Those small-car Ford manuals routinely are short gears. The faster you can get to 5th, the better your MPG. Most folks are "town cruisers," meaning they do the abundance of their driving in low-speed-limit areas. By gearing it so that you can be in 5th at just under 35, you can putz around all day in 5th gear in town.
Once you go out on the highway, the engine just revs up, and up, and up....
My 97 Escort would take 5th at 29-31 MPH.