Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A city of 57,819, settled in 1962. Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.
Trash day: look up yoursSouthaven grades C+ overall, ranked 31st of 99 in Mississippi, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. Its schools outperform 89% of the state's. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 77% of U.S. towns, including 155 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Only 10 of Mississippi’s 182 towns score higher on incomes. Southaven's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns. Only 4 of the 96 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher median rent than Southaven.
Where Southaven beats most towns.
48,982 counted in 2010 and 54,648 in 2020; an estimated 57,819 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.8% since 2020, after 11.6% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Southaven is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 8,931 in 1970, 54,648 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 2010 and a map from 1982 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Southaven. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi Ancient siteSS Sultana
12 mi Stadium & arenaSimmons Bank Liberty Stadium
13 mi MuseumNational Civil Rights Museum
14 mi Stadium & arenaFedExForum
14 mi MuseumBlues Hall of Fame
12 mi Stadium & arenaMid-South ColiseumSS Sultana: Template:Thomas W. Bankes, Public domain · Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · National Civil Rights Museum: Matthew T Rader, CC BY-SA 4.0 · FedExForum: Marco Espino-Ovalle, Public domain · Blues Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mid-South Coliseum: bcbuckner, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Southaven, 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 Southaven.
Southaven sends many workers across the state line to Collierville, fares better on crime within Mississippi than nationally and looks healthier within Mississippi than nationally.
Its public schools are run by the DeSoto County School District. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southaven Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,423 | B− |
| DeSoto Central High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,004 | B+ |
| DeSoto Central Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,388 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
The typical Southaven home is worth about $273,000, up 1.3% in a year, 41% above the Mississippi typical home.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 73% | 62% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 50% | 52% | 48% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 33.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 59% of Mississippi’s graded towns. Each of the 3 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Olive Branch (C+) to Hernando (A−).
Southaven reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 77% report less. At 2.7 per 1,000 residents, Southaven’s violent crime rate is close to Mississippi’s towns (2.2) and above U.S. towns (1.6).
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.7 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.5 per 1,000 residents | 17.3 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
January nights average 32.4°: milder than most of the country, but colder than 83% of Mississippi places with climate records; July afternoons average 91°.
Southaven has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. At 32°F, Southaven’s January low is against 36°F in Mississippi’s towns and 22°F across U.S. towns. The July high in Southaven is 91°F.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 32°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
5.3 miles of trail in 17 parks and preserves. Snowden Grove, at 209 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 1.1% | 2.9% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Snowden Grove | 1.4 mi | 209 |
| 2. Central Park | 1.4 mi | 122 |
| 3. Jim Saucier Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 10 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
45% of working residents cross a state line to work, Collierville among the top destinations. Southaven has about as many jobs (24,392) as working residents, but only 4,432 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Southaven for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Southaven grew to 24,392 in 2023, 5,822 more than in 2013. 13% of Southaven residents live below the poverty line.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 13% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 20% | 8% |
| Median household income | $78,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 9.8% | 5.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Southaven has grown 5.8% since 2020, to 57,819 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of residents are under 18 in Southaven. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 13% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 26% | 24% | 22% |
| Median age | 36.2 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 38.8, men 33.5.
| Southaven | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.1% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.4% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 14% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.5% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 7.8% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.4% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.1% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 30.6% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 21.6% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.9% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18.6% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 10.2% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
82 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1992, 82 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Southaven.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Within Mississippi it is healthier than 77% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
Southaven beats the Mississippi average on 15 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| Southaven | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 12% |
| What stands out | Southaven | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 5.7% | 7.5% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 6.6% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
13 within 15 miles of the center of Southaven
About 5 of every 100 Southaven residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
3 notable people were born in Southaven.
City in Mississippi, United States
Southaven is a city in DeSoto County, Mississippi, United States. It is a principal city in the Greater Memphis. The population was 54,648 at the 2020 census, and was estimated at 57,493 in 2024, making it the third-most populous city in Mississippi and the largest suburb of Memphis by population. Southaven surpassed Bartlett, Tennessee as Memphis' largest suburb by population according to the 2024 Census estimates. Southaven is traversed north to south by the I-55/I-69 freeway. The city's name derives from the fact that Southaven is located south of Whitehaven, a neighborhood in Memphis.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Southaven.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southaven | #31 | C+ | C | C− | A | B− |
| Horn Lake | #42 | C− | C+ | B− | A | D |
| Olive Branch | #13 | B+ | C | C+ | A | B+ |
| Hernando | #5 | A− | C | A− | A | B+ |
| Bridgetown | #1 | A | B | — | A | A− |
Bridgetown reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Southaven with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Southaven grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #31 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades B− for health, C− for safety and A for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.1 years of the area's median household income ($66,401 across the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Terence Davis and Blaze Jordan.
