Best Places39521, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39521, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
39521 ranks 30,898th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and biking ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39521
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.
39521's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39521 ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 84% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$668 a month, better than 78% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 115 pleasant days a year, better than 73% of zip codes
Where 39521 ranks low
- BikingBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39521
A household needs to earn about $41,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39521 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $52,656, 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 39521's effective rate of 0.48%, 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 3 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39521
39521 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 39521.
Who works in 39521, and how
Work in 39521 centers on transportation & warehousing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 97%
- Work from home 2%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in 39521
The coast is about 22 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 39521, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39521, month by month
39521 sees roughly 115 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 43. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 54° | 43° |
| April | 77° | 71° | 58° |
| July | 90° | 84° | 75° |
| October | 81° | 73° | 60° |
Flying in and out of 39521
The nearest airport, Gulfport-Biloxi International, is about 26 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39521
Schools across 39521 average a B−, better than 62% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- South Hancock Elementary SchoolB− · 44% proficient
- West Hancock Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hancock Middle SchoolA− · 54% proficient
Top high schools
- Hancock High SchoolB · 45% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39521 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39521 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 39521 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39521
Is 39521 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39521 ranks 30,898th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on tree cover, low property taxes, and a stable housing market, and lowest on biking and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39521 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $165,600. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $52,656 median income, cost of living beats 28% of zip codes.
Is 39521 safe?
Yes, 39521 is safer than 58% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $162 per resident a year.
Compare 39521 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39521. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39521 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.
39521 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39521: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39521: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39521: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39521: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39521 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.