Best Places39443, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39443, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
39443 ranks 21,249th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39443
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.
39443's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39443 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$527 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 73% of zip codes
Where 39443 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- Air qualityBetter than only 16% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than only 17% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 18% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39443
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39443 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $64,203, 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 39443's effective rate of 0.55%, 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 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39443
39443'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 39443.
Who works in 39443, and how
Work in 39443 centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 94%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 39443
39443 has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most zip codes. That concentrates in some parts of 39443 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39443, month by month
39443 sees roughly 76 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 39443
The nearest airport, Hattiesburg/Laurel Regional, is about 22 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 39443
Schools across 39443 average a B−, better than 52% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Glade Elementary SchoolA− · 56% proficient
- West Jones Elementary SchoolB · 49% proficient
- Clara Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Heidelberg Junior High SchoolC · 32% proficient
- Laurel Middle SchoolD− · 16% proficient
Top high schools
- Northeast Jones High SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- West Jones High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Wayne County High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39443 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39443 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 39443 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 39443 suits
Families
Schools land around the 52nd percentile and crime safety beats 69%.
Common questions about living in 39443
Is 39443 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39443 ranks 21,249th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, a stable housing market, and low property taxes, and lowest on state infrastructure and state finances. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39443 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $150,238. The overall cost of living runs about 19% below the national average. Set against a $64,203 median income, cost of living beats 43% of zip codes.
Is 39443 safe?
Yes, 39443 is safer than 69% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $150 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 39443?
July highs average about 91 degrees, and January highs near 60 with lows near 38. That works out to about 76 pleasant days a year, more than 38% of zip codes.
Is 39443 good for families?
Schools beat 52% of zip codes, crime safety beats 69%, and childcare runs $527 a month.
Compare 39443 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39443. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39443 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.
39443 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39443: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39443: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39443: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39443: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39443 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.