Photo: Fredlyfish4 · CC BY-SA 4.0Household incomes in Water Valley trail those of 94% of U.S. towns
The poverty rate is 27.1%; Mississippi has 18.9%. Jobs and income earn Water Valley C−; getting around on foot earns it C. About one in five work in Water Valley; the top destination outside it is Oxford (21%, 14 miles).
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2023, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Work in Water Valley: the figures worth knowing
Fewer than half of Water Valley workers earn over $40,000 a year
43% of Water Valley’s working residents earn over $3,333 a month (about $40,000 a year) at their main job, wherever they work, and 17% earn $1,250 a month or less. The jobs ↓
Many jobs in Water Valley pay little
26% of the jobs based in Water Valley pay $1,250 a month or less, under $15,000 a year. 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.
Jobs & income in Water Valley: the grade in detail
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Water Valley is better than 16% of U.S. towns, #54 of 99 in Mississippi. Unemployment holds Water Valley’s grade up (3.1%, U.S. 5.2%); household income pulls it down ($42,684, U.S. $80,734).
A fairly firm grade. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Water Valley could be anywhere from D to C.
Mostly services: health care, schools and offices
1,055 jobs are based in Water Valley.
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Water Valley, 2013 → 2023: 1,139 → 1,055. 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 Water Valley’s own residents hold wherever they work.
The daily commute in and out of Water Valley
On a workday 1,044 residents head out to work, 235 work right here, and 820 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 (0.82 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.
Where Water Valley goes to work
Where Water Valley clocks in
21% of workers
4% of workers
3% 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 trip to work from Water Valley: about 23 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 7.3 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Water Valley workers work from home, vs 6% across Mississippi. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 1,365 commuters (the 6% 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.
Miles to work from Water Valley
About 29% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
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.
Water Valley is a driving town
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Water Valley is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns, #64 of 101 in Mississippi. Both inputs place Water Valley near the same point nationally.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 1,449 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). 2.5% of Water Valley households have no vehicle (Mississippi 6.3%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Water Valley’s commuters take a bus or train.
Water Valley places 3,731st of 4,402 on jobs and income among U.S. towns of 2,400 to 4,600
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenilworth IL | 2,437 | $250K | 2.1% | 4.0% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Riverwoods IL | 3,766 | $249K | 0.7% | 0.7% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Belle Meade TN | 2,621 | $250K | 1.4% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 600 | Bridgetown MS | 3,195 | $139K | 1.0% | 5.8% | <1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 946 | Gluckstadt MS | 3,500 | $124K | 5.3% | 5.4% | 4% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 1,012 | New Hope MS | 3,952 | $80K | 2.9% | 1.2% | 2% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,729 | Pine Manor FL | 3,660 | $46K | 19.2% | 12.2% | 1% | C− |
| 3,730 | Austin IN | 4,254 | $32K | 27.0% | 5.3% | 5% | C− |
| 3,731 | Water Valley MS | 3,414 | $43K | 27.1% | 3.1% | 18% | C− |
| 3,732 | Fairview OK | 2,632 | $55K | 19.0% | 3.6% | 33% | C− |
| 3,733 | Rutland NY | 2,952 | $72K | 17.5% | 7.9% | 3% | C− |
| … | |||||||
| 4,402 | Lake Isabella CA | 4,059 | $27K | 40.7% | 8.6% | 18% | 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 Water Valley, the top three, the last and three more from Mississippi.
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 Water Valley: questions
What is the median household income in Water Valley?
$42,684 (±$11,988) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $56,447 across Mississippi and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Water Valley?
27.1%, against 18.9% across Mississippi and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Water Valley?
23 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Mississippi and 26 nationally. 6% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Water Valley work?
18% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Oxford (21%, 14 mi), Batesville (4%, 20 mi), Jackson (3%, 132 mi) (Census LEHD 2023).
Is Water Valley walkable?
Water Valley is more walkable than 34% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 6.4 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Water Valley without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 2% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Water Valley, from the people who make the trip.
More of Water Valley
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.