Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Gulfport grades C− overall, 59th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. It also does better than most on schools: its public schools beat 71% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. Its lowest everyday mark is in health: CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 89% of the country. A typical home there costs about $206K, 3.3 years of the Gulfport metro’s $62K median household income. 42% of working residents work locally in Gulfport, above both the Mississippi town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (8%). Its National Register listings include Gulfport Army Air Field Hangar and US Post Office and Customhouse. Among 57 Mississippi towns, just 1 have a higher violent crime rate than Gulfport.
Where Gulfport beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Hewes Building
Brett Favre
Census counts: 1,060 in 1900, 72,926 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1836 and 4 maps from 1954 on.
16 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Gulfport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Gulfport, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Gulfport.
Gulfport draws workers from Biloxi and beyond, is healthier than towns with similar incomes and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
39,170 jobs are based in Gulfport, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
23% of residents live below the poverty line in Gulfport. Jobs based in Gulfport grew to 39,170 in 2023, 3,013 more than in 2013. Gulfport’s median household income is $50,000.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $50,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 7.3% | 5.3% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B+, Long Beach highest at A+.
Its public schools are run by the Gulfport School District. Three of its 24 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Gulfport Elementary and MiddlLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 921 | – |
| Gulfport High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,702 | B+ |
| Bayou View ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 638 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 5,767 U.S. towns with household incomes like Gulfport’s, it is less healthy than 73%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is less healthy than 52% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
39% of Gulfport adults get no exercise outside work. Gulfport beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 27% of Gulfport adults worry about having enough food.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 36% | 25% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 12% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 19% |
| What stands out | Gulfport | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 13.8% | 11.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 27% | 22.4% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 14.3% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
3,272 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 361 properties have flooded more than once.
Since 1978, 3,272 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Gulfport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
12 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Jack and Florence Goldin Sportsplex, at 37 acres.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.7% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Jones Memorial Park | 1.6 mi | 28 |
| 2. West Side Park | 0.4 mi | 10 |
| 3. Jack and Florence Goldin Sportsplex | — | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
January nights average 40.9°, milder than in 95% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 90.1°.
Gulfport has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The January low in Gulfport is 41°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 41°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 90°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Gulfport's reported crime rate is well above Mississippi's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 589 violent crimes were reported in 2025.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Gulfport home is worth about $206,000, up 2.2% in a year, 6% above the Mississippi typical home.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 55% | 62% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 55% | 52% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,086 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Mississippi average. Gulfport has grown 4.9% since 2020, to 76,506 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 24% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Gulfport | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 38 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 24% | 25% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 17% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 22% | 24% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±1.1 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Median age: women 39.7, men 36.5.
| Gulfport | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 12.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 15.2% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.7% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.4% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 13.4% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 31.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.3% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 14% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 9.6% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Gulfport. Close and well known come first.
13 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
6 mi MuseumJefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
in town Zoo & aquariumMississippi Aquarium
12 mi MuseumOhr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art
31 mi MuseumOld Spanish Fort
13 mi MuseumMaritime & Seafood Industry MuseumGulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mississippi Aquarium: Kaotate, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Spanish Fort: Michelle Miller-Freeck/FEMA, Public domain · Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0
None within 15 miles of Gulfport; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Gulfport residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Gulfport’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
16 places in Gulfport on the National Register of Historic Places.
56 notable people were born in Gulfport.
City in Mississippi, United States
Gulfport ( GUHLF-port) is a port city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, and its co-county seat. It had a population of 72,926 at the 2020 census, making it the second-most populous city in Mississippi after Jackson. The Gulfport–Biloxi metropolitan area had a population of 416,259. Gulfport lies along the Gulf Coast of the United States in southern Mississippi, taking its name from its port on the Gulf Coast on the Mississippi Sound. Gulfport emerged from two earlier settlements, Mississippi City and Handsboro. Founded in 1887 by William H. Hardy as a terminus for the Gulf and Ship Island Railroad, the city was further developed by Philadelphia oil tycoon Joseph T. Jones, who …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Gulfport.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gulfport | #59 | C− | C+ | — | B+ | D |
| Biloxi | #52 | C− | C | D | A− | C+ |
| Long Beach | #17 | B | C | B+ | A+ | B |
| Lyman | — | — | C | — | A− | B− |
Lyman has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gulfport and Lyman report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Gulfport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Gulfport grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #59 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and B+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
56 notable people were born here, including Brett Favre and Israel Broussard.
