Best Places39114, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39114, 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.
39114 ranks 28,343rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39114
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.
39114's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39114 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$678 a month, better than 76% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 63% of zip codes
Where 39114 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Short commute34.8 minutes each way, better than only 11% of zip codes
- Household income$52,117 median, better than only 13% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39114
A household needs to earn about $37,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39114 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,117, 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 39114's effective rate of 0.49%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39114
39114 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39114.
Who works in 39114, and how
Work in 39114 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 8%
Life in 39114
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 39114.
What the weather is like in 39114, month by month
39114 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 39114
The nearest airport, Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International, is about 28 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 138 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39114
Schools across 39114 average a D+, better than 17% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Puckett Elementary SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Simpson Central SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Raleigh Elementary SchoolB− · 41% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mendenhall Junior High SchoolD+ · 24% proficient
- Magee Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
Top high schools
- Raleigh High SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- Puckett Attendance CenterB− · 43% proficient
- Mendenhall High SchoolD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39114 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39114 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 39114 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39114
Is 39114 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39114 ranks 28,343rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, low property taxes, and tree cover, 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 39114 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $146,329. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $52,117 median income, cost of living beats 18% of zip codes.
Is 39114 safe?
Yes, 39114 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $168 per resident a year.
Compare 39114 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39114. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39114 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.
39114 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39114: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39114: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39114: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39114: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39114 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.