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Pearl vs Brandon

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

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Pearl, MSKnown for its schoolsMississippi · 27,737 people
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Brandon, MSKnown for its schoolsMississippi · 25,542 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.

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 →
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 →
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.

Pearl$1,230/mo
Typical home $211K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.66% · or rent about $1,175/mo · Housing →
Brandon$1,680/mo
Typical home $290K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.65% · or rent about $1,382/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
–PearlNot graded ABrandonSafer than 88% of U.S. towns
Schools
APearlBetter than 93% of districts in the state A+BrandonBetter than 95% of districts in the state
Health
C+PearlHealthier than 38% of U.S. towns A−BrandonHealthier than 80% of U.S. towns
8Pearl
14Brandon

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

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

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

Where they are

Pearl and Brandon share a border

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

PearlBrandonPearlBrandon
Pearl ↔ Brandon6.0 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
PearlBrandon
Snow a year1″1″
January low37°F37°F
July high92°F92°F
Growing season (days)245d245d
Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd53rd
Outdoors & history
PearlBrandon
Trails5 mi5 mi
Conserved land4.3%4.8%
Settled18651831
National Register places—9
Archive photos—18
Famous people born here—14
Community
PearlBrandon
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.

PearlBrandon
People
Population 27,737Highest 25,542Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +8.1%Lowest +15.8%Highest
Median age 36.4±1.7Lowest 6% below MS 40.6±3.4Highest 5% above MS
Brandon and Pearl are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18 21.2%±2.4Lowest MS: 23.3% 25.2%±2.9Highest 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+ 14.4%±1.8Lowest MS: 17.2% 17.6%±2.1Highest 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+ 28.1%Lowest MS: 25.1% 41.3%Highest MS: 25.1%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 7.3%±1.7Highest MS: 6.1% 5.5%±1.4Lowest 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 $61,695±$8kLowest 9% above MS $92,783±$5kHighest 64% above MS
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $182,500±$8kLowest 7% above MS $278,900±$16kHighest 64% above MS
Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,175±$60Lowest 23% above MS $1,382±$262Highest 45% 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 $1,209Lowest about the MS average $1,822Highest 50% above MS
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 58%±8.9Highest MS: 51.3% 36.9%±8.4Lowest MS: 51.3%
Below poverty line 12.2%Highest MS: 18.9% 8.5%Lowest MS: 18.9%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes 61.6%Lowest MS: 70% 78.3%Highest MS: 70%
Typical home builtmedian year 1982Lowest 4 yrs older than MS 1996Highest 10 yrs newer than MS
Getting to work
Average commuteone way 24 minLowest 7% below MS 28 minHighest 8% above MS
Work from home 7.2%±2.5 MS: 5.9% 7.2%±1.7 MS: 5.9%
Work in townworking residents 14.3%Highest 10.3%Lowest
Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.3 miLowest 11.3 miHighest
Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.19Highest 0.74Lowest
Top workplaceoutside town Jackson (28%)Jackson (29%)
Between these townsresidents who work in the others 5% work in Brandon7% work in Pearl
Outdoors
Conserved landshare of the town 4.3%Lowest 4.8%Highest
Trailsmapped miles 4.8 miLowest 5.4 miHighest
Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.2 mi 0.2 mi
Parks & preservesnamed on the map 5Highest 4Lowest
Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 43.5Highest 37.2Lowest
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #24 of 92 in MS#5 of 92 in MS
School district Pearl Public SchoolsRankin County School District
High school in town Pearl High SchoolBrandon High School
Students per teacherat that high school 14.1Lowest 14.2Highest
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.

Pearl neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Pearl’s Town Square.

Brandon neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Brandon’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Pearl and Brandon

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Pearl

F
+ Compare
Flowood10,587 people · $342K homes
R
+ Compare
Richland7,346 people · $126K homes
+ Compare
Jackson146,631 people · $112K homes

Towns like Pearl

+ Compare
Tupelo37,791 people · $213K homes
G
+ Compare
Gautier19,046 people · $166K homes
+ Compare
Vicksburg20,589 people · $126K homes
+ Compare
Pascagoula21,710 people · $145K 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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