Flowood vs Powdersville

Which is the better fit for you?

Flowood, MS
70
Area Score
Top 14% nationally
Powdersville, SC
73
Area Score
Top 7% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

Powdersville receives the higher standardized Area Score. That reflects AreaProfile's weighting, not a judgment about which place is better to live in.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from Flowood to Powdersville

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Everyday prices
4% higher
Regional price level 93.1 against 89.8 (US = 100)
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$491 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $1,339 in Powdersville against $1,830 in Flowood.
The median home
2% less
$334,900 in Powdersville against $342,200 in Flowood.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F colder
Normal January lows are 35°F in Powdersville against 37°F in Flowood; July highs are 91°F against 92°F (summers 1°F cooler).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

29 occupations have a published median wage in both places. Start typing, or choose from the list.

Median wages are the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ metro figures for that occupation, not a job offer, and the price level is the regional index; neither includes taxes, benefits or how senior you are.

Signals

Flowood
Powdersville
Opportunity: Powdersville is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
76 · Top 13%
vs
85 · Top 3%
Growth: Powdersville is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
62 · Top 26%
vs
71 · Top 14%
Climate: Flowood is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
76 · Top 25%
vs
70 · Bottom 48%
Physical resilience: Powdersville is the more favorable of the two.
Physical resilience
51 · Bottom 45%
vs
63 · Top 45%
Housing affordability: Flowood is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
69 · Top 42%
vs
63 · Bottom 42%
Schools: Flowood is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
79 · Top 12%
vs
75 · Top 18%
Access: Powdersville is the more favorable of the two.
Access
95 · Top 42%
vs
98 · Top 21%
Economic stability: Flowood is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
61 · Top 44%
vs
55 · Bottom 46%

Measured values

MetricFlowoodPowdersvilleSource period
Population10,58710,7712024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$83,880 ±$11,072$84,910 ±$10,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$47,620 — more favorable$36,6162024 ACS 5-Year
Population density368/sq mi783/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$342,200$334,9002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,430$1,232 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,830$1,339 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index89.8 — more favorable93.12023
Homeownership rate54.2%74.7%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate2.8% — more favorable3.5%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.2%+4.5% — more favorableJuly 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher55.0% — more favorable36.5%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate11.5% ±9%8.9% ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)544,87312 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents5.18.9 — more favorable12 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)−26.0%−10.1%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F91°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low37°F35°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation57.3"47.0"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport2 mi — more favorable7 miNASR current cycle
Average commute23.6 min — more favorable33.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age39.540.22024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools952024-25 school year
Students per teacher13.8 — more favorable15.92024-25 school year
Math proficiency60.0%63.0%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency57.3%66.6%2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison. The year-over-year change is not marked either: a percentage on fewer than 300 units swings on a handful of permits.

Mississippi and South Carolina do not give the same test. Each state writes its own assessment and sets its own passing score, so the two proficiency rows above are not directly comparable — the difference between them partly measures which standard is harder. Students per teacher and the school count are unaffected, and each profile ranks its own proficiency within its own state.

Physical risk tradeoff

Flowood

Elevated or high exposure: hail, tornado.

Powdersville

Elevated or high exposure: ice storm, cold wave, earthquake.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

Flowood
—
Flowood: Your Score
70
Area Score
Powdersville
—
Powdersville: Your Score
73
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: Flowood, MS · Powdersville, SC · How this is calculated: methodology