38655 — Oxford, Mississippi

Area Profile

Income, jobs, climate, physical risk and development data for ZIP code 38655. Its median home value runs 12% below Oxford as a whole, which is why this ZIP carries a profile of its own.

78out of 100
Area Score
Top 1% of 3,113 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 12 sources
OpportunityTop 2% of 3,116 ZIP areas measured86
SchoolsTop 7% of 3,047 ZIP areas measured84
GrowthTop 6% of 3,124 ZIP areas measured78
Housing affordability1,680th of 3,112 ZIP areas measured66
Climate1,566th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured70
Physical resilienceTop 11% of 3,127 ZIP areas measured88
Access2,769th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured70
Economic stability2,299th of 3,127 ZIP areas measured39
The quick read

38655 ranks in the top 2% of ZIP areas measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 2.8% and median household income of $68,235. The unemployment rate is published for Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, rather than for 38655 alone.

Public schools test above most of the state: 65% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 7% of published profiles for schools.

295 housing units were authorized over the past twelve months, within 10% of the prior year — steady rather than turning. The permit count and 1 other measure here are published for Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, rather than for 38655 alone.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
46,156
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$68,235
Bottom 44% nationally
Density
127/sq mi
362.1 sq mi of land
Median age
32.7
2024 ACS 5-Year
City
Oxford
Mississippi
Micro area
Nearest major airport
UTA
55 mi · Tunica Muni
Median home value
$340,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment across Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, is 2.8%, lower than in 97% of the 3,127 measured US ZIP areas.

Employment across Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, grew 6.4% over the past year, to 13,550 employed residents.

51% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 88% of measured US ZIP areas.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsLafayette County, MS’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$66,92548th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftLafayette County, MS’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$55,28020th percentileof 2,996filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$5,8482024 ACS 5-Year$68,235Bottom 44%of 31,0492024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$3,2192024 ACS 5-Year$41,492Top 35%of 32,8222024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year11.8%Bottom 42%of 32,8462024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±1.6 min2024 ACS 5-Year23.0 minTop 24%of 32,8872024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year51.1%Top 12%of 33,1932024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year79.3%63rd percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentOxford, MS’s figureJuly 202613,550Bottom 7%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (3 years)Oxford, MS’s figureJuly 2026+10.2%Top 1%of 3,127July 2026
Employment change (year over year)Oxford, MS’s figureJuly 2026+6.4%Top 1%of 3,127July 2026
Labor forceOxford, MS’s figureJuly 202613,9457th percentileof 3,127July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year79.5%Top 45%of 32,8832024 ACS 5-Year
Public transit to work ±0.4%2024 ACS 5-Year1.0%80th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)Oxford, MS’s figureJuly 2026−0.8%Top 15%of 3,127July 2026
Unemployment rateOxford, MS’s figureJuly 20262.8%Top 3%of 3,127July 2026
Worked from home ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year8.9%46th percentileof 32,7982024 ACS 5-Year

Median household income, successive ACS releases

202120222023202468k55k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $68,235 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish labor-force data for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Oxford, MS, the city containing this ZIP code.

65% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 55% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 13.9 students for every full-time teacher across 11 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
12
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
13.9
across 11 of them
Math proficiency
65.1%
Top 13% in Mississippi
Reading proficiency
55.4%
Top 15% in Mississippi
The 12 largest public schools, by enrollment.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Oxford High SchoolOxford School District1,33515.051%54%
Lafayette High SchoolLafayette County85512.472%53%
Lafayette Upper Elementary SchoolLafayette County80314.162%56%
Lafayette Elementary SchoolLafayette County77615.5——
Bramlett Elementary SchoolOxford School District71515.2——
Central Elementary SchoolOxford School District70914.5——
Della Davidson Elementary SchoolOxford School District70412.883%69%
Oxford Middle SchoolOxford School District66713.370%54%
Lafayette Middle SchoolLafayette County42010.863%47%
Oxford Intermediate SchoolOxford School District35614.267%51%
Oxford Early Childhood CenterOxford School District27714.6——
Oxf/laf School of Applied TechLafayette County0———

48.6% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Mississippi’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the non-metropolitan parts of Mississippi is up 40% over five years, and up 4.2% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $1,990 a year in real estate taxes, about 0.59% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,243, some 14% above the $1,090 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,243 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $49,700 a year, about 73% of the median household income here of $68,235.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,090 a month.

A median home at $340,000 costs 3.2 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $106,457, above the historic benchmark of about 3 times income.

