Photo: Trevor Birchett · CC BY-SA 4.0Southaven has lower unemployment (3.3%) than 65% of U.S. towns
About one in seven work in Southaven itself; outside it, Memphis draws the most (39%, 11 miles). Jobs and income earn Southaven B+; getting around on foot earns it C. Commuters spend 24 minutes getting to work on average, against 26 across Mississippi and 26 nationally.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
What the numbers say about work in Southaven
Much of Southaven works one town over
59% of working residents work in a town that borders Southaven: Memphis (39%), Olive Branch (11%) and Hernando (6%). Next door ↓
Many Southaven workers cross into Tennessee
45% of Southaven workers work outside Mississippi, most of them in Tennessee, the Census survey finds. The commute map ↓
Southaven trades workers with the towns around it
Southaven has about as many jobs (24,392) as working residents (26,506), but they are mostly different people: 22,074 residents leave for work each day while 19,960 people come in. Only 18% of the jobs in Southaven are held by people who live here. Day and night ↓
Many of the people who work in Southaven live in another state
Memphis, TN (19%) and Bartlett, TN (1%) are among the top places Southaven’s workers come from. Counting only the top ten home towns, 20% of the jobs here are held by people from out of state. The commute map ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
41% of the jobs in Southaven are in trade, transport and utilities, against 35% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The figures behind Southaven’s Jobs & income grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Southaven is better than 66% of U.S. towns, #11 of 99 in Mississippi. Job access by car holds Southaven’s grade up (ahead of 86% of U.S. towns); the poverty rate pulls it down (12.6%, U.S. 12.5%). It also does well on household income and unemployment.
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Southaven could be anywhere from B− to A−.
Where people from Southaven work
Where Southaven clocks in
39% of workers
11% of workers
6% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
The workday shuffle in and out of Southaven
On a workday 22,074 residents head out to work, 4,432 work right here, and 19,960 people come in from elsewhere.
About as many people by day as by night: the people who leave are replaced by the people who come in.
About as many jobs as working residents (0.92 per resident).
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2023, primary jobs.
The kinds of work in Southaven
24,392 jobs are based in Southaven.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Southaven, 2013 → 2023: 18,570 → 24,392. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2023.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Southaven’s own residents hold wherever they work.
Time on the road from Southaven: about 24 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.7 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Southaven workers work from home, vs 6% across Mississippi. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 25,316 commuters (the 10% who work from home are left out). Across Mississippi: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
How many miles Southaven commutes
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2023.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Southaven is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Southaven is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns, #62 of 101 in Mississippi. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.4% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 1.8% across Mississippi.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 28,058 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 3.5% of Southaven households have no vehicle (Mississippi 6.3%, U.S. 8.4%). <1% of Southaven’s commuters take a bus or train.
Southaven places 414th of 787 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 40,000 to 78,000
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | McLean VA | 49,627 | $250K | 2.9% | 2.3% | 6% | A+ |
| 2 | Fulshear TX | 64,630 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.8% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Liberty Township OH | 40,625 | $187K | 1.6% | 2.5% | 8% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 69 | Olive Branch MS | 47,563 | $101K | 4.6% | 2.4% | 19% | A |
| … | |||||||
| 412 | Colerain Township OH | 59,509 | $73K | 9.0% | 3.8% | 7% | B+ |
| 413 | Lathrop CA | 42,783 | $126K | 7.1% | 9.0% | 6% | B+ |
| 414 | Southaven MS | 57,819 | $78K | 12.6% | 3.3% | 17% | B+ |
| 415 | Marlborough MA | 42,772 | $92K | 9.6% | 5.5% | 17% | B+ |
| 416 | Hempfield Township PA | 41,421 | $83K | 7.4% | 4.7% | 16% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 725 | Biloxi MS | 48,516 | $57K | 16.4% | 7.7% | 35% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 766 | Gulfport MS | 76,506 | $50K | 22.8% | 9.1% | 42% | D |
| … | |||||||
| 787 | Bullhead City AZ | 43,987 | $51K | 18.7% | 11.5% | 26% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Southaven, the top three, the last and three more from Mississippi.
The towns next door employ 59% of Southaven
Average commute minutes, one way
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Southaven workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southaven | – | B+ | C | 24 min | $78,483 |
| Horn Lake | 3% | C | D | 26 min | $53,311 |
| Olive Branch | 11% | A | C | 25 min | $100,606 |
| Hernando | 6% | B+ | C | 27 min | $76,950 |
| Bridgetown | under 1% | A− | D− | 40 min | $139,224 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Memphis. Darker towns draw more of Southaven’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2023, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Southaven: questions
What is the median household income in Southaven?
$78,483 (±$3,946) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $56,447 across Mississippi and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Southaven?
12.6%, against 18.9% across Mississippi and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Southaven?
24 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Mississippi and 26 nationally. 10% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Southaven work?
17% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Memphis (39%, 11 mi), Olive Branch (11%, 8 mi), Hernando (6%, 7 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Southaven walkable?
Southaven is more walkable than 35% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.4 out of 20, and <1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Southaven without a car?
<1% of commuters take transit and 4% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Southaven, from the people who make the trip.
More of Southaven
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2023, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.