Blog > Kiln, MS 39556: A 2026 Guide to Buying in Hancock County
By Randy Richardson, Broker Associate, The 4th Right Team
Quick Answer: Kiln is an unincorporated community in Hancock County, Mississippi, about 50 miles northeast of New Orleans and roughly 15 minutes from Bay St. Louis. Locals call it "the Kiln," with the N silent. Redfin reported a median sale price of $315,930 in the 39556 zip for the three months ending July 2026, with homes averaging 51 days on market. About 2,224 people live in the census-designated area across 13.2 square miles. Kiln is home to the Hancock County School District's headquarters and Hancock High School, and both the district and the high school earned an A on the state's 2025-26 accountability grades. People buy here for land, pine woods, and room between neighbors.
How do you pronounce Kiln, Mississippi?
It's "Kill." The N is silent, and locals usually say "the Kiln." If you're relocating and you say it the way it's spelled, everyone will know you're new inside about four seconds.
The town is also Brett Favre's hometown, and it doesn't hide it. Favre played high school ball at what was then Hancock North Central High School. It's now Hancock North Central Elementary.
What is Kiln, MS actually like?
Rural, wooded, and quiet. The Jourdan River borders Kiln to the south and empties into the Bay of St. Louis. The land runs to pines and hardwoods, with bayous and creeks cutting through it. Elevation averages about 30 feet, which puts it above the beachfront towns.
Population density runs about 169 people per square mile. This is a place where properties come with acreage and neighbors come with distance.
You won't find a shopping district. There's Highway 603, a handful of local businesses, and the Broke Spoke. Diamondhead is about ten minutes away and Bay St. Louis about fifteen. That's where you go for groceries and dinner.
How much do homes and land cost in Kiln in 2026?
Redfin reported a median sale price of $315,930 in the 39556 zip for the three months ending July 2026, up 5.7% from a year earlier. Homes averaged 51 days on market and sold for about 97.1% of list price. Redfin rates 39556 as somewhat competitive.
Don't lean on that median too hard. Redfin counted just 16 sales in July, and its price per square foot jumped 94.5% in a year. A number moving that much in a market this small tells you more about which homes sold than about what homes are worth. One estate on twenty acres can swing the whole figure. Price a Kiln property off comparable sales with similar acreage and square footage, not the zip-wide median.
Land is the real story. Kiln is one of the main places in Hancock County to find acreage within about twenty minutes of the water, and raw land shows up for sale here regularly.
A few things to check before you buy land here. Confirm road frontage and legal access. Confirm water and sewer, since many properties out here run on wells and septic, and test the well water before closing. Ask about the fire protection class rating, too. Your distance from a responding fire station affects your insurance premium more out here than it would in town.
And if the parcel is anywhere near Stennis Space Center, check for NASA restrictions. Stennis is surrounded by a roughly 125,000-acre acoustic buffer zone. The government bought some of that land outright and acquired easements on other parcels, which can limit what an owner is allowed to build. Have your closing attorney check the title work for any buffer zone easement before you go under contract. Here's what the closing attorney actually does.
What schools serve Kiln, MS?
Kiln is the headquarters of the Hancock County School District, and Hancock High School sits here on Stennis Airport Road. The high school enrolled 1,187 students in 2022-2023, with about 15 students per teacher. The Hawks wear navy and red.
Both earned an A on the Mississippi Department of Education's 2025-26 accountability grades, released in October 2026. The district scored 729 points, and Hancock High posted a 90.3% graduation rate. These are the first grades under the state's tougher standards, so don't compare them to older reports.
The district covers Kiln, Diamondhead, Pearlington, parts of Waveland and Bay St. Louis, and rural parts of the county. It runs four elementary schools for kindergarten through fifth grade: East Hancock, Hancock North Central, South Hancock, and West Hancock. Hancock Middle School handles grades 6 through 8, and the Hancock County Career Technical Center serves grades 10 through 12.
Here's something worth knowing if you're comparing Kiln to Diamondhead. Both are in the same school district and feed the same high school. So a family choosing between them is choosing on lifestyle, price, and acreage, not schools. Confirm the elementary assignment for the exact address with the district.
What about flood risk, wildfire risk, and insurance in Kiln?
Kiln sits higher than the beach towns, but it isn't flood-free. First Street modeling shown on Redfin says about 33% of properties in 39556 face severe flood risk over the next 30 years. With the Jourdan River and its bayous running through the area, flood risk is very lot-specific. Pull the FEMA flood zone for the exact parcel. Here's what that flood zone letter actually costs.
Here's the part most people don't expect. That same modeling puts 99% of properties in 39556 at some risk of wildfire over 30 years. That's not a number you see on the beach. It comes from being surrounded by pine forest, and it matters for insurance and for how you manage the trees and brush around a house on acreage.
Wind is the other piece. Hancock County is one of the six counties in Mississippi's statutory coast area, so coastal wind coverage still applies out here. Here's how insurance changes north of I-10.
None of that should scare anyone off. It just tells you to get a real insurance quote for the specific address, including the fire protection class, before you go under contract. And ask about clearing space around the house if you're buying one tucked into the trees.
How far is Kiln from Bay St. Louis, Stennis, and New Orleans?
