Like all states, Mississippi has certain places that are going on hard times. These Mississippi places have an above-average percentage of people living in poverty, out of work, or not making as much as they should be.
Even as the economy continues to improve, it’s worthwhile to look at the places in each state struggling to make ends meet. So we set our sites on locating the poorest places in Mississippi.
To do so, we used Saturday Night Science to analyze the newest Census data from the American Community Survey for the 61 cities in Mississippi with more than 5,000 people.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Poorest Places In Mississippi For 2026:
What’s the poorest city in Mississippi? According to the facts, Yazoo City is the poorest place in Mississippi for 2026.
This isn’t a commentary on the people that live there or the vibrant culture and traditions of these places. Instead, it’s just a look at the facts.
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Mississippi
- Cheapest Places To Live In Mississippi
- Most Dangerous Cities In Mississippi
- The poorest states in the US
- The poorest cities in the US
The 10 Poorest Cities In Mississippi For 2026
1. Yazoo City
/10
Population: 10,219
Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change)
Median Income: $28,157 (lowest)
Poverty Rate: 46.7% (highest)
People In Poverty: 4,774
More on Yazoo City: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Yazoo City, unfortunately, ranks as the poorest place in Mississippi thanks to combination of low pay and and a lack of jobs.
The city of 10,219 people averages the lowest median household income in Mississippi and the highest poverty rate. At the very least, the cost of living ranks in the bottom 15% of place in the state, so things like housing are relatively affordable.
2. Clarksdale
/10
Population: 14,231
Rank Last Year: 3 (Up 1)
Median Income: $36,382 (3rd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 40.3% (2nd highest)
People In Poverty: 5,737
More on Clarksdale: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
The second poorest city in Mississippi is Clarksdale.
The city ranks as having the 2nd highest incidence of poverty and 3rd lowest median household income. However, the unemployment rate ‘only’ ranks as the 5th highest in the Magnolia State.
3. Meridian
/10
Population: 34,137
Rank Last Year: 4 (Up 1)
Median Income: $36,562 (4th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 34.3% (4th highest)
People In Poverty: 11,705
More on Meridian: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Placing as the third poorest city, Meridian’s median income ranks as the 4th lowest.
And that’s a sign that there’s a relatively substantial jump in the quality of the economy from second to third place on our list. The poverty rate is 34.29% and ranks near the bottom of places in the state.
But what makes up for the relatively low incomes of the city is its low cost of living. The income you do make here goes further than in most parts of the Magnolia State.
4. Louisville
/10
Population: 5,983
Rank Last Year: 6 (Up 2)
Median Income: $36,985 (7th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 39.3% (3rd highest)
People In Poverty: 2,348
More on Louisville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Louisville ranks as the fourth poorest place in Mississippi.
The town ranks as having the 7th lowest median household income and the 3rd highest incidence of poverty in the state.
That being said, there’s still a ton of cultural diversity in the city as it hosts many events throughout the year.
5. Natchez
/10
Population: 14,192
Rank Last Year: 5 (No Change)
Median Income: $36,735 (6th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.7% (6th highest)
People In Poverty: 4,784
More on Natchez: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
The fifth poorest city in Mississippi is Natchez.
The city ranks as having the 6th lowest median income in the state. However, an extremely low cost of living prevents a good number of folks from living in poverty as the poverty rate only ranks as the 6th highest in Mississippi.
Still not the best news for Natchez.
6. Greenwood
/10
Population: 14,086
Rank Last Year: 10 (Up 4)
Median Income: $35,473 (2nd lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.4% (13th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,993
More on Greenwood: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Greenwood ranks as the sixth poorest place in the Magnolia State.
It ranks as having the 13th highest incidence of poverty and the 16th highest unemployment rate.
7. Canton
/10
Population: 10,811
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 5)
Median Income: $38,337 (9th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 33.3% (7th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,601
More on Canton: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Canton places as the seventh poorest city in Mississippi.
The city of over 10,811 ranks as having the 7th highest incidence of poverty in the state. However, it has a very low cost of living which helps to pay the bills each month.
