Best Places39120, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39120, 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.
39120 ranks 30,862nd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and the schools rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39120
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.
39120's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39120 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$529 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 82% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Short commute21.5 minutes each way, better than 78% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 75% of zip codes
Where 39120 ranks low
- School gradeD−, better than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Household income$45,294 median, better than only 7% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 12% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39120
A household needs to earn about $34,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39120 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $45,294, 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 39120'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 39120
39120 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 39120.
Who works in 39120, and how
Work in 39120 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 93%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 39120
39120 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 83% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 77% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 39120 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39120, month by month
39120 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 38. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 53° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 68° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 39120
The nearest airport, Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, is about 71 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 126 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39120
Schools across 39120 average a D−, better than 3% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin Lower ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Mc Laurin Elementary SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Marksville Elementary SchoolD · 18% proficient
Top middle schools
- Vidalia Junior High SchoolD · 19% proficient
- Jefferson Co Jr HiD− · 15% proficient
- Jefferson County Upper ElementaryF · 13% proficient
Top high schools
- Natchez Early College@co-linB · 47% proficient
- Vidalia High SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Jefferson Co HighD− · 17% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39120 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39120 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 39120 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 39120 suits
Remote workers
Internet is fast and widely advertised and 5% already work from home.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in 39120
Is 39120 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39120 ranks 30,862nd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low property taxes, and a stable housing market, and lowest on the schools and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39120 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $136,476. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $45,294 median income, cost of living beats 11% of zip codes.
Is 39120 safe?
39120 is safer than 13% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $329 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 39120?
July highs average about 92 degrees, and January highs near 61 with lows near 38. That works out to about 78 pleasant days a year, more than 41% of zip codes.
Is 39120 good for families?
Schools beat 3% of zip codes, crime safety beats 13%, and childcare runs $529 a month.
Compare 39120 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39120. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39120 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.
39120 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39120: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39120: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39120: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39120: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39120 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.