Best Places38829, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 38829, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
38829 ranks 19,759th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and air quality ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 38829
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.
38829's strengths and weaknesses
Where 38829 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$533 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 38829 ranks low
- Air qualityBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Household income$54,592 median, better than only 16% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 22% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 38829
A household needs to earn about $33,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 38829 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $54,592, 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 38829's effective rate of 0.51%, 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 38829
38829's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 38829.
Who works in 38829, and how
Work in 38829 centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 96%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 38829
38829 has more parkland per resident than 81% of zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 38829 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 38829, month by month
38829 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 52, 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 | 52° | 42° | 34° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 51° |
| July | 90° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 76° | 62° | 52° |
Flying in and out of 38829
The nearest airport, Tupelo Regional, is about 30 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 85 miles away.
The best schools in and around 38829
Schools across 38829 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Marietta Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Anderson Elementary SchoolB · 50% proficient
- Hills Chapel SchoolB · 49% proficient
Top middle schools
- R.h. Long Booneville Middle SchoolB+ · 50% proficient
- Ripley Middle SchoolB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- New Site High SchoolB+ · 58% proficient
- Booneville High SchoolB+ · 55% proficient
- Ripley High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 38829 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
38829 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 38829 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 38829
Is 38829 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 38829 ranks 19,759th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, fast internet, and affordable childcare, 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 38829 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $132,549. The overall cost of living runs about 28% below the national average. Set against a $54,592 median income, cost of living beats 38% of zip codes.
Is 38829 safe?
38829 is safer than 44% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $199 per resident a year.
Compare 38829 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 38829. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 38829 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.
38829 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 38829: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 38829: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 38829: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 38829: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
38829 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.