It lives in holes throughout the Southeastern United States in beaches and sandy fields.

The oldfield mouse occurs only in the southeastern United States, ranging from Florida to Tennessee.

Inland populations are darker and smaller with shorter tails that are dusky above and white below.

General body and tail color may vary slightly depending upon geographical location.

[19][20] The Santa Rosa beach mouse (Peromyscus polionotus leucocephalus)[21] is listed as critically imperiled by NatureServe.