Forrest County, Mississippi
Population 78,272 · Hattiesburg, Petal
- Overall cost of living: −12.4% vs the US average, lower than 62% of US counties.
- Lyme disease cases: 0/100k, the lowest in the US.
- Median age: 32, lower than 97% of US counties.
Cost & Housing
| Overall cost of living (vs US avg) | ≈−12.4% | lower than 62% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Shared figure for the whole Hattiesburg, MS metro area. Prices are published for areas, not single counties. | ||
| Median home price | $168,000 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Median rent | $972 | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Electric bill | $183/mo | higher than 62% of US counties |
| Child care (preschool) | $6,584/yr | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Property tax rate | 0.81% | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Sales tax | 7% | higher than 89% of US counties |
| State income tax | 5% | higher than 57% of US counties |
| Property tax paid / yr | $1,361 | lower than 62% of US counties |
Jobs & Career
| Median household income | $53,640 | lower than 81% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% | lower than 64% of US counties |
| Job growth (5 yr) | +3.3% | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Jobs per 1k residents | 420.2 | higher than 87% of US counties |
| Profession jobs per 1k residents | N/A |
Climate & Environment
| Sunny days / yr | ≈214 days | higher than 50% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| ≈ Regional estimate: satellite grid cell about 100 km across. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| July high | 92°F | higher than 79% of US counties |
| January low | 37°F | higher than 88% of US counties |
| Annual snowfall | 1 in | lower than 75% of US counties |
| Hot days (90°F+) | 96 days | higher than 91% of US counties |
| Freezing days (32°F or colder) | 34 days | lower than 89% of US counties |
| Severe drought | 7.4% of weeks | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Summer dew point | ≈71.3°F | higher than 93% of US counties |
| ≈ Regional estimate: NASA grid cell about 50 km across, read at where the county’s people live. Nearby counties can share it. | ||
| Annual precipitation | 61.5 in | higher than 97% of US counties |
| Disaster damage per $100k | $138/yr | higher than 54% of US counties |
| Flood damage per $100k | $71/yr | lower than 65% of US counties |
| Hurricane damage per $100k | $44/yr | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Earthquake damage per $100k | $3/yr | higher than 53% of US counties |
| Tornado damage per $100k | $11/yr | higher than 55% of US counties |
| Wildfire damage per $100k | $2.3/yr | higher than 68% of US counties |
| PM2.5 air pollution | 9.4 µg/m³ | higher than 90% of US counties |
| Distance to coast | 58.8 mi | lower than 80% of US counties |
| Terrain relief | ≈233.6 ft | lower than 81% of US counties |
| ≈ Estimated from about 75 elevation points sampled across the county, so the true range is usually somewhat larger. | ||
Education & Health
| % Adults with a high school diploma | 91.8% | higher than 64% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| % Adults with a bachelor's degree | 30.6% | higher than 77% of US counties |
| % Adults with a graduate degree | 13.3% | higher than 85% of US counties |
| Colleges within 30 mi | 3 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Student-teacher ratio | 12.2:1 | lower than 74% of US counties |
| On-time high school graduation | 94.7% | higher than 86% of US counties |
| 8th-grade math (grade level) | gr 7.83 | higher than 51% of US counties |
| 8th-grade reading (grade level) | gr 7.73 | lower than 54% of US counties |
| 3rd-grade math (grade level) | gr 3.22 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Library visits per resident | 0.4 | lower than 98% of US counties |
| Primary care docs / 100k | 108/100k | higher than 93% of US counties |
| Hospitals within 25 mi | 3 | lower than 45% of US counties |
| Hospital quality (avg stars) | 2★ | lower than 85% of US counties |
| Life expectancy | 72.3 yrs | lower than 82% of US counties |
| % Uninsured (under 65) | 12.8% | higher than 75% of US counties |
| Mental health providers / 100k | 560/100k | higher than 94% of US counties |
| Dentists / 100k | 43/100k | higher than 50% of US counties |
| Lyme disease cases | 0/100k | the lowest in the US |
| % Near parks or rec facilities | 75.5% | higher than 69% of US counties |
Transit & Connectivity
| Airport drive time | 34 min | lower than 84% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Int'l airport drive time | 136 min | higher than 65% of US counties |
| Avg commute | 21 min | lower than 69% of US counties |
| Broadband coverage | 86.4% | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Transit commute share | 0.3% | higher than 56% of US counties |
| Work-from-home share | 4% | lower than 91% of US counties |
| Drive to a big city | 129 min | higher than 51% of US counties |
| Street intersections | 48 per sq mi | higher than 77% of US counties |
Community & Safety
| Violent crime | 2 per 1k | higher than 49% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Property crime | 20.3 per 1k | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Population | 78,272 | higher than 77% of US counties |
| Median age | 32 | lower than 97% of US counties |
| Net domestic migration | -2.3 per 1k/yr | lower than 74% of US counties |
| % Democratic vote | 40.3% Dem | higher than 75% of US counties |
| % Republican vote | 58.2% Rep | lower than 75% of US counties |
| % Third-party vote | 1.4% | higher than 55% of US counties |
| % White | 55.8% | lower than 81% of US counties |
| % Hispanic or Latino | 4.4% | lower than 55% of US counties |
| % Black | 35.5% | higher than 93% of US counties |
| % Asian | 0.9% | higher than 61% of US counties |
| % American Indian & Alaska Native | 0.1% | lower than 50% of US counties |
| % Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander | 0.2% | higher than 88% of US counties |
| % Two or more races | 3% | lower than 63% of US counties |
| % Some other race | 0.2% | lower than 54% of US counties |
Recreation & Lifestyle
| Parks & protected areas | 55 parks | higher than 51% of US counties |
|---|---|---|
| Restaurants / 10k | 19.5 | higher than 83% of US counties |
| Arts & rec venues / 10k | 2.9 | lower than 50% of US counties |
| Drive to dark skies | 35 min | higher than 61% of US counties |
| Lakes & rivers | 0.8% | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Ski areas within 90 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Golf courses within 30 mi | 8 | lower than 59% of US counties |
| Marinas & boat tours within 90 mi | 24 | higher than 64% of US counties |
| Trails (km) within 30 mi | 146 km | lower than 54% of US counties |
| Named paved greenways (km) within 15 mi | 8 km | higher than 69% of US counties |
| Gyms & fitness centers within 30 mi | 22 | higher than 63% of US counties |
| Bars within 30 mi | 3 | lower than 72% of US counties |
| Music & theater companies within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Museums within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Breweries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Wineries within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Theme parks & arcades within 90 mi | 9 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Casinos & casino hotels within 90 mi | 10 | higher than 92% of US counties |
| Campgrounds & RV parks within 30 mi | 0 | the lowest in the US |
| Sports teams & arenas within 90 mi | 7 | lower than 63% of US counties |
| Bike paths (km) within 15 mi | 53 km | higher than 75% of US counties |
Most similar counties
Closest across all well-covered metrics.
Every number is from a public dataset; N/A means the source doesn't cover this county. Percentages compare against all US counties. ≈ marks a value not measured in the county itself; the line under it says where it comes from. Report bad data