Best Places39540, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39540, 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.
39540 ranks 20,903rd of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. Disaster risk pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on fast internet.
The best neighborhoods in 39540
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.
39540's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39540 ranks high
- Internet speedBetter than 83% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than 81% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 80% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$662 a month, better than 79% of zip codes
- School gradeB+, better than 78% of zip codes
Where 39540 ranks low
- Disaster safetyBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 12% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39540
A household needs to earn about $43,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39540 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $61,090, 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 39540's effective rate of 0.58%, 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 4 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39540
39540 runs younger than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39540.
Who works in 39540, and how
Work in 39540 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 5%
- Transit, walk, or bike 4%
Life in 39540
39540 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 93% of zip codes. The coast is about 5 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 39540 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39540, month by month
39540 sees roughly 107 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 62, with lows near 45. The comfortable stretch runs February through April and October through December.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 62° | 52° | 45° |
| April | 77° | 69° | 61° |
| July | 90° | 83° | 77° |
| October | 81° | 72° | 63° |
Flying in and out of 39540
The nearest airport, Gulfport-Biloxi International, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 87 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39540
Schools across 39540 average a B+, better than 78% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- North Bay Elementary SchoolA · 67% proficient
- St Martin N Elementary SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Diberville ElemB− · 43% proficient
Top middle schools
- Biloxi Junior HighA · 59% proficient
- Diberville Middle SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top high schools
- Diberville Senior High SchA− · 67% proficient
- Biloxi High SchoolA− · 64% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39540 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39540 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 39540 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39540
Is 39540 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39540 ranks 20,903rd of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on fast internet, a strong job market, and walkability, 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 39540 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $170,793. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $61,090 median income, cost of living beats 37% of zip codes.
Is 39540 safe?
Yes, 39540 is safer than 55% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $190 per resident a year.
Compare 39540 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39540. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39540 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.
39540 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39540: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39540: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39540: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39540: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39540 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.