Best PlacesSmithdale, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Smithdale, 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.
Smithdale ranks 38,762nd of 50,333 U.S. towns 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 Smithdale
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.
Smithdale's strengths and weaknesses
Where Smithdale ranks high
- Housing crash safetyBetter than 94% of towns
- Cheap childcare$531 a month, better than 89% of towns
- QuietBetter than 87% of towns
- Low property taxBetter than 86% of towns
- Tree shadeBetter than 80% of towns
Where Smithdale ranks low
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of towns
- Heat safetyBetter than only 11% of towns
- Household income$49,710 median, better than only 12% of towns
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 13% of towns
- Short commute35.3 minutes each way, better than only 13% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in Smithdale
A household needs to earn about $32,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Smithdale home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $49,710, 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 Smithdale's effective rate of 0.42%, 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 5 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Smithdale
Smithdale runs older than the country.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Smithdale.
Who works in Smithdale, and how
Work in Smithdale centers on education and transportation & warehousing. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 88%
- Work from home 10%
- Transit, walk, or bike 3%
Life in Smithdale
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Smithdale.
What the weather is like in Smithdale, month by month
Smithdale sees roughly 88 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 91 degrees. January highs sit near 61, with lows near 40. The comfortable stretch runs February through May, October, and November.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 61° | 49° | 40° |
| April | 78° | 66° | 56° |
| July | 91° | 80° | 73° |
| October | 82° | 69° | 59° |
Flying in and out of Smithdale
The nearest airport, Baton Rouge Metro, Ryan Field, is about 62 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Louis Armstrong New Orleans International, about 96 miles away.
The best schools in and around Smithdale
Schools across Smithdale average a C, better than 38% of towns.
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
- Denman Junior High SchoolD · 21% 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 Smithdale school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Smithdale 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 Smithdale against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in Smithdale
Is Smithdale a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Smithdale ranks 38,762nd of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on a stable housing market, affordable childcare, and quiet, and lowest on state infrastructure and summer heat. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Smithdale expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $130,400. The overall cost of living runs about 20% below the national average. Set against a $49,710 median income, cost of living beats 21% of towns.
Is Smithdale safe?
Yes, Smithdale is safer than 68% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $143 per resident a year.
Compare Smithdale with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Smithdale. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Smithdale 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.
Smithdale detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Smithdale: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Smithdale: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Smithdale: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Smithdale: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Smithdale 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.