Posted in Mississippi
April 16, 2016
Here Are The 15 Smartest Cities In Mississippi To Live In
One of the biggest misconceptions about Mississippi is that all of the residents are uneducated. In actuality, however, the state has a number of traits that prove otherwise, which is where the career website Zippia comes in. Recently, the website set out to find the smartest cities in the state, and in order to do so, stifled through census data for every Mississippi city with a population of 5,000 or more. All in all, 61 cities were analyzed; here are the top 15.
At 19.8%, this city’s rate of adults without a high school diploma is one of the highest on the list; however, New Albany fared much better when it came to the high school drop-out rate, which was 0%.
Home to Virginia College and Mississippi College’s Flowood Center, education is just a part of life in this city, so it should come as no surprise that a majority of the population has a high school education or higher.
Of this town’s 22,000 residents, only 7.1% didn’t graduate from high school.
A coastal resort community known for its incredible golf courses, stately homes, and numerous historic properties, Gautier can add another accolade to its list – one of the lowest high school drop-out rates in the state.
This DeSoto County city has upward of 50,000 residents, so the fact that the city has a rather low high school drop-out rate is quite impressive.
This coastal community is home to one of the state’s top performing high schools as well as the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park Campus, so it should come as no surprise that Long Beach ranked among the state’s smartest cities.
Just north of Biloxi, D’Iberville boasts a high school drop-out rate of 0%.
Most residents of Clinton have a high school education or higher, which makes sense since the city is home to Mississippi College. The reputable institution offers over 80 undergraduate programs, more than 15 graduate programs, and is home to a first-class law school.
Sara Goughenour
While the number of residents without a high school diploma was a bit on the higher side, Bay St. Louis can proudly claim a high school drop-out rate of 0%.
Winner of numerous “Keep Mississippi Beautiful” and “Urban Forestry” awards, Olive Branch can now add “6th smartest city in the state” to its list of accolades.
Home to the largest university in the state, Starkville and intelligence are basically synonymous - a fact that’s only been further verified by the city landing the 34th spot on a ranking of the country’s smartest cities.
Mike Rauls
From a thriving art scene to an amazing array of restaurants, Ocean Springs has a lot going on, including a great educational system that boasts an extremely low high school drop-out rate.
This popular college town not only ranked among the smartest cities in the state but also landed a spot on Venture Beat’s listing of the smartest cities in the entire country.
When it comes to intelligence, this city has a lot going on. The percentage of Madison residents with a Masters Degree is nearly twice as much as that of the nation. Additionally, Madison Central High School recently recognized over 100 students who scored a 30 or higher on the ACT (the state average is 19).
Named the smartest city in the state, only 3% of Diamondhead residents do not possess a high school diploma and the high school drop-out rate is a mere .5%
Were you surprised by these results? On or off the list, which Mississippi city do you believe is the smartest?
See the complete results of Zippia’s study here.
