Best Places39042, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39042, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Costs and crime both read low, and the nearest big city is a drive away. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
39042 ranks 8,757th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on fast internet by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39042
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.
39042's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39042 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 92% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$650 a month, better than 81% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 79% of zip codes
Where 39042 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 21% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39042
A household needs to earn about $67,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39042 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $90,498, 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 39042's effective rate of 0.62%, 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 39042
39042'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 39042.
Who works in 39042, and how
Work in 39042 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 8%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 39042
39042 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 39042 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39042, month by month
39042 sees roughly 75 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 94 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 47° | 36° |
| April | 80° | 65° | 52° |
| July | 94° | 82° | 73° |
| October | 83° | 68° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 39042
The nearest airport, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International, is about 7 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 158 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39042
Schools across 39042 average a B+, better than 75% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Brandon Elementary SchoolA · 71% proficient
- Oakdale ElementaryA− · 61% proficient
- Northwest Elementary SchoolA− · 60% proficient
Top middle schools
- Brandon Middle SchoolA · 61% proficient
- Northwest Rankin Middle SchoolA · 61% proficient
- Pearl Junior High SchoolB+ · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Brandon High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Pearl High SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Northwest Rankin High SchoolB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39042 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39042 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 39042 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 39042 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 79% of zip codes, internet is fast and widely advertised, and 8% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 39042
Is 39042 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39042 ranks 8,757th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, a stable housing market, and low crime, 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 39042 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $261,403. The overall cost of living runs about 13% below the national average. Set against a $90,498 median income, cost of living beats 79% of zip codes.
Is 39042 safe?
Yes, 39042 is safer than 82% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $127 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 39042?
July highs average about 94 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 36. That works out to about 75 pleasant days a year, more than 35% of zip codes.
Is 39042 good for families?
Schools beat 75% of zip codes, crime safety beats 82%, and childcare runs $650 a month.
Compare 39042 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39042. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39042 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.
39042 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39042: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39042: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39042: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39042: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39042 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.