Living in Tchula, Mississippi: homes, schools and costs

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 Tchula to say.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Tchula 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 townNo public schools inside the town. The nearest high school is Holmes County Central High School, about 11 miles away.
A hospital close byHolmes County Hospital and Clinics in Lexington, about 13 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityMemphis is about 134 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 Tchula 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

Typical rent, with utilities: $518 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Homes owned by the people living in them: 46%U.S.: 65%
Homes built before 1940: 4%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 12%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. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Jackson metro area, not Tchula 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: 1,6592020: 1,662
Median age: 35 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 11%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 27%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 22%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 0%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: Schools, health care and social services (24%); transportation, warehousing and utilities (13%)
Work from home: 2%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 45%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Holmes County Hospital and Clinics, Lexington, MS, about 13 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: Greenwood Leflore Hospital, Greenwood, MS, about 23 miles away. Medicare gives it 1 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

There are no public schools inside Tchula itself. The nearest public high school is Holmes County Central High School, about 11 miles away.

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 cable, fiber or DSL internet: 36%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 60%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: 31°F
July average high: 90°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 63 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 60 a year
Rain and melted snow: 57.3 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 119 feet

Weather stations: Lexington (11 miles away) and Belzoni (16 miles away, rain and snow). 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

Holmes County Hospital and ClinicsEmergency room13

Jackson, MSCity of 141,00060

Memphis, TNMetro of 1.3 million134

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: Holmes County Hospital and Clinics, Jackson, Memphis.

Holmes 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 Parkway38 miles
Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument58 miles

Read about Tchula's history on Wikipedia.

Know Tchula?

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

Lexington, MS1,400 people, 11 miles
Belzoni, MS1,700 people, 15 miles
Durant, MS2,000 people, 22 miles
Itta Bena, MS1,500 people, 23 miles
Greenwood, MS13,400 people, 23 miles
Goodman, MS1,200 people, 23 miles

Smaller places

Cruger, MS244 people, 10 miles
Eden, MS134 people, 15 miles

Sources

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.