Best Places38821, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38821, 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.
38821 ranks 19,440th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38821
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.
38821's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38821 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$532 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Short commute22.2 minutes each way, better than 74% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 38821 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 7% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 17% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38821
A household needs to earn about $39,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38821 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $62,045, 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 38821's effective rate of 0.50%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 38821
38821 runs older than the country, 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 38821.
Who works in 38821, and how
Work in 38821 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 89%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 38821
38821 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 72% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38821 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38821, month by month
38821 sees roughly 72 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 55, with lows near 34. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 55° | 43° | 34° |
| April | 76° | 62° | 51° |
| July | 93° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 79° | 64° | 53° |
Flying in and out of 38821
The nearest airport, Tupelo Regional, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 113 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38821
Schools across 38821 average a B, better than 67% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- East Amory SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Nettleton Primary SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Aberdeen Elementary SchoolF · 10% proficient
Top middle schools
- Amory Middle SchoolB · 45% proficient
- Nettleton Intermediate SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Belle Shivers Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Amory High SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Nettleton High SchoolC− · 30% proficient
- Aberdeen High SchoolF · 8% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38821 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38821 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 38821 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38821
Is 38821 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38821 ranks 19,440th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, fast internet, and low property taxes, and lowest on state infrastructure and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 38821 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $155,575. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $62,045 median income, cost of living beats 45% of zip codes.
Is 38821 safe?
Yes, 38821 is safer than 67% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $155 per resident a year.
Compare 38821 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38821. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38821 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.
38821 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38821: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38821: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38821: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38821: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38821 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.