Best Places39362, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39362, 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.
39362 ranks 32,250th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39362
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.
39362's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39362 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$536 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 91% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 88% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 81% of zip codes
Where 39362 ranks low
- Household income$40,664 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39362
A household needs to earn about $20,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39362 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $40,664, 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 39362's effective rate of 0.44%, 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 2 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39362
39362 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39362.
Who works in 39362, and how
Work in 39362 centers on construction and manufacturing. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 90%
- Work from home 6%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 39362
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 39362.
What the weather is like in 39362, month by month
39362 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 60, 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 | 60° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 54° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 73° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 39362
The nearest airport, Hattiesburg/Laurel Regional, is about 48 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 144 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39362
Schools across 39362 average a C, better than 36% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Chatom Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Clara Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- Buckatunna Elementary SchoolC+ · 36% proficient
Top middle schools
- Leakesville Jr High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Top high schools
- Greene County High SchoolB · 47% proficient
- Washington County High SchoolC · 33% proficient
- Richton High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39362 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39362 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 39362 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39362
Is 39362 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39362 ranks 32,250th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, affordable childcare, and tree cover, and lowest on low incomes and a weak job market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39362 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $81,541. The overall cost of living runs about 23% below the national average. Set against a $40,664 median income, cost of living beats 7% of zip codes.
Is 39362 safe?
39362 is safer than 22% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $257 per resident a year.
Compare 39362 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39362. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39362 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.
39362 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39362: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39362: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39362: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39362: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39362 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.