Lyceum-The Circle Historic District · National Register of Historic Places
University’s story
University in pictures
The archive holds 2 maps from 1940 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →UniversityMS
A town of 5,315.
Lyceum-The Circle Historic District · Photo: The original uploader was Enjoybeta at English Wikipedia. · CC BY-SA 2.0
Is University a good place to live?
The best of University’s subject grades are an A− for health, walkability, and schools. 80% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in University, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 24% and U.S. towns at 29%. Only 1 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on hazard risk. University is home to University of Mississippi. University has no overall grade: it has no figures for cost of living and safety, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
What makes University stand out
Where University beats most towns.
Natural hazardsA−
Lower risk than 79% of U.S. communities
Low risk of storm and flood damage
FEMA National Risk Index.
31 measures vs. Mississippi
15 better6 too close to call10 worse
| Widest gap | University | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 0.8% | 7.6% |
HealthA−
Healthier than 81% of U.S. towns
Beats MS on 15 of 31 CDC measures, trails it on 10
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
WalkabilityA−
More walkable than 78% of U.S. towns
28.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transit
EPA National Walkability Index; Census ACS.
College town
99% of University is in college
College Scorecard · IPEDS
How University grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far University is from typical.
University has no overall grade: it has no figures for cost of living and safety, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).
Hazard riskearthquakes tops the listA−Open →HealthBaptist Memorial Hospital North MS 1.1 miles awayA−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.5 of 20A−Open →SchoolsBeat 77% of Mississippi districts on tests and graduationA−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to University: who provides what
University is unincorporated, so Lafayette County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerNorth East Mississippi EPA14.2¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterCity of Oxford water systemNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
InternetProviders and speedsData pending · D4
Trash & county servicesLafayette CountyLafayette County provides services here
Register to voteIn personMississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereLafayette County RegistrarLafayette County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code3867738677 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in University.
HealthA−
Compared with most of Mississippi and the rest of the country, fewer of University’s adults have obesity
26% of adults have obesity in University, below both the Mississippi town median (42%) and the median of U.S. towns (35%). 1.7% of University adults have diabetes. No town among the 101 in Mississippi we compare has a lower share of adults who have high blood pressure than University.
81%healthier than U.S. townsA−Health Grade
| University | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 42% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 1.7% | 16% | 12% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.2% | 16% | 14% |
31 measures vs. Mississippi
15 better6 too close to call10 worse
| What stands out | University | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 0.8% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with diabetes | 1.7% | 15.5% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 23.8% | 79.7% |
Baptist Memorial Hospital North MS
1.1 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
96th
percentile among MS towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade A−
The FEMA risk score in University is lower than in the typical Mississippi or U.S. town
University’s FEMA risk score is 21 of 100.
21risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
EarthquakesCold wavesTornadoes
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
In University, expect mild winters and hot summers
University has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in University is 90°F.
1″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter34–54°
Spring50–73°
Summer68–89°
Fall51–74°
Oct 31
typical first frost
Apr 3
typical last frost
+0.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commute
About one in three of University’s working residents commute to Oxford
Most working residents leave University for work: only 1% work in town. No town among the 101 in Mississippi we compare has a lower average trip to work than University. Jobs based in University fell to 566 in 2023, 3,005 fewer than in 2013.
1%work in town
| University | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 9 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 1.3% | 20% | 8% |
Where working residents work
In University1%
Oxford32%
Memphis7%
Jackson4%
Batesville2%
45 mi
median commute distance
566
jobs based in University
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
A−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3.1%conserved
3.1%
conserved · 14 of 449 acres
0.0 mi
of trails · 0 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The Grove | — | 11 |
| 2. The Circle | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Keep exploring
Everything we know about University
16pages on University
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of University
College town 99 of every 100 University residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
A growing town
University has grown 12% from 2010 to 2020
4,202 counted in 2010 and 4,696 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
Landmarks
2 places in University on the National Register of Historic Places.
About University
Census-designated place in Mississippi, United States
University is a census-designated place (CDP) and the official name for an area covering a portion of the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) campus, in Lafayette County, Mississippi, United States. The CDP is surrounded by the city of Oxford. Its official United States Postal Service designation is "University, Mississippi", with a ZIP Code of 38677. As of the 2020 census, University had a population of 4,696. while the 2014 enrollment for Ole Miss was 20,112 in 2014. The University CDP is an enclave surrounded by the city of Oxford, west of its downtown area. It has an area of 0.70 square miles (1.82 km2), all of it recorded as land.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 0.7 sq mi
- Elevation
- 486 ft
- ZIP code
- 38677
- Area code
- 662
Questions about University
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is University, MS a good place to live?
University has no overall grade: it has no figures for cost of living and safety, and an overall grade needs at least three of the four big subjects (cost of living, safety, schools and health).