Kiln is well placed for a rural community. Diamondhead is about ten minutes east. Bay St. Louis and the water run about fifteen minutes south. Stennis Space Center, one of the region's biggest employers, is roughly fifteen minutes southwest. Waveland is about twenty. Gulfport and Slidell each run about thirty minutes, and New Orleans sits about 50 miles away, so plan on an hour. These are rough off-peak estimates.
If you're relocating from Louisiana, here's our guide to moving from New Orleans to Bay St. Louis, which covers the same side of the Coast.
By the Numbers
Median sale price, 39556: $315,930, three months ending July 2026, up 5.7% (Redfin)
Average days on market: 51 (Redfin, July 2026)
Sale-to-list ratio: about 97.1% (Redfin, July 2026)
Homes sold in July 2026: 16 (Redfin)
CDP population, 2020 Census: 2,224
Land area: about 13.2 square miles, roughly 169 people per square mile
Hancock County School District, 2025-26 state grade: A, 729 points
Hancock High School enrollment: 1,187 (2022-2023)
Properties facing severe flood risk over 30 years: about 33% (First Street, via Redfin)
Properties facing some wildfire risk over 30 years: about 99% (First Street, via Redfin)
Stennis acoustic buffer zone: about 125,000 acres
The Bottom Line
Kiln is where you buy land in Hancock County. You get acreage, pine woods, and river access fifteen minutes from Bay St. Louis and about an hour from New Orleans, with the same A-rated schools Diamondhead families use. The trade-offs come with rural property everywhere: wells and septic, insurance that varies by fire district, wildfire exposure in the pines, and a market too small to price off medians. Near Stennis, add a title check for buffer zone easements. Buy on comparable acreage, get the insurance quoted early, and verify access and restrictions on any raw land. Do that, and this is one of the better values on the western end of the Coast. When you're ready to look, start with homes and land for sale in Kiln.
Keep reading: Diamondhead, MS Neighborhood Guide: What to Know in 2026 and Saucier, MS 39574: High Ground, Acreage, and 2026 Prices
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you pronounce Kiln, Mississippi?
It's pronounced "Kill." The N is silent, and locals usually call it "the Kiln."
How much does a house cost in Kiln, MS?
Kiln prices depend heavily on acreage, and so few homes sell each month that the published median swings a lot. Recent comparable sales with similar land and square footage are the best guide. Near Stennis Space Center, check the title for any buffer zone easement too.
What schools serve Kiln, MS?
The Hancock County School District, which is headquartered in Kiln and earned an A with 729 points on the 2025-26 state grades. Hancock High School is in Kiln, earned an A, and serves the whole district, including Diamondhead. The district also runs Hancock Middle School, four elementary schools, and the Hancock County Career Technical Center.
Is Kiln, MS a city?
No. Kiln is an unincorporated community in Hancock County, Mississippi. There's no city government or city limits, so there's no city property tax. Services come from Hancock County instead of a city.
Does Kiln, MS flood?
Some areas do. The Jourdan River and its bayous run through the area, so flood risk varies a lot from parcel to parcel. The pine forest also brings real wildfire risk. Check the FEMA flood zone and get an insurance quote for the specific address.
Who is Kiln, MS famous for?
Kiln is the hometown of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre, who played high school ball at what was then Hancock North Central High School, now Hancock North Central Elementary.
Sources
Redfin, 39556 Housing Market (median sale price, days on market, homes sold, sale-to-list ratio, competitiveness, and First Street flood and wildfire risk, three months ending July 2026, checked September 2026): https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/39556/housing-market
WXXV, South Mississippi school districts earn high marks under tougher state accountability standards, October 2026 (2025-26 district grades and points): https://www.wxxv25.com/south-mississippi-school-districts-earn-high-marks-under-tougher-state-accountability-standards-for-2025-26-school-year/
WLOX, South Mississippi schools earn top grades under new MDE standards, October 2026 (2025-26 high school grades and graduation rates): https://www.wlox.com/2026/10/15/south-mississippi-schools-earn-top-grades-under-new-mde-standards/
Wikipedia, Kiln, Mississippi (pronunciation, 2020 Census population, land area, density, elevation, Jourdan River, distance to New Orleans, Brett Favre): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiln,_Mississippi
Wikipedia, Hancock High School (enrollment, student-teacher ratio, mascot, colors, location): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hancock_High_School_(Mississippi)
Wikipedia, Hancock County School District (district headquarters, communities served, schools and grade ranges): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hancock_County_School_District_(Mississippi)
Wikipedia, Stennis Space Center (Fee Area and 125,000-acre acoustic buffer zone): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stennis_Space_Center
Picayune Item, History of the Stennis buffer zone (land acquired outright and through easements): https://www.picayuneitem.com/
Mississippi Code Section 83-34-1 (coast area counties for the Windstorm Underwriting Association): https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/title-83/chapter-34/section-83-34-1/
About the Author
Randy Richardson is a Broker Associate and Team Leader of The 4th Right Team at CENTURY 21 J. Carter & Company. He serves buyers and sellers across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
Randy Richardson | Broker Associate
The 4th Right Team | Century 21 J. Carter & Company
📞 Office: (228) 731-3881 | Cell: (228) 547-9999
📧 realtorrandyrichardson@gmail.com
🌐 www.The4thRightTeam.com
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