What it's like to live in Byram
Byram is a small city in Mississippi with home prices that remain within reach, crime rates well below the national average, and schools with smaller class sizes than the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Byram deals with air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hot summers, above-average rainfall, and fewer dining and entertainment options than a bigger city.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Air quality concerns
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Byram compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Byram
Based on Byram's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,686
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $53,720 a year
- 30% of Byram renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$41,320
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $20,660
- Homes cost 2.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,343/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,343 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $206,600. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $206,600 · 30% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.9% county unemployment
Unemployment in Hinds County is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Hinds County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 76% below US
80 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 852/100k · Byram Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
26 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 8% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 92°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 39°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 11% below US
32% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 32% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
3 public schools inside the boundary
There are 3 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 14:1, well below the national average of 16:1. Smaller class sizes are generally a positive sign for a district.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Medgar and Myrlie Evers Home National Monument (11 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Byram's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are air quality that falls short of national benchmarks and hot summers. A year of median rent ($1,343/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Byram
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