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Pelahatchie, Mississippi

Pelahatchie is a small town of about 1,300 people in Rankin County, Mississippi. It has grown about 5% since 2020. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, New Orleans, is about 157 miles away as the crow flies.

Population
1,324
up 4.8% since 2020
Household income
$56,322
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Jackson area
89
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
8 miles
Morton, MS
To New Orleans
157 mi
straight line

The book's checklist

  • Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 11% below the U.S. average in the Jackson metro area.
  • More house for the moneyThe Census survey didn't reach enough homes in Pelahatchie to say.
  • A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Pelahatchie itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
  • Schools in town2 public schools: 1 elementary and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byOchsner Scott Regional in Morton, about 8 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 157 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Pelahatchie meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Home prices since then
Up 12%Rankin County, 2022 to 2025
Typical household income
$56,322U.S.: $80,734
Homes built before 1940
7%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
3%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices
89U.S. average = 100 (the Jackson metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 12% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Jackson metro area, not Pelahatchie alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate
1,3242020: 1,264
Median age
32.6 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
13%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
29%U.S.: 22%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
2%U.S.: 6%
College students
5%share of all residents

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work
Manufacturing (29%); retail (11%)
Average commute
22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
5%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
15%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Ochsner Scott Regional, Morton, MS, about 8 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Crossgates River Oaks Hospital, Brandon, MS, about 14 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

2 public schools in Pelahatchie, run by Rankin Co School Dist.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Mississippi's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription
96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low
37°F
July average high
92°F
Days 90°F or hotter
85 a year
Nights at or below freezing
40 a year
Rain and melted snow
57.4 inches a year
Snow
1 inches a year
Elevation
358 feet

Weather station: Jackson Intl Ap (16 miles away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Ochsner Scott Regional, Jackson, New Orleans.

Rankin County is in a metro area of 250,000 to 1 million people (USDA rural-urban code 2, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Natchez Trace Parkway17 miles
  • Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument24 miles
  • Vicksburg National Military Park41 miles

Read about Pelahatchie's history on Wikipedia.

Know Pelahatchie?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Smaller places

  • Polkville, MS590 people, 11 miles
  • Robinhood, MS (unincorporated)1,298 people, 12 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.