | 49 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Ripley
About 3 of every 100 Ripley residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
2 places in Ripley on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Ripley.
City in Mississippi, United States
Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, Ripley had a population of 5,462. It is the county seat of Tippah County. Colonel William Clark Falkner, great-grandfather of authors William Faulkner and John Faulkner, was a prominent resident of Ripley in the mid to late-19th century. W.C. Falkner's exploits in and around Ripley served as the model for Faulkner's character of Colonel John Sartoris. Ripley is located in the Hills region of North Mississippi, an important region for the birth of American music. The area is known as the birthplace of the hill country blues.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Ripley grades C overall, better than 31% of U.S. towns and #35 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and A− for schools. Jobs & income 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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Kendall Simmons and John Faulkner.
