Best Places39470, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39470, 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.
39470 ranks 27,856th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and disaster risk is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 39470
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.
39470's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39470 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$523 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 78% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 77% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 73% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 71% of zip codes
Where 39470 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 2% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Short commute38.8 minutes each way, better than only 5% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 13% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39470
A household needs to earn about $48,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39470 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $57,156, 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 39470's effective rate of 0.54%, 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 39470
39470 runs younger than the country, though it still carries a larger-than-average share of residents over 65.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39470.
Who works in 39470, and how
Work in 39470 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 84%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 39470
39470 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 90% of zip codes. The coast is about 65 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 39470 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39470, month by month
39470 sees roughly 92 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 93 degrees. January highs sit near 65, with lows near 42. The comfortable stretch runs February through May and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 65° | 52° | 42° |
| April | 80° | 67° | 57° |
| July | 93° | 82° | 74° |
| October | 84° | 69° | 59° |
Flying in and out of 39470
The nearest airport, Gulfport-Biloxi International, is about 40 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 70 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39470
Schools across 39470 average a B, better than 63% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Hancock North Central ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Pearl River Central ElementarB+ · 51% proficient
- Poplarville Upper Elementary SchC · 34% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hancock Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
- Middle School Of PoplarvilleB+ · 49% proficient
- Pearl River Central Junior HighB+ · 47% proficient
Top high schools
- Poplarville Jr Sr High SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Pearl River Central High SchoolB · 46% proficient
- Hancock High SchoolB · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39470 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39470 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 39470 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39470
Is 39470 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39470 ranks 27,856th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, low property taxes, and tree cover, and lowest on disaster risk and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39470 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $190,361. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $57,156 median income, cost of living beats 26% of zip codes.
Is 39470 safe?
Yes, 39470 is safer than 73% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $147 per resident a year.
Compare 39470 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39470. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39470 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.
39470 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39470: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39470: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39470: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39470: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39470 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.