Best Places39701, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 39701, 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.
39701 ranks 31,464th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on affordable childcare by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 39701
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.
39701's strengths and weaknesses
Where 39701 ranks high
- Cheap childcare$513 a month, better than 93% of zip codes
- Short commute17.5 minutes each way, better than 93% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than 89% of zip codes
- Internet speedBetter than 85% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than 80% of zip codes
Where 39701 ranks low
- Household income$38,891 median, better than only 3% of zip codes
- State infrastructureBetter than only 4% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- Local economyBetter than only 6% of zip codes
- School gradeD, better than only 7% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 39701
A household needs to earn about $38,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 39701 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $38,891, 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 39701's effective rate of 0.52%, 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 6 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 39701
39701 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 39701.
Who works in 39701, and how
Work in 39701 centers on manufacturing and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 91%
- Work from home 4%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 39701
39701 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes and more parkland per resident than 86% of zip codes. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of 39701 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 39701, month by month
39701 sees roughly 99 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 92 degrees. January highs sit near 56, with lows near 36. The comfortable stretch runs March through May and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 56° | 45° | 36° |
| April | 76° | 64° | 53° |
| July | 92° | 81° | 72° |
| October | 79° | 66° | 55° |
Flying in and out of 39701
The nearest airport, Golden Triangle Regional, is about 10 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 139 miles away.
The best schools in and around 39701
Schools across 39701 average a D, better than 7% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- New Hope Elementary SchoolB− · 42% proficient
- West Lowndes ElementaryC− · 27% proficient
- Sale Elementary SchoolD+ · 23% proficient
Top middle schools
- New Hope Middle SchoolB · 44% proficient
- Socsd/msu Partnership Middle SchoolC− · 31% proficient
- Columbus Middle SchoolD− · 15% proficient
Top high schools
- New Hope High SchoolC · 31% proficient
- West Point High SchoolC− · 27% proficient
- West Lowndes High SchoolD · 18% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 39701 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
39701 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 39701 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 39701
Is 39701 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 39701 ranks 31,464th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on affordable childcare, short commutes, and walkability, and lowest on low incomes and state infrastructure. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 39701 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $149,952. The overall cost of living runs about 22% below the national average. Set against a $38,891 median income, cost of living beats 6% of zip codes.
Is 39701 safe?
39701 is safer than 8% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $395 per resident a year.
Compare 39701 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 39701. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 39701 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.
39701 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 39701: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 39701: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 39701: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 39701: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
39701 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.