Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Picayune grades D− overall, ranked 85th of 99 in Mississippi, mostly because of health and incomes. Residents are less healthy than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household income is $41K, and 21% of residents live below the poverty line. One bright spot: it is more walkable than 66% of U.S. towns. On hazard risk, just 11 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do worse. Picayune's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 88% of U.S. towns. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 9 have a higher average trip to work than Picayune.
Where Picayune beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Picayune is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 846 in 1910, 11,885 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1953 and 3 maps from 1958 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Picayune, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Picayune.
Picayune sends many workers across the state line to Slidell and fares better on crime within Mississippi than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
Against the 2,745 U.S. towns with household incomes like Picayune’s, it is less healthy than 51%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 50% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
43% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Picayune, above both Mississippi’s towns (39%) and U.S. towns (36%). 46% of Picayune adults have high blood pressure. Picayune beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 43% | 39% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Picayune | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9.7% | 8.6% |
| More adults who have had a stroke | 5% | 4.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Picayune School District. Two of its 10 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Picayune Memorial High School, with 940 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picayune Junior High SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 465 | B |
| Picayune Memorial High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 940 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $506 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on. 209 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 28 properties have flooded more than once.
Picayune’s FEMA risk score is 91 of 100, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 58 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. Since 1980, 209 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Picayune.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 36.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 64% of Mississippi’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 388 to 258 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Picayune’s violent crime rate is 3.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 18.3 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Picayune has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Picayune is 91°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
36% of working residents cross a state line to work, Slidell among the top destinations.
About one in 4 of Picayune’s working residents works in town. The top destinations are Slidell (7%), New Orleans (4%) and Hattiesburg (4%). Half commute less than 23 miles.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 19% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 5.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (22% statewide). 16% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Picayune.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 16% | 25% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 24% | 24% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Picayune | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.9% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.8% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.1% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 11.6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.5% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 35.9% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 24.1% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.3% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 11.8% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 4.4% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
1.8 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Friendship Park, at 58 acres.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.1 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.7% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Friendship Park | — | 58 |
| 2. Snyder Park | — | 9 |
| 3. Crosby Commons | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Picayune home is worth about $192,000, up 1.6% in a year, close to the Mississippi typical home.
| Picayune | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $931 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Picayune; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Picayune residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
12 notable people were born in Picayune.
City in Mississippi, United States
Picayune ( PIK-ə-YOON) is the largest city in Pearl River County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 11,885 at the 2020 census. The city is located approximately 45 miles (72 km) from New Orleans, Hattiesburg, and Gulfport–Biloxi. The Stennis Space Center is 10 miles (16 km) away. Picayune is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Hammond combined statistical area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Picayune.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picayune | #85 | D− | B− | C− | C | D |
| Nicholson | #70 | D | A− | — | C | D− |
| Hide-A-Way Lake | #28 | C+ | A− | — | B | B− |
Nicholson and Hide-A-Way Lake report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Picayune with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Picayune grades D− overall, better than 3% of U.S. towns and #85 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health, C− for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.3 years of the area's median household income ($58,135 across the Picayune, MS area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
12 notable people were born here, including Cailey Fleming and Jonathan Bender.