8. Brookhaven
/10
Population: 11,650
Rank Last Year: 15 (Up 7)
Median Income: $36,685 (5th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 28.6% (12th highest)
People In Poverty: 3,335
More on Brookhaven: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
Brookhaven ranks as the eighth poorest city in Mississippi.
The big issue for the town is the unemployment rate which ranks as one of the highest in the state.
9. Indianola
/10
Population: 9,062
Rank Last Year: 13 (Up 4)
Median Income: $41,708 (15th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.6% (10th highest)
People In Poverty: 2,768
More on Indianola: Data | Cost Of Living | Movers
Indianola couldn’t stay out of the top ten poorest places in Mississippi; it ranks number 9.
While the median income is the 15th lowest, there are a substantial number of people that live below the poverty line. Overall, Indianola ranks as having the 10th most people living in poverty of all the places we analyzed in Mississippi.
10. Starkville
/10
Population: 25,721
Rank Last Year: 11 (Up 1)
Median Income: $42,125 (17th lowest)
Poverty Rate: 30.7% (9th highest)
People In Poverty: 7,888
More on Starkville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Movers
And rounding out the top ten poorest cities in Mississippi is Starkville.
The city of 25,721 people ranks in the bottom 20% for both median income and poverty rate in the Magnolia State.
Methodology: How We Determined The Poorest Places In Mississippi for 2026
The first thing that comes to most people’s minds when they think about determining the poorest places is to simply the poverty rate. That is, the number of people living below a federally established level of income for a household of a certain size.
However, we don’t think that one statistic wholly encompasses what it means to be one of the “poorest places”. So we used Saturday Night Science to look at this set of criteria from the newly released 2020-2024 American Community Survey:
- Poverty Level
- Median Household Income
After we collected the data for all 61 places with more than 5,000 people in Mississippi, we ranked each place from 1 to 61 for each of the criteria, with 1 being the poorest.
We then averaged all the rankings for a place into a “Poor Score” with the place having the lowest overall Poor Score, Yazoo City, crowned the “Poorest Place In Mississippi For 2026”.
This report has been updated for 2026, which is our eleventh time ranking the poorest places in Mississippi.
Summary: The Poorest Cities In Mississippi For 2026
Like we said earlier, when we set out to identify the poorest places in Mississippi, we weren’t sure what we’d encounter, but it ended up being some of the best places to live in Mississippi.
When you look at the data, the cities and places mentioned above meet the criteria for being at the very bottom of the income ladder for everyone that lives there.
If you’re curious enough, here are the richest cities in Mississippi, according to data:
-
Richest: Madison
2nd Richest: Olive Branch
3rd Richest: Diamondhead
For more Mississippi reading, check out:
- Richest Cities In Mississippi
- Safest Places In Mississippi
- Worst Places To Live In Mississippi
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Mississippi
Detailed List Of The Poorest Places To Live In Mississippi
