Nicholson Elementary School, 2008
Nicholson’s story
142 years in pictures
The archive holds 2 old photos and papers going back to 2008 and 3 maps from 1914 on.
- 1884Nicholson is settled
NicholsonMS
A town of 3,146, settled in 1884.
1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Dofftoubab · CC BY-SA 4.0
Population
3,146
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$97K
Census ACS
Household income
$50K
median
Median age
33.9
years
Jobs based here
183
A commuter town
TownGrade
D
#70 of 99 in MS
Is Nicholson a good place to live?
Nicholson grades D overall, 70th among Mississippi's 99 graded towns, mostly because of health and incomes. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 97% of the country. The median household income is $50K, and 25% of residents live below the poverty line. What it does well: a typical home costs about $97K, 1.7 years of the Picayune area’s $58K median household income. Only 13 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score lower on hazard risk.
A commuter town
98% of working residents leave Nicholson for work
Where Nicholson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
183jobs based in Nicholson
2%of working residents work in town
25 mimedian commute distance
Census LEHD 2023
How Nicholson grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Nicholson is from typical.
HealthHighland Community Hospital 4.7 miles awayD−Open →Hazard riskhurricanes tops the listD−Open →Jobs & incomeDOpen →Cost of livingA−Open →SchoolsCOpen →WalkabilityEPA walkability 6.6 of 20; 17.4% of households have no car; 3.6% of workers walk, bike or ride transitBOpen →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Getting set up
Moving to Nicholson: who provides what
Nicholson is unincorporated, so Pearl River County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerMississippi Power15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterNicholson Water AssociationNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet6 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesPearl River CountyPearl River County provides services here
Register to voteIn personMississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.govWho runs elections herePearl River County RegistrarPearl River County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code3946639466 100%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Nicholson.
Nicholson sends many workers across the state line to Slidell, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
HealthD−
A larger share of adults in Nicholson smoke cigarettes than in the typical Mississippi or U.S. town
24% of adults smoke cigarettes in Nicholson, against 18% in Mississippi’s towns and 14% across U.S. towns. 40% of adults get no exercise outside work in Nicholson. Nicholson beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 13.
3%healthier than U.S. townsD−Health Grade
| Nicholson | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 18% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 40% | 36% | 25% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 27% | 19% |
31 measures vs. Mississippi
0 better18 too close to call13 worse
| What stands out | Nicholson | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 24.1% | 16.9% |
| More uninsured adults | 15.9% | 11.5% |
| More adults with COPD | 11.8% | 8.6% |
Highland Community Hospital
4.7 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health
13th
percentile among MS towns
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
SchoolsC
Nicholson’s public schools trail 72% of Mississippi districts
Its public schools are run by the Picayune School District. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
28%of MS districts it outscoresCSchool Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholson ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 324 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade D−
Hurricanes leads a very high hazard risk in Nicholson
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $1,044 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
At 92 of 100, Nicholson’s FEMA risk score is where Mississippi’s towns sit at 58 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 2005, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Nicholson.
92risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
8
paid flood claims since 2005
3
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Work & commuteJobs & income grade D
Most working residents commute out of Nicholson
43% of working residents cross a state line to work, Slidell among the top destinations. Nicholson has 183 jobs for its 878 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Nicholson for work: only 2% work in town. The average trip to work in Nicholson is 28 minutes. Jobs based in Nicholson grew to 183 in 2023, 76 more than in 2013.
2%work in town
| Nicholson | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.6% | 20% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
In Nicholson2%
Picayune21%
Slidell6%
New Orleans4%
Hattiesburg3%
25 mi
median commute distance
183
jobs based in Nicholson
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
B
Walkability grade: more walkable than 59% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Climate
In Nicholson, expect mild winters and hot summers
Nicholson has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Nicholson’s July high is 91°F.
91°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter42–64°
Spring56–78°
Summer71–91°
Fall57–79°
Nov 18
typical first frost
Mar 9
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Nicholson
16pages on Nicholson
The big questions
Out and about
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Nicholson
About 4 of every 100 Nicholson residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
About Nicholson
Census-designated place & Unincorporated community in Mississippi, United States
Nicholson is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,833. Its ZIP code is 39463.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 6.4 sq mi
- Elevation
- 49 ft
- ZIP code
- 39463
Nicholson’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Nicholson.
PicayuneNicholson
How the neighbors grade
Nicholson reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Nicholson with a neighbor →
Questions about Nicholson
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Nicholson, MS a good place to live?
Nicholson grades D overall, better than 10% of U.S. towns and #70 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D− for health and C for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Nicholson, MS expensive?
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A−.