Hinds County, MS

Selected direct-evidence records show a broad current asking-rent decision range rather than a single county market price. Zillow’s typical observed asking-rent index runs from $973 in ZIP 39209 to $1,587 in ZIP 39056, a $614 difference around a $1,307 selected-set median. The county ZORI is $1,305, close to that median but not a substitute for the ZIP observations. A renter comparing current listings should therefore first decide whether the relevant target is the lower-price end, the upper-price end, or a unit-specific position within the range, then verify the actual asking rent, lease terms, and unit size. The spread supports comparison shopping; it does not establish that any listed unit is available or comparable.

HUD and ACS answer different questions and should remain separate from ZORI. The administrative HUD two-bedroom standard spans $1,080 in ZIP 39204 to $1,460 in ZIP 39211, while the direct ZORI-to-HUD comparison ranges from 84.6% to 113.4%. That ratio is a contextual comparison of a typical asking-rent index with a bedroom-specific administrative standard, not a finding about a unit’s eligibility or market price. Separately, ACS five-year median gross rent ranges from $922 to $1,337. Those survey estimates describe reported gross rent, not current asking rent; neither the ACS figures nor HUD standards should be averaged with ZORI to rank locations.

Affordability pressure and vacancy provide a trade-off screen rather than a quality judgment. The ACS share of renters paying at least 30% of income for rent spans 46.3% to 59.2% across the selected set, and ACS vacancy ranges from 8.8% to 27.5%. ZIP 39204 sits at the high-vacancy endpoint yet has a 66.3% renter share and a 55.8% burden share; ZIP 39056 is at the low-vacancy endpoint with a 46.3% burden share. Thus, more measured vacancy in these survey areas does not itself demonstrate lower rent burden. A search can treat vacancy as an area-level screening input, not confirmation of an available unit, while testing household income against the quoted rent.

The coverage is deliberately limited: the selected direct-evidence records account for 25,236 renter households and are not an exhaustive county or local inventory. ZIP assignment follows the county with the largest HUD residential-address share; the shown shares run from 99.8% to 100.0%, but a ZIP can still cross county lines. Moreover, Census ZCTAs are statistical areas rather than USPS delivery ZIPs. Before acting, check a property’s exact address and county assignment, bedroom count, current asking rent and included utilities, lease and income requirements, application or availability status, and whether the relevant HUD standard applies. Use ACS values as five-year survey context rather than a description of a particular property.