Gulf HillsMS
A town of 8,451. Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.
Is Gulf Hills a good place to live?
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Overall it grades C+, 29th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi. Its public schools beat 85% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. 25% of the land in Gulf Hills is conserved, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 2.8% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 84% of U.S. towns. Only 3 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of workers working from home than Gulf Hills.
What makes Gulf Hills stand out
Where Gulf Hills beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| St. Martin East Elementary | PK–3 | 704 |
| St. Martin Upper Elementary | 4–5 | 600 |
| St. Martin Middle School | 6–8 | 946 |
Gulf Hills has grown 19% from 2010 to 2020
7,144 counted in 2010 and 8,526 in 2020.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts
How Gulf Hills grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Gulf Hills is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Gulf Islands National Seashore and 6 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gulf Hills. Close and well known come first.
2 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
10 mi MuseumJefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
4 mi MuseumOhr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art
16 mi MuseumOld Spanish Fort
17 mi Zoo & aquariumMississippi Aquarium
4 mi MuseumMaritime & Seafood Industry MuseumPhoto credits
Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Spanish Fort: Michelle Miller-Freeck/FEMA, Public domain · Mississippi Aquarium: Kaotate, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0
Moving to Gulf Hills: who provides what
Gulf Hills is unincorporated, so Jackson County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Gulf Hills.
Gulf Hills has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns and looks healthier within Mississippi than nationally, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
Very high risk in Gulf Hills, with hurricanes at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $373 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1998, 33 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gulf Hills. Only 10 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Gulf Hills.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Gulf Hills earns an A for schools
Its public schools are run by the Jackson County School District. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is St. Martin High School, with 1,289 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Martin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 946 | B+ |
| St. Martin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,289 | A |
| St. Martin East ElementaryTop results in townGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 704 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Nearly a quarter of Gulf Hills is conserved land
0.0 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve. The biggest park or preserve is Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, at 98 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge | — | 98 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents commute out of Gulf Hills
Gulf Hills has 685 jobs for its 3,588 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out. Jobs based here grew from 423 in 2013 to 685.
Most working residents leave Gulf Hills for work: only 2% work in town. Jobs based in Gulf Hills grew to 685 in 2023, 262 more than in 2013. 11% of residents live below the poverty line in Gulf Hills, below Mississippi’s towns (21%) and close to U.S. towns (9.6%).
| Gulf Hills | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.9% | 20% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $73,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Homes in Gulf Hills are worth about $252K, by Zillow’s estimate
The typical Gulf Hills home is worth about $252,000, up 0.7% in a year, 30% above the Mississippi typical home. The median rent in Gulf Hills is $1,401 a month.
| Gulf Hills | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,401 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 71% | 62% | 73% |
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mild winters and hot summers in Gulf Hills
January nights average 42.5°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.2°.
Gulf Hills has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Gulf Hills’ January low is 43°F. Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 3 have a lower July high than Gulf Hills.
| Gulf Hills | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
On CDC estimates, Gulf Hills is healthier than 58% of U.S. towns
Within Mississippi it is healthier than 82% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Mississippi is tooth loss: 10.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 18.5% statewide.
12% of adults report frequent physical distress in Gulf Hills.
| Gulf Hills | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 27% | 19% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Gulf Hills | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 10.6% | 18.5% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 14.5% | 22.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about Gulf Hills
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Gulf Hills; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Gulf Hills residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
98% of working residents leave Gulf Hills for work
Where Gulf Hills’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
About Gulf Hills
Census-designated place in Mississippi, US
Gulf Hills is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,526 at the 2020 census, up from 7,144 at the 2010 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 8.2 sq mi
- Elevation
- 13 ft
- Area code
- 228
Gulf Hills’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Gulf Hills.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf Hills | #29 | C+ | C+ | — | A | B |
| Ocean Springs | #12 | B+ | C− | — | A+ | A− |
| St. Martin | #34 | C | C+ | — | A | C+ |
Gulf Hills, Ocean Springs and St. Martin report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gulf Hills with a neighbor →
Questions about Gulf Hills
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Gulf Hills, MS a good place to live?
Gulf Hills grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #29 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades B for health and A for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Is Gulf Hills, MS expensive?
That is 4 years of the area's median household income ($62,418 across the Gulfport-Biloxi, MS metro area).