Rent as a share of income
32.1%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.2×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,243
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,090
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$340,000
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against 38655’s median household income of $68,235, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Home price change (1 year)the non-metropolitan parts of Mississippi’s figure2026 Q2+4.2%71st percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Mississippi’s figure2026 Q2+40.4%39th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the non-metropolitan parts of Mississippi’s figure2026 Q2+66.8%9th percentileof 3,0712026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.2Bottom 34%of 29,2752024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year60.4%16th percentileof 32,7502024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±3872024 ACS 5-Year25,41599th percentileof 33,4602024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,053Top 34%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,539Top 26%of 3,031FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,243Top 32%of 3,031FY2026
Median gross rent ±$632024 ACS 5-Year$1,090Bottom 43%of 26,3962024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$18,4682024 ACS 5-Year$340,00073rd percentileof 30,8122024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$2152024 ACS 5-Year$1,99051st percentileof 28,9352024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$4,5522024 ACS 5-Year$106,457Top 25%of 29,8022024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.07%2024 ACS 5-Year0.59%21st percentileof 24,0992024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year32.1%Bottom 29%of 26,2472024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±5132024 ACS 5-Year4,18199th percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year16.5%87th percentileof 32,9612024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year17.9%88th percentileof 32,7882024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±5402024 ACS 5-Year8,73099th percentileof 33,7722024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures.

Development Momentum

78/ 100
Top 6% of 3,124 published ZIP profiles

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 295 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes. The multifamily share is published for Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, rather than for 38655 alone.

At 11.2 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is above the median for measured US ZIP areas. The permit rate is published for Oxford, MS, which contains 38655, rather than for 38655 alone.

Units permitted
295
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
11.2
Top 10% nationally
Year over year
+10%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

People moving in and out

Net migration
+0.5%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
49%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$66,925
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$55,280
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Panola County, MS 208 people · 6.6% of arrivals
  2. Shelby County, TN 168 people · 5.4% of arrivals
  3. Yalobusha County, MS 159 people · 5.1% of arrivals
  4. DeSoto County, MS 141 people · 4.5% of arrivals
  5. Lee County, MS 97 people · 3.1% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Panola County, MS 213 people · 7.3% of departures
  2. DeSoto County, MS 152 people · 5.2% of departures
  3. Yalobusha County, MS 129 people · 4.4% of departures
  4. Shelby County, TN 129 people · 4.4% of departures
  5. Lee County, MS 104 people · 3.6% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Lafayette County, MS. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

The Building Permits Survey is not published for ZIP areas. This is the figure for Oxford, MS, the city containing this ZIP code.

Weather & climate

6 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 91°F and January a low of 31°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 60.5 inches, including 1.2 inches of snow.

20°40°60°80°100°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station UNIVERSITY, 3.9 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND6.5"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals60.5"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals1.2"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals31°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals91°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals61991-2020 Normals
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals39°F1991-2020 Normals

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

88 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are inland flooding, cold wave and earthquake, with inland flooding alone responsible for 25% of it. Inland flooding and cold wave are independently rated low or minimal nationally, so this describes how the loss is composed, not how large those hazards are.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 89% of measured US ZIP areas.

EarthquakeElevated
LandslideModerate
TornadoModerate
LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, heat wave, hurricane, strong wind, ice storm, wildfire, inland flooding, hail, drought, winter weather, tsunami, volcanic activity, coastal flooding, avalanche.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. ZIP values are the land-area-weighted mean of the counties the ZIP Code Tabulation Area intersects. Expected annual loss is not allocated below county level. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Reported crime
Offenses reported to police are published by department rather than by town, so AreaProfile shows a rate only on city profiles, and only where that city’s department submitted every month of a year. A ZIP area is not a jurisdiction, so no department reports for one. Oxford carries the figure where its department reported a full year. A partial year is never scaled up to look complete, and arrest counts or news volume are never substituted for it.
Cost of living
Price parities are published for metropolitan areas, and this place lies outside one.
Death-certificate rates
The CDC publishes these rates by county, and no county figure could be attached to this page.
Air quality
The EPA publishes an air-quality index only where a monitor sits. There is none in this county, and a modeled value would be a different kind of number from the measured ones everywhere else on this page.
Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. Cost of living is published where the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures it, though not for this place. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

4 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Tunica Muni at 55 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year92.2%Top 35%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle55 miBottom 11%of 3,127NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle4Bottom 40%of 3,127NASR current cycle
No internet access ±1%2024 ACS 5-Year3.7%Top 24%of 32,6632024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Tunica MuniUTA55 mi8,500 ft
Frederick W Smith Intl/MemphisMEM57 mi11,120 ft
Millington/MemphisNQA74 mi8,001 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
78
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Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

38655 vs Oxford

How this ZIP area compares with Oxford as a whole. Both figures come from the same ACS release, so the comparison is like for like — a gap here is a real difference between the two places, not two surveys disagreeing.

38655
Oxford
Median household income: 38655 is the more favorable of the two.
Median household income
$68,235
vs
$64,451
Per capita income: Oxford is the more favorable of the two.
Per capita income
$41,492
vs
$41,665
Population density
127/sq mi
vs
992/sq mi
Median home value
$340,000
vs
$385,700
Median gross rent: Oxford is the more favorable of the two.
Median gross rent
$1,090
vs
$1,071
Homeownership rate
60.4%
vs
43.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher: Oxford is the more favorable of the two.
Bachelor's degree or higher
51.1%
vs
57.5%
Poverty rate: 38655 is the more favorable of the two.
Poverty rate
11.8%
vs
13.1%
Median age
32.7
vs
30.3

Some demographic statistics use Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas, which approximate but do not exactly match USPS ZIP delivery geography. See the methodology for how AreaProfile maps between them.