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%

West Point$890/mo

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

Picayune$1,150/mo

Typical home $195K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.83% · or rent about $931/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−West PointSafer than 16% of U.S. towns C−PicayuneSafer than 20% of U.S. towns

Schools

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

Health

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

6West Point

15Picayune

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

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

Left end = #1 in Mississippi. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of West Point’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

West PointPicayune

Snow a year0″0″

January low—38°F

July high—92°F

Growing season (days)—255d

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

Outdoors & history

West PointPicayune

Trails7 mi 2 mi

Conserved land0.7%5.7%

Settled—1904

National Register places10 1

Archive photos24 12

Famous people born here35 —

Community

West PointPicayune

Library hours a week39 hrs 37 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.

West PointMS PicayuneMS

West Point ↔ Picayune221 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

West PointPicayune

People

Population 9,900Lowest 11,900Highest

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

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

Kids under 18 24.1%±2.7Highest MS: 23.3% 23.8%±3.7Lowest 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+ 20.1%±2.8Highest MS: 17.2% 19.8%±3.1Lowest 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%±2.3 MS: 6.1% 5.1%±1.7 MS: 6.1%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $38,064±$6kLowest 33% below MS $41,213±$8kHighest 27% 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 $153,900±$18kLowest 9% below MS $157,100±$15kHighest 7% 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 $746±$151Lowest 22% below MS $931±$95Highest about the MS average

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

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

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 57%±15Highest MS: 51.3% 47.5%±9.5Lowest 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 25.6%Highest MS: 18.9% 20.6%Lowest MS: 18.9%

Housing

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

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

Getting to work

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

Work from home 3.7%±2.9Lowest MS: 5.9% 5.9%±2.9Highest 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 31.2%Highest 23.1%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 14.3 miLowest 22.8 miHighest

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

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

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in PicayuneFew work in West Point

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 5.7%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 6.8 miHighest 1.8 miLowest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.1 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 1Lowest 9Highest

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

Schools

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

School district West Point Consolidated School DistrictPicayune School District

High school in town West Point High SchoolPicayune Memorial High School

Students per teacherat that high school 12.4Lowest 15.5Highest

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.

West Point neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to West Point’s Town Square.

Picayune neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Picayune’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside West Point and Picayune

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

Towns like West Point

+ Compare

Kosciusko6,933 people · $112K homes

+ Compare

Columbia6,632 people · $132K homes

+ Compare

Grenada12,375 people · $146K homes

+ Compare

New Albany7,663 people · $161K 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.

West Point vs Picayune

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 West Point and Picayune

Towns like West Point

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