| Rank | City | Population | Poverty Rate | Median Income | People In Poverty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yazoo City | 10,219 | 46.7% | $28,157 | 4,774 |
| 2 | Clarksdale | 14,231 | 40.3% | $36,382 | 5,737 |
| 3 | Meridian | 34,137 | 34.3% | $36,562 | 11,705 |
| 4 | Louisville | 5,983 | 39.3% | $36,985 | 2,348 |
| 5 | Natchez | 14,192 | 33.7% | $36,735 | 4,784 |
| 6 | Greenwood | 14,086 | 28.4% | $35,473 | 3,993 |
| 7 | Canton | 10,811 | 33.3% | $38,337 | 3,601 |
| 8 | Brookhaven | 11,650 | 28.6% | $36,685 | 3,335 |
| 9 | Indianola | 9,062 | 30.6% | $41,708 | 2,768 |
| 10 | Starkville | 25,721 | 30.7% | $42,125 | 7,888 |
| 11 | Greenville | 28,166 | 28.0% | $40,083 | 7,897 |
| 12 | Cleveland | 10,623 | 29.3% | $44,074 | 3,109 |
| 13 | Holly Springs | 6,704 | 31.1% | $45,462 | 2,084 |
| 14 | McComb | 12,049 | 27.1% | $40,707 | 3,264 |
| 15 | West Point | 9,900 | 25.6% | $38,064 | 2,530 |
| 16 | Jackson | 146,631 | 27.9% | $42,071 | 40,939 |
| 17 | Forest | 5,357 | 33.8% | $49,724 | 1,811 |
| 18 | Kosciusko | 6,933 | 25.7% | $40,085 | 1,779 |
| 19 | Columbia | 6,632 | 24.5% | $38,507 | 1,627 |
| 20 | Hattiesburg | 48,619 | 28.3% | $46,342 | 13,754 |
| 21 | Vicksburg | 20,589 | 26.8% | $45,781 | 5,511 |
| 22 | Grenada | 12,375 | 26.6% | $46,303 | 3,288 |
| 23 | Picayune | 11,900 | 20.6% | $41,213 | 2,452 |
| 24 | Columbus | 23,348 | 21.3% | $42,235 | 4,973 |
| 25 | Philadelphia | 6,996 | 25.6% | $50,788 | 1,790 |
| 26 | Moss Point | 11,957 | 20.0% | $44,296 | 2,390 |
| 27 | Laurel | 17,679 | 23.3% | $47,661 | 4,126 |
| 28 | Corinth | 14,323 | 18.7% | $44,226 | 2,678 |
| 29 | Gulfport | 73,003 | 22.8% | $49,919 | 16,673 |
| 30 | Senatobia | 8,380 | 26.4% | $54,167 | 2,213 |
| 31 | Pascagoula | 21,710 | 24.4% | $52,222 | 5,299 |
| 32 | Batesville | 7,387 | 21.9% | $51,727 | 1,621 |
| 33 | Pontotoc | 5,806 | 17.4% | $46,167 | 1,008 |
| 34 | Oxford | 26,411 | 25.4% | $64,451 | 6,718 |
| 35 | Horn Lake | 26,647 | 19.0% | $53,311 | 5,065 |
| 36 | Ripley | 5,377 | 20.1% | $55,444 | 1,078 |
| 37 | Booneville | 9,246 | 15.1% | $50,879 | 1,393 |
| 38 | New Albany | 7,663 | 14.8% | $51,332 | 1,136 |
| 39 | Amory | 6,500 | 16.4% | $52,901 | 1,067 |
| 40 | Biloxi | 48,861 | 16.4% | $57,204 | 8,032 |
| 41 | D’Iberville | 13,203 | 18.8% | $66,016 | 2,478 |
| 42 | Gautier | 19,046 | 17.5% | $61,926 | 3,333 |
| 43 | Tupelo | 37,791 | 15.1% | $66,257 | 5,717 |
| 44 | Pearl | 27,737 | 12.2% | $61,695 | 3,375 |
| 45 | Bay St. Louis | 10,188 | 14.5% | $67,442 | 1,478 |
| 46 | Richland | 7,346 | 12.7% | $66,558 | 930 |
| 47 | Ridgeland | 24,587 | 9.9% | $66,038 | 2,436 |
| 48 | Long Beach | 17,009 | 11.5% | $70,332 | 1,959 |
| 49 | Waveland | 7,062 | 10.8% | $68,693 | 760 |
| 50 | Southaven | 56,226 | 12.6% | $78,483 | 7,067 |
| 51 | Flowood | 10,587 | 13.4% | $83,880 | 1,422 |
| 52 | Petal | 11,294 | 11.1% | $74,750 | 1,250 |
| 53 | Byram | 12,799 | 9.1% | $70,445 | 1,167 |
| 54 | Clinton | 27,195 | 9.6% | $74,745 | 2,610 |
| 55 | Hernando | 17,949 | 8.8% | $76,950 | 1,583 |
| 56 | Pass Christian | 6,097 | 8.4% | $78,212 | 509 |
| 57 | Brandon | 25,542 | 8.5% | $92,783 | 2,181 |
| 58 | Ocean Springs | 18,646 | 5.5% | $79,712 | 1,034 |
| 59 | Diamondhead | 9,338 | 7.0% | $87,407 | 655 |
| 60 | Olive Branch | 47,019 | 4.6% | $100,606 | 2,158 |
| 61 | Madison | 27,946 | 4.8% | $119,338 | 1,346 |
University? That’s Ole Miss bro… not a city…. also not poor… not even close…just because it has its own zip doesn’t make it a city.