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54. Brandon, MS
Brandon
WINNER
Top 100 rank: 54
Population: 20,600
Compare Brandon to Top 10 Best Places
Many who live in this family-friendly suburb of Jackson (the state capitol) work for the government, one of the most stable employers around. Several regional corporate offices are in the area as well.

As for housing, sales slowed when the nationwide slump began, but prices are only now beginning to drop. Homes in Brandon are a bargain compared to those in most other parts of the country.

The town is also a safe one: many residents consider door-locking optional. --N.A.

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Brandon stats
Median family income
(per year)		 $77,679 $97,441
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 30.44% 19.58%
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Median home price N.A. $262,148
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Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 26.0% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 12.6% 28.2%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 0 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 10 19
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 754 1,923
High temp in July ° F* 91.3° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 35.0° 21.0°
Median age 36.5 36.6
Median family income
(per year)		 $77,679 $97,441
Family purchasing power
(annual, cost-of-living adjusted)		 $81,339 $95,041
State sales tax 7.00% 5.63%
State income tax rate
(highest bracket)		 5.00%I 6.06%
State income tax rate
(lowest bracket)		 3.00%I 3.07%
Auto insurance premiums
(Average price quotes, for the state)		 $1,623 $1,744
Job growth %
(2000-2008)*		 30.44% 19.58%
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Median home price N.A. $262,148
Average property taxes
(2007)		 $930 $3,853
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Colleges, universities and
professional schools (within 30 miles)		 6 20
Test scores reading
(% above/below state average)		 26.0% 25.6%
Test scores math
(% above/below average)		 12.6% 28.2%
% students attending public/private
schools (located within town limits)		 99.2/0.8 90.1/9.9
Air quality index*
(% of days AQI ranked as good)		 N.A. 78.6%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000) 0 1
Property crime incidents (per 1,000) 10 19
Median commute time (in minutes) 21.8 22.5
% population with commute
45 mins. or longer		 7.6% 13.8%
% population walk or bike to work 1.4% 2.3%
Movie theaters
(within 15 miles)		 5 24
Restaurants
(within 15 miles)		 754 1,923
Bars
(within 15 miles)		 44 174
Public golf courses
(within 30 miles)		 29 148
Libraries
(within 15 miles)		 34 53
Museums (accredited by AAM;
within 30 miles)		 2 7
Ski resorts (within 100 miles) N.A. 17
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts) 0.7 1.2
Annual rainfall
(inches)		 56.62 39.77
% clear days in the area 41 27
High temp in July ° F* 91.3° 85.5°
Low temp in Jan ° F* 35.0° 21.0°
Median age 36.5 36.6
Completed at least some college
(% of residents)		 68.7% 71.9%
Married % 58.9% 62.9%
Divorced % 9.3% 7.7%
Racial diversity index
(100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)		 95.5 58.9
From the August 2009 issue
Notes:
* County data

(I) Income tax notes:
Some states effectively double the bracket widths for joint filers (AL, AZ, CT, HI, ID, KS, LA, ME, NE, NY, OR). CA doubles all bracket widths except the $1,000,000 bracket. Some states increase, but don't double, all or some bracket widths for joint filers (GA, MN, NM, NC, ND, OK, RI, VT, WI). Some states do not adjust their brackets for joint filers (AR, DE, IA, KY, MS, MO, MT, OH, SC, VA, WV, DC). Of these states, some permit married couples to file separately to avoid a marriage penalty, and some allow joint filers to make an adjustment to reduce their tax after it is calculated. MD decreases some of its bracket widths and increases others. NJ adds a 2.45% rate and doubles some bracket widths.
FORTUNE 500
There are no Fortune 500 companies in this state.
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How we picked the Best Places
Using statistics from data provider Onboard Informatics, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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