Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Tupelo grades C− overall, 47th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, it reports more crime per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, including 117 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. It also does better than most on schools: its schools outperform 69% of the state's. Its lowest everyday mark is in incomes: the median household income is $66K, and 15% of residents live below the poverty line. A typical home there costs about $216K, 3.4 years of the Tupelo area’s $63K median household income. 53% of working residents work locally in Tupelo, against 19% in Mississippi’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Tupelo National Battlefield and North Broadway Historic District.
Where Tupelo beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Tupelo National Battlefield
Census counts: 618 in 1870, 37,923 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1867 and 2 maps from 1973 on.
20 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Tupelo is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Tupelo. Close and well known come first.
in town ParkwayNatchez Trace Parkway8.0M visitors a year
in town MuseumElvis Presley Birthplace
in town National BattlefieldTupelo National Battlefield686 visitors a year
in town MuseumTupelo Automobile Museum
16 mi National park siteBrices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site2K visitors a yearNatchez Trace Parkway: Carol M. Highsmith (1946–), Public domain · Elvis Presley Birthplace: Markuskun at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Tupelo National Battlefield: Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tupelo Automobile Museum: James Case from Philadelphia, Mississippi, U.S.A., CC BY 2.0 · Brices Cross Roads National Battlefield Site: Wilson44691, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Tupelo, 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 Tupelo.
Tupelo draws workers from Saltillo and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than most of the country, though not than most of Mississippi.
The biggest place to walk is Ballard park, 172 acres with 5.8 miles of trail. Walkers can cover 33 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. Only 4 of the 87 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher trail network density than Tupelo.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ballard park | 5.8 mi | 172 |
| 2. Gumtree Park | 1 mi | 20 |
| 3. Theron Nichols Park | 0.5 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Tupelo Public School District. Below: Three of its 22 schools, each with why it was picked. Public school enrollment here: 2,564 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tupelo Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 1,070 | A− |
| Tupelo High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,123 | B |
| Rankin Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 375 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
39,291 jobs are based in Tupelo, 2.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 18 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
The top destinations are Oxford (2%), New Albany (2%) and Pontotoc (2%). The average trip to work for Tupelo comes to 18 minutes. For half of commuters, work is under 6 miles away.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 18 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $66,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 6% | 5.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Property crime runs at 30.9 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Mississippi rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 1,782 to 1,282 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
For Tupelo, the property crime rate is 30.9 per 1,000 residents. The violent crime rate locally is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 30.9 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
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 90.9°.
Tupelo’s typical July afternoon high is 91°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Tupelo | 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
34% of Tupelo adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more. Every broad age group is within 4 points of the Mississippi average. For Tupelo, the median age is 38.3 years.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 34% | 24% | 29% |
| Median age | 38.3 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 24% | 24% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 89 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.4 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 40.1, men 35.7.
| Tupelo | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.7% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.5% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.3% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.3% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 10.6% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.8% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.7% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 21.4% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 13% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical home value in Tupelo is about $216,000, up 5.6% in a year, 11% above the Mississippi typical home. On the market locally: a median 30 days to sell. Sellers in Tupelo got 104.5% of the asking price, typically.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $976 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Against the 10,125 U.S. towns with household incomes like Tupelo’s, it is healthier than 60%, so its C+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 73% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
In Tupelo, 14% of adults smoke cigarettes. Among adults locally, 32% get no exercise outside work and 45% have high blood pressure.
| Tupelo | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 37% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 36% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 45% | 45% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| What stands out | Tupelo | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 13.1% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 18.1% | 22.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The national flood insurance program has paid 75 claims in Tupelo since 1979. Expected damage from storms and floods is lower here than in 55% of U.S. communities. 33% of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by earthquakes at 26%. Federal aid has come to Tupelo households in 8 declared disasters; the latest was in 2026.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Tupelo; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Tupelo residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
Where Tupelo’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
20 places in Tupelo on the National Register of Historic Places.
56 notable people were born in Tupelo.
City in Mississippi, United States
Tupelo ( TOO-PUH-LOW) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the 2020 census. It is the seventh-most populous city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of northern Mississippi. Tupelo was incorporated in 1870. The area had earlier been settled as "Gum Pond" along the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. On February 7, 1934, Tupelo became the first city to receive power from the Tennessee Valley Authority, thus giving it the nickname "The First TVA City". Much of the city was devastated by a major tornado in 1936 that still ranks as one of the deadliest tornadoes in American history…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Tupelo.
Verona and Saltillo report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Tupelo with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Tupelo grades C− overall, better than 21% of U.S. towns and #47 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades C+ for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
56 notable people were born here, including Elvis Presley and Diplo.
