Best PlacesUniversity, MS Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around University, 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.
University ranks 22,678th of 50,333 U.S. towns on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on an educated workforce by a wide margin, and an overheated housing market is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in University
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.
University's strengths and weaknesses
Where University ranks high
- Educational attainmentBetter than 99% of towns
- Internet speedBetter than 99% of towns
- Health outlookBetter than 99% of towns
- Short commute13.0 minutes each way, better than 99% of towns
- BikingBetter than 98% of towns
Where University ranks low
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of towns
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 1% of towns
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of towns
- State infrastructureBetter than only 6% of towns
- QuietBetter than only 10% of towns
What it costs to buy a home in University
A household needs to earn about $73,000 a year to comfortably buy the median University home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $53,653, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 University's effective rate of 0.87%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in University
University runs younger 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 University.
Who works in University, and how
Work in University centers on education and hospitality & food. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 65%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 20%
Life in University
University has more restaurants and bars per resident than 87% of towns and more parkland per resident than 99% of towns. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of University and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in University, month by month
University sees roughly 82 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 90 degrees. January highs sit near 52, with lows near 33. The comfortable stretch runs March through May, September, and October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 52° | 41° | 33° |
| April | 73° | 61° | 51° |
| July | 90° | 79° | 71° |
| October | 76° | 63° | 53° |
Flying in and out of University
The nearest airport, Tupelo Regional, is about 44 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is Memphis International, about 53 miles away.
The best schools in and around University
Schools across University average a B+, better than 76% of towns.
Top elementary schools
- Della Davidson ElementaryB+ · 54% proficient
- Lafayette Upper Elementary SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Oxford Intermediate SchoolA− · 57% proficient
- Lafayette Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Lafayette High SchoolB+ · 54% proficient
- Oxford High SchoolB · 47% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every University school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
University 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 University against the other 50,332 towns.
Common questions about living in University
Is University a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, University ranks 22,678th of 50,333 towns. It scores highest on an educated workforce, fast internet, and population health, and lowest on an overheated housing market and civic engagement. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is University expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $276,600. The overall cost of living runs about 18% below the national average. Set against a $53,653 median income, cost of living beats 11% of towns.
Is University safe?
Yes, University is safer than 70% of towns. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $139 per resident a year.
Compare University with other towns
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to University. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in University 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.
University detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for University: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in University: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of University: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in University: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
University 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.