Best Places38804, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38804, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
38804 ranks 16,751st of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38804
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
38804's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38804 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$518 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute20.1 minutes each way, better than 84% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 76% of zip codes
Where 38804 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 67 pleasant days a year, better than only 19% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38804
A household needs to earn about $57,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38804 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $77,745, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 38804's effective rate of 0.68%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 10 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38804
38804's age mix sits close to the national median, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 38804.
Who works in 38804, and how
Work in 38804 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 38804
38804 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 91% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 92% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 38804 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38804, month by month
38804 sees roughly 67 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 44° | 33° |
| April | 77° | 63° | 50° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 66° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 38804
The nearest airport, Tupelo Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 90 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38804
Schools across 38804 average a B−, better than 60% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Rankin Elementary SchoolA− · 59% proficient
- Mooreville Elementary SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Lawhon Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mooreville Middle SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- Milam Elementary SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Guntown Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
Top high schools
- Mooreville High SchoolB− · 45% proficient
- Saltillo High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Tupelo High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38804 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38804 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 38804 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38804
Is 38804 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38804 ranks 16,751st of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and fast internet, and lowest on air quality and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38804 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $220,693. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $77,745 median income, cost of living beats 78% of zip codes.
Is 38804 safe?
38804 is safer than 40% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $220 per resident a year.
Compare 38804 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38804. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38804 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
38804 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38804: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38804: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38804: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38804: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38804 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.