What it's like to live in Horn Lake
Horn Lake 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. Horn Lake deals with household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, a poverty rate above the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
- Low student-teacher ratio
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
- Above-average rainfall
How Horn Lake compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Horn Lake
Based on Horn Lake's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,870
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $57,400 a year
- 54% of Horn Lake renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$34,280
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $17,140
- Homes cost 3.2× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of livingNear US average
$1,435/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,435 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 $171,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $171,400 · 54% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.1% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 76% below US
79 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 1459/100k · Horn Lake 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.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 91°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 54% below US
17% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. 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 Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument (70 miles away). There are 8 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Horn Lake's strongest points are home prices that remain within reach and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($1,435/mo) equals 32% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime.
Other places near Horn Lake
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