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.

Down paymentRate%

Picayune$1,150/mo

Typical home $195K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $931/mo · Housing →

West Point$890/mo

Typical home $154K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.67% · or rent about $746/mo · Housing →

The difference: $260 a month, about $3,100 a year, between Picayune and West Point.

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

Picayune places higher on 15 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

C−PicayuneSafer than 20% of U.S. towns C−West PointSafer than 16% of U.S. towns

Schools

B−PicayuneBetter than 54% of districts in the state C+West PointBetter than 36% of districts in the state

Health

DPicayuneHealthier than 11% of U.S. towns D−West PointHealthier than 2% of U.S. towns

15Picayune

6West Point

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

Most trailsOutdoors · 64 towns #57#15 Fastest growingGrowth · 103 towns #27#90 Most conserved landOutdoors · 94 towns #24#76 Shortest commuteGetting around · 104 towns #95#38 Lowest obesityHealth · 104 towns #46#101 Most new homesHousing · 88 towns #23#62 Most walkableOutdoors · 104 towns #42#86 HealthiestHealth · 104 towns #51#92

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

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

PicayuneWest Point

Snow a year0″0″

January low38°F —

July high92°F —

Growing season (days)255d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)91st 53rd

Outdoors & history

PicayuneWest Point

Trails2 mi 7 mi

Conserved land5.7%0.7%

Settled1904 —

National Register places1 10

Archive photos12 24

Famous people born here—35

Community

PicayuneWest Point

Library hours a week37 hrs 39 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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.

Where they are

221 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

PicayuneMS West PointMS

Picayune ↔ West Point221 miles apart

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.

Only big differences vs Mississippi average

PicayuneWest Point

People

Population 11,900Highest 9,900Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +9.3%Highest -10.6%Lowest

Median age 41.8±2.3Highest 8% above MS 36.8±2.1Lowest 5% below MS

Kids under 18 23.8%±3.7Lowest MS: 23.3% 24.1%±2.7Highest MS: 23.3%

West Point and Picayune are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 19.8%±3.1Lowest MS: 17.2% 20.1%±2.8Highest MS: 17.2%

West Point and Picayune are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 16.2% MS: 25.1% 16.2% MS: 25.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 5.1%±1.7 MS: 6.1% 5.1%±2.3 MS: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $41,213±$8kHighest 27% below MS $38,064±$6kLowest 33% below MS

Picayune and West Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $157,100±$15kHighest 7% below MS $153,900±$18kLowest 9% below MS

Picayune and West Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $931±$95Highest about the MS average $746±$151Lowest 22% below MS

Picayune and West Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,302Highest 7% above MS $1,034Lowest 15% below MS

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 47.5%±9.5Lowest MS: 51.3% 57%±15Highest MS: 51.3%

West Point and Picayune are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 20.6%Lowest MS: 18.9% 25.6%Highest MS: 18.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 58.8%Lowest MS: 70% 60.9%Highest MS: 70%

Typical home builtmedian year 1976Highest 10 yrs older than MS 1975Lowest 11 yrs older than MS

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 32 minHighest 25% above MS 20 minLowest 20% below MS

Work from home 5.9%±2.9Highest MS: 5.9% 3.7%±2.9Lowest MS: 5.9%

Picayune and West Point are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 23.1%Lowest 31.2%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 22.8 miHighest 14.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.32Highest 1.24Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Slidell (7%)Columbus (9%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in West PointFew work in Picayune

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 5.7%Highest 0.7%Lowest

Trailsmapped miles 1.8 miLowest 6.8 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.3 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 1Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 42.3Highest 23.1Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #50 of 92 in MS #68 of 92 in MS

School district Picayune School DistrictWest Point Consolidated School District

High school in town Picayune Memorial High SchoolWest Point High School

Students per teacherat that high school 15.5Highest 12.4Lowest

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.

Picayune neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Picayune’s Town Square.

West Point neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to West Point’s Town Square.

Add a town

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Bordering Picayune

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Nicholson3,146 people · $97K homes

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Hide-A-Way Lake2,569 people · $195K homes

Towns like Picayune

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Brookhaven11,650 people · $122K homes

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Columbia6,632 people · $132K homes

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Amory6,500 people · $162K homes

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Louisville5,983 people · $137K homes

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.

Picayune vs West Point

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $260 more a month in Picayune

Picayune places higher on 15 of 22 MS lists

What daily life feels like in each

221 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Picayune and West Point

Bordering Picayune

Towns like Picayune

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