Best PlacesJefferson Davis County, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in Jefferson Davis County, 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.
Jefferson Davis County ranks 3,074th of 3,144 U.S. counties on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and low incomes rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Jefferson Davis County
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.
Jefferson Davis County's strengths and weaknesses
Where Jefferson Davis County ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 97% of counties
- QuietBetter than 91% of counties
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 86% of counties
- Cheap childcare$532 a month, better than 86% of counties
- Low property taxBetter than 76% of counties
Where Jefferson Davis County ranks low
- Household income$40,293 median, better than only 1% of counties
- Cell coverageBetter than only 3% of counties
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of counties
- BikingBetter than only 4% of counties
- Short commute34.6 minutes each way, better than only 4% of counties
What it costs to buy a home in Jefferson Davis County
A household needs to earn about $24,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Jefferson Davis County home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $40,293, 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 Jefferson Davis County'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 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 Jefferson Davis County
Jefferson Davis County runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Jefferson Davis County.
Who works in Jefferson Davis County, and how
Work in Jefferson Davis County centers on health care & social and manufacturing. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 92%
- Work from home 7%
- Transit, walk, or bike 1%
Life in Jefferson Davis County
Jefferson Davis County has fewer places to eat and drink per resident than most counties. That concentrates in some parts of Jefferson Davis County and thins out in others, which the map shows.
Is Jefferson Davis County growing, and who is moving in?
Jefferson Davis County has lost about 6% of its population over the last decade. The largest inbound stream comes from Hattiesburg, MS.
Where new residents come from
Where people leaving Jefferson Davis County go
Move counts are the latest county-to-county migration flows, each county grouped into its metro.
What the weather is like in Jefferson Davis County, month by month
Jefferson Davis County sees roughly 97 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° | 54° |
| July | 92° | 80° | 72° |
| October | 81° | 67° | 57° |
Flying in and out of Jefferson Davis County
The nearest airport, Hattiesburg/Laurel Regional, is about 29 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 112 miles away.
The best schools in and around Jefferson Davis County
Schools across Jefferson Davis County average a D, better than 6% of counties.
Top elementary schools
- Topeka Tilton Attendance CenterC · 31% proficient
- Carver Elementary SchoolC− · 26% proficient
- J E Johnson ElementaryD+ · 21% proficient
Top middle schools
- Sumrall Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Jefferson Middle SchoolC+ · 37% proficient
- Seminary Middle SchoolC · 32% proficient
Top high schools
- West Marion High SchoolB− · 43% proficient
- Collins High SchoolC+ · 40% proficient
- Columbia High SchoolC+ · 35% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Jefferson Davis County school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Jefferson Davis County 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 Jefferson Davis County against the other 3,143 counties.
Common questions about living in Jefferson Davis County
Is Jefferson Davis County a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Jefferson Davis County ranks 3,074th of 3,144 counties. It scores highest on tree cover, quiet, and a stable housing market, and lowest on low incomes and cell coverage. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Jefferson Davis County expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $93,749. The overall cost of living runs about 24% below the national average. Set against a $40,293 median income, cost of living beats 3% of counties.
Is Jefferson Davis County safe?
Jefferson Davis County is safer than 11% of counties. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $304 per resident a year.
Compare Jefferson Davis County with other counties
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Jefferson Davis County. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Jefferson Davis County 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.
Jefferson Davis County detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Jefferson Davis County: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Jefferson Davis County: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Jefferson Davis County: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Jefferson Davis County: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Jefferson Davis County 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.
- U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates Program: population growth and net migration behind the population-change section.
- 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.