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Brandon vs Pearl

Next-door neighbors. The biggest differences: home values (+53% in Brandon) and household income (+50% in Brandon).

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Brandon, MSKnown for its schoolsMississippi · 25,542 people
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Pearl, MSKnown for its schoolsMississippi · 27,737 people
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Where each one shines

Two towns, two different strengths

What each town does better than most of its state (not better than each other). Tap one to see the page behind it.

BrandonKnown for its schools
Schools#5 for schools in MSof 92 towns HealthHealthier than 80%of U.S. towns on CDC estimates HistorySettled in 18319 places on the National Register All about Brandon →
PearlKnown for its schools
Schools#24 for schools in MSof 92 towns Housing$211K typical home7% above the MS typical home Outdoors#32 most conserved land in MS4.8 miles of trails across 5 parks and preserves All about Pearl →
The biggest differences

Where they part ways

The rows below where the towns are furthest apart, beyond the Census margin of error. The full table is further down.

Home values+53%
Homes cost more in Brandon
Brandon $278,900Pearl $182,500
Household income+50%
Households in Brandon earn more
Brandon $92,783Pearl $61,695
Property tax bill+51%
Tax bills are bigger in Brandon
Brandon $1,822Pearl $1,209
Homeowners+16.7 pts renters
Pearl has more renters
Brandon 78.3%Pearl 61.6%
Growth since 2010+7.7 pts
Brandon has grown faster since 2010
Brandon +15.8%Pearl +8.1%
Bachelor’s degree++13.2 pts
More adults in Brandon have a degree
Brandon 41.3%Pearl 28.1%
★ What stands out · Monthly cost

A typical home costs $460 more a month in Brandon

A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Brandon$1,680/mo
Typical home $290K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,382/mo · Housing →
Pearl$1,230/mo
Typical home $211K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,175/mo · Housing →

The difference: $460 a month, about $5,500 a year, between Brandon and Pearl.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Brandon places higher on 14 of 22 MS lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Mississippi ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety
ABrandonSafer than 88% of U.S. towns –PearlNot graded
Schools
A+BrandonBetter than 95% of districts in the state APearlBetter than 93% of districts in the state
Health
A−BrandonHealthier than 80% of U.S. towns C+PearlHealthier than 38% of U.S. towns
14Brandon
8Pearl

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Rent easiest to affordCost of living · 32 towns #1#28 Lowest property taxCost of living · 102 towns #90#43 Highest incomeIncome · 102 towns #6#35 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 104 towns #3#32 HealthiestHealth · 104 towns #7#35 Most affordableCost of living · 102 towns #94#67 Most activeHealth · 104 towns #6#33 Shortest commuteGetting around · 104 towns #87#61

Left end = #1 in Mississippi. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Brandon’s rankings →

Where they are

Brandon and Pearl share a border

And the people who already live in one and work in the other.

BrandonPearlBrandonPearl
Brandon ↔ Pearl6.0 miles apart · They share a border
Who commutes between them
818 Brandon residents work in Pearl (7.4% of its workers)
553 Pearl residents work in Brandon (5.1% of its workers)
Work & commute in Brandon →
Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons
BrandonPearl
Snow a year1″1″
January low37°F37°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)245d245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)53rd62nd
Outdoors & history
BrandonPearl
Trails5 mi5 mi
Conserved land4.8%4.3%
Settled18311865
National Register places9—
Archive photos18—
Famous people born here14—
Community
BrandonPearl
Library hours a week59 hrs59 hrs
Posts this month00
Neighbors joined00

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

BrandonPearl
People
Population 25,542Lowest 27,737Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +15.8%Highest +8.1%Lowest
Median age 40.6±3.4Highest 5% above MS 36.4±1.7Lowest 6% below MS
Brandon and Pearl are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 25.2%±2.9Highest MS: 23.3% 21.2%±2.4Lowest MS: 23.3%
Brandon and Pearl are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+ 17.6%±2.1Highest MS: 17.2% 14.4%±1.8Lowest MS: 17.2%
Brandon and Pearl are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 41.3%Highest MS: 25.1% 28.1%Lowest MS: 25.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.5%±1.4Lowest MS: 6.1% 7.3%±1.7Highest MS: 6.1%
Pearl and Brandon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian $92,783±$5kHighest 64% above MS $61,695±$8kLowest 9% above MS
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $278,900±$16kHighest 64% above MS $182,500±$8kLowest 7% above MS
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,382±$262Highest 45% above MS $1,175±$60Lowest 23% above MS
Brandon and Pearl are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly $1,822Highest 50% above MS $1,209Lowest about the MS average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 36.9%±8.4Lowest MS: 51.3% 58%±8.9Highest MS: 51.3%
Below poverty line 8.5%Lowest MS: 18.9% 12.2%Highest MS: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 78.3%Highest MS: 70% 61.6%Lowest MS: 70%
Typical home builtmedian year 1996Highest 10 yrs newer than MS 1982Lowest 4 yrs older than MS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 28 minHighest 8% above MS 24 minLowest 7% below MS
Work from home 7.2%±1.7 MS: 5.9% 7.2%±2.5 MS: 5.9%
Work in townworking residents 10.3%Lowest 14.3%Highest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 11.3 miHighest 7.3 miLowest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.74Lowest 1.19Highest
Top workplaceoutside town Jackson (29%)Jackson (28%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 7% work in Pearl5% work in Brandon
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.8%Highest 4.3%Lowest
Trailsmapped miles 5.4 miHighest 4.8 miLowest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 4Lowest 5Highest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 37.2Lowest 43.5Highest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #5 of 92 in MS#24 of 92 in MS
School district Rankin County School DistrictPearl Public Schools
High school in town Brandon High SchoolPearl High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.2Highest 14.1Lowest
Mississippi average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024
Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Brandon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brandon’s Town Square.

Pearl neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pearl’s Town Square.

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Towns like Brandon

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Clinton27,195 people · $226K homes
Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Mississippi towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

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