Pearl vs Yazoo City

Which is the better fit for you?

Pearl, MS
67
Area Score
Top 21% nationally
Yazoo City, MS
39
Area Score
Bottom 2% nationally

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Pearl 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 Pearl to Yazoo City

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Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 89.8 against 89.8 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
−$366 a month
HUD benchmarks it at $984 in Yazoo City against $1,350 in Pearl.
The median home
44% less
$103,000 in Yazoo City against $182,500 in Pearl.
The weather you would swap
Winters 2°F milder
Normal January lows are 39°F in Yazoo City against 37°F in Pearl; July highs are 94°F against 92°F (summers 2°F hotter).

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.

Signals

Pearl
Yazoo City
Opportunity: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
69 · Top 26%
vs
14 · Bottom 1%
Growth: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
76 · Top 8%
vs
40 · Bottom 28%
Climate: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Climate
76 · Top 25%
vs
70 · Bottom 48%
Physical resilience
51 · Bottom 45%
vs
51 · Bottom 44%
Housing affordability: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
66 · Bottom 49%
vs
65 · Bottom 45%
Schools: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
63 · Top 32%
vs
4 · Bottom 1%
Access: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Access
95 · Top 42%
vs
74 · Bottom 15%
Economic stability: Pearl is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
56 · Bottom 46%
vs
13 · Bottom 1%

Measured values

MetricPearlYazoo CitySource period
Population27,73710,2192024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income$61,695 — more favorable$28,1572024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$35,473 — more favorable$20,9022024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,088/sq mi1,013/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$182,500$103,0002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$1,175$767 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,350$984 — more favorableFY2026
Cost of living index89.889.82023
Homeownership rate61.6%33.0%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate2.6% — more favorable5.2%July 2026
Employment change (year over year)−1.2% — more favorable−2.5%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher28.1% — more favorable13.4%2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate12.1% — more favorable45.6%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)1431412 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents5.2 — more favorable1.412 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+30.0%+40.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high92°F94°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low37°F39°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation57.3"60.4"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport3 mi — more favorable43 miNASR current cycle
Average commute — the two are too close to separate24.2 min ±2.7 min24.4 min ±4.3 min2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age36.434.02024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools572024-25 school year
Students per teacher14.4 — more favorable19.42024-25 school year
Math proficiency50.7% — more favorable15.1%2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency51.2% — more favorable13.5%2018-19 school year
Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility66.3%99.4%2024-25 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.

One row above shows 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.

Physical risk tradeoff

Pearl

Elevated or high exposure: hail, tornado.

Yazoo City

Elevated or high exposure: drought, hail.

Your best match

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

Pearl
—
Pearl: Your Score
67
Area Score
Yazoo City
—
Yazoo City: Your Score
39
Area Score

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

Full profiles: Pearl, MS · Yazoo City, MS · How this is calculated: methodology