Best Places39653, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39653, 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.
39653 ranks 26,889th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on a stable housing market by a wide margin, and state infrastructure ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39653
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.
39653's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39653 ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Tree shadeBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Cheap childcare$535 a month, better than 92% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 77% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than 74% of zip codes
Where 39653 ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than only 8% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of zip codes
- Household income$50,636 median, better than only 11% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39653
A household needs to earn about $27,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39653 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $50,636, 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 39653'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 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 39653
39653 runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 39653.
Who works in 39653, and how
Work in 39653 centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in 39653
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 39653.
What the weather is like in 39653, month by month
39653 sees roughly 81 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 61, 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 | 61° | 48° | 38° |
| April | 78° | 65° | 53° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 68° | 56° |
Flying in and out of 39653
The nearest airport, Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, is about 66 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 107 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39653
Schools across 39653 average a B−, better than 58% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Franklin Lower ElementaryA− · 58% proficient
- Amite County ElementaryC · 35% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin County Middle SchoolB · 43% proficient
- Franklin Upper ElementaryB− · 39% proficient
Top high schools
- Franklin High SchoolC− · 28% proficient
- Amite County High SchoolD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39653 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39653 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 39653 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39653
Is 39653 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39653 ranks 26,889th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on a stable housing market, tree cover, and affordable childcare, and lowest on state infrastructure and health outcomes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39653 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $107,233. The overall cost of living runs about 24% below the national average. Set against a $50,636 median income, cost of living beats 25% of zip codes.
Is 39653 safe?
39653 is safer than 39% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $204 per resident a year.
Compare 39653 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39653. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39653 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.
39653 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39653: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39653: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39653: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39653: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39653 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.