What share of people in Jackson are on low incomes?

52.8% of residents of Jackson had incomes below twice the poverty line in 2020-2024, 15th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 28.2%; Mississippi: 40.1%).

Poverty and living standards in Jackson, Mississippi: official figures

27.9% of residents of Jackson (39,303 people) had incomes below the federal poverty line in the 2020-2024 American Community Survey, 17th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 12.5%; Mississippi: 18.9%).

Poverty rate

27.9%

2020-2024

Child poverty rate (under 18)

40.9%

2020-2024

Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent

60.3%

2020-2024

How many children live in poverty in Jackson?

40.9% of children under 18 in Jackson lived below the poverty line in 2020-2024 (14,121 children), 10th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 16.1%; Mississippi: 26.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

What is the poverty rate for older people in Jackson?

By age, the poverty rate in Jackson was 39.7% for children under 6 and 23.0% for residents aged 60 and over in 2020-2024 (US: 17.2% and 11.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Jackson live in deep poverty?

18,424 people in Jackson, 13.1% of residents, had incomes below half the poverty line in 2020-2024, 42nd highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 6.0%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many renters in Jackson are cost-burdened?

60.3% of renting households in Jackson spent 30% or more of their income on rent and utilities in 2020-2024 (17,284 households), 117th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 51.1%; Mississippi: 51.3%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many households in Jackson spend half their income on rent?

31.3% of renting households in Jackson spent half or more of their income on rent and utilities, 166th highest of 823 US cities of 50,000 or more (US: 25.9%).

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

How many people in Jackson are food insecure?

An estimated 34.0% of adults in Jackson experienced food insecurity in the past year, 20th highest of 592 US cities of 50,000 or more with an estimate, and 26.6% housing insecurity (CDC PLACES model-based estimate for 2023, age-adjusted).

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

How Jackson compares with other cities in the United States

Residents below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Jackson ranks 17 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents below the poverty line
14	Port Arthur	29.0%
15	Syracuse	28.8%
16	Reading	28.7%
17	Jackson	27.9%
18	Rochester	27.8%
19	Pharr	27.6%
20	Albany	27.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Children under 18 below the poverty line (2020-2024)

Jackson ranks 10 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Children under 18 below the poverty line
7	Syracuse	44.0%
8	New Brunswick	43.5%
9	Rochester	41.3%
10	Jackson	40.9%
11	Dayton	40.6%
12	Troy	40.5%
13	Birmingham	40.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Residents with incomes below half the poverty line (2020-2024)

Jackson ranks 42 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Residents with incomes below half the poverty line
39	Reading	13.6%
40	Terre Haute	13.6%
41	Fort Pierce	13.5%
42	Jackson	13.1%
43	Pontiac	13.0%
44	Baton Rouge	13.0%
45	Hartford	13.0%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent (2020-2024)

Jackson ranks 117 of 823, highest first.

Rank	City	Renting households spending 30% or more of income on rent
114	Ann Arbor	60.4%
115	Pomona	60.4%
116	Reading	60.4%
117	Jackson	60.3%
118	Aurora	60.3%
119	Montebello	60.3%
120	Madera	60.3%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau · saved copy

Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate) (2023)

Jackson ranks 20 of 592, highest first.

Rank	City	Adults experiencing food insecurity (age-adjusted model estimate)
17	New Brunswick	35.0%
18	Pontiac	34.6%
19	Cicero	34.3%
20	Jackson	34.0%
21	Lawrence	33.8%
22	San Bernardino	33.3%
23	Plainfield	33.1%

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · saved copy

More on Jackson: overview · economy and jobs · health · education and schools · government budget · all cities in the United States

Sources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: PLACES: Place Data (GIS Friendly Format), 2025 release: model-based age-adjusted prevalence among adults, for every place (data.cdc.gov API, columns used), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 b2174bcc660f…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B17020: Poverty Status in the Past 12 Months by Age (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 e79a292f34605560506b7f4b5c8ea242c9d6e203c8e95ba675565ddb7758571e), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 41bab025d213…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table C17002: Ratio of Income to Poverty Level in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 dc3dc675113683ec3ff2a0e29a840f43e03268151d7f14b922658d7306da5187), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 31aa364bfddf…)
U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, table B25070: Gross Rent as a Percentage of Household Income in the Past 12 Months (Summary File rows for the US, the states and the listed cities, copied unchanged from the full file, sha256 862ccc17d913305d11e6f802ce4518d76b30585ea0b05b251cd8cf21f8661386), read 23 October 2026 · saved copy (SHA-256 4f8d499d9e95…)

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