Tupelo, MS — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Mississippi·Tupelo

Lee County · Tupelo · population 37,775

First-time buyers
Tupelo, MS
Image: Wikipedia · Tupelo, Mississippi
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
72
Rising
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Tupelo stands

At or near all-time high. home values up 5.7% in the last year. rents up 6.9% in the last year.

Median home $208,053
1-year +5.7%
5-yr CAGR +6.4%
vs 5-yr peak +0.0%
Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2026-04$208k$114k$148k$182k$216k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
32/100
Very car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
82/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,310/mo$1,007$1,207$1,40820242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent11812210012020242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 13.2
Buy

At a 13.2 price-to-rent ratio, buying generally beats renting in Tupelo on a long-enough horizon. The headline math is that one year of mortgage payments approximates 13.2 years of rent — well below the 15+ threshold where ownership starts to dominate.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
77 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
71 · w22%
Distance from peak
90 · w18%
Population growth
44 · w16%
Rent YoY
85 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Tupelo has held up across the cycle: home values at $208,053 with +6.4% 5-year CAGR. The bull case is structural — population, location, employer base — and holds even if next year's print is soft.

Short thesis

Tupelo's bear case is the boring one: the cycle is real and any market that's run hard can stall. Watch for slowing population growth, rising days-on-market, or builder discounts as the early warning signals.

About Tupelo

Tupelo is a city in Lee County, Mississippi, with an estimated population of 37,775. The median home value in Tupelo is $208,053 as of 2026-04, up 5.7% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +6.4% annual growth, with prices at or near the 5-year peak. Rents in Tupelo average $1,310 per month, up 6.9% year-over-year. The composite momentum score is 72 of 100 (Rising). The market is healthy with prices supported by underlying demand.

▲ Bull case

●Affordable AND rising: median home $208,053 with positive recent direction — rare combination most of the country can’t offer.
●Healthy 5-year run: +6.4% annualized over 5 years, outpacing US inflation.
●Quiet strength: +5.7% over the trailing year — not a melt-up, but the market is bid.
●Held the highs: currently +0.0% from the 5-year peak — this market refused to give back gains.
●Hot rental market: rents up 6.9% YoY — landlords have pricing power, supports new investment math.

▼ Bear case

○Local nuance: city-level data smooths over neighborhood differences. School zones, HOA rules, and street-level character matter — visit before deciding.

About Tupelo (Wikipedia)

Tupelo is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Mississippi, United States. Founded in 1860, the population was 37,923 at the 2020 census. It is the seventh-most populous city in Mississippi and is considered a commercial, industrial, and cultural hub of northern Mississippi.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

Playbook

Buyer

You're not in a frenzy but you're not getting bargains either. Make a competitive offer with normal inspection terms. Don't lowball — the listing will move with or without you.

Seller

Price at fair market value; expect movement in 30-45 days. Don't get clever with terms (rent-back, contingencies) — buyers in a Rising market have options.

Investor

Appreciation tailwind exists but cash flow requires discipline on price. Run the numbers conservatively and confirm rent comps before committing.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Lee County right now.

NWS active alerts (MS)Mississippi Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Lee County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Cities like Tupelo

Corinth, MS67 · RisingSenatobia, MS70 · RisingPicayune, MS67 · RisingPearl, MS72 · Rising

Run the numbers for Tupelo

ToolCan I afford Tupelo?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Tupelo rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Tupelo to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolTupelo cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
56° / 36°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
91° / 72°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
216
~59% of year
Annual precip
59″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
Very high
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Low
Earthquake
Low
Flood
High

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Tupelo listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Tupelo area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
75%
Very humid climate
Median household income
$52,700
Mississippi state median
Top industries (state-level)
ManufacturingHealthcareAgriculture

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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