ZIP Code 38685 — Waterford CDP, MS Demographics & Data

ZIP code 38685 covers Waterford, MS in Marshall County with a population of about 983.

At a glance, the area shows median age of 63.7 versus a U.S. median of about 38.9.

It sits in telephone area code 662; U.S. House district MS-1; the MEMPHIS media market.

Waterford, MS reads as a military / base-oriented community on US5’s intent model (elevated veteran share (18.8%) and/or base-related place names). Service members and families often look up Basic Allowance for Housing (BAH) rates, on-base mail (PSC / P.O. Box) addresses, and nearby ZIP demographics when relocating.

US5 shows 2026 DoD BAH locality rates for this ZIP’s Military Housing Area on this page (pay grade × with/without dependents). Treat the table as a planning reference and confirm entitlement with your finance office or the official DTMO BAH lookup.

Median household income in ZIP 38685 is about $45,972 — about 39% below the U.S. median ($75,149).

On socioeconomic markers, US5 shows a poverty rate of 16.2%; unemployment rate near 5.0%; 4.6% of adults with a bachelor’s degree or higher (about 29.1 points below the national share (33.7%)).

Labor and commute patterns include leading industry context around Manufacturing, Education, and Retail trade; a mean commute of about 180.0 minutes (U.S. average near 26.8).

Housing tenure and rents show owner-occupancy near 93.3% (about 27.9 points above the national owner-occupancy rate (65.4%)).

FEMA’s National Risk Index rates natural-hazard risk for Waterford CDP, MS as Relatively Low (composite score 71.2), which is elevated versus much of the country. The strongest component scores on US5 are wildfire (79.2) and flood (59.3). These scores are county-linked NRI values published for planning context — all ZIP codes in the same county share the same composite score on US5. Useful when comparing insurance and disaster exposure across areas, not a substitute for a parcel-level flood or fire determination.

Climate normals for Waterford CDP, MS show little to no average snow and around 60.5 inches of annual precipitation.

IRS migration statistics show a net inflow of about 34 for ZIP 38685 (Waterford CDP, MS) on US5’s published series — a signal of people/tax filers moving in relative to those leaving. Inflows often track job growth, housing demand, or lifestyle migration; treat the figure as a directional indicator rather than a precise headcount.