Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hattiesburg earns a D, 68th among Mississippi's 99 graded towns, mostly because of incomes and safety. The median household income is $46K, and 28% of residents live below the poverty line. Its police reported 124 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 89% of U.S. towns. In its favor, it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 81% of U.S. towns. 56% of working residents work locally in Hattiesburg, against 19% in Mississippi’s towns and 8% across U.S. towns. Hattiesburg has 18 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Old Hattiesburg High School and East Sixth Street USO Building. On civic life, just 1 of Mississippi’s 148 towns do better.
Where Hattiesburg beats most towns.
U.S. District Courthouse
Census counts: 1,172 in 1890, 48,730 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 3 maps from 1964 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Hattiesburg is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hattiesburg, 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 Hattiesburg.
Hattiesburg draws workers from Petal and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports property crime at about twice the Mississippi rate.
26 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. Only 7 of the 87 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher trail density than Hattiesburg. The biggest park or preserve is Tatum Park, at 245 acres.
| Hattiesburg | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 4.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Kamper Park | 1 mi | 35 |
| 2. Dewitt Sullivan Park | 1 mi | 16 |
| 3. Duncan Lake Park | 0.5 mi | 64 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Hattiesburg school district. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thames ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 619 | C+ |
| Hattiesburg High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,014 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
42,088 jobs are based in Hattiesburg, 2.7 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. The average commute takes 17.4 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
Hattiesburg’s average trip to work is 17 minutes. Jobs based in Hattiesburg grew to 42,088 in 2023, 3,511 more than in 2013. 4.7% of workers work from home in Hattiesburg.
| Hattiesburg | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 23 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $46,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 4.7% | 5.4% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Property crime runs at 35.8 per 1,000 residents, about twice the Mississippi rate, most of it theft. Reported crimes fell from 2,170 to 1,860 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Hattiesburg is 35.8 per 1,000 residents. Hattiesburg reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 89% report less.
| Hattiesburg | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35.8 per 1,000 residents | 16.5 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Against the 4,456 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hattiesburg’s, it is healthier than 58%, so its C− isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is healthier than 59% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
Hattiesburg beats the Mississippi average on 8 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 39% of Hattiesburg adults feel lonely. Only 5 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of adults who report frequent mental distress than Hattiesburg.
| Hattiesburg | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 24% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 37% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 39% | 36% |
| What stands out | Hattiesburg | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 5.5% | 7.6% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 6% | 7.5% |
| More adults without reliable transportation | 17.2% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hattiesburg has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. Only 7 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher July high than Hattiesburg.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Hattiesburg home is worth about $218,000, up 2.6% in a year, 12% above the Mississippi typical home. Among 99 Mississippi towns, just 4 have a lower share of households owning their home than Hattiesburg.
| Hattiesburg | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 37% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,005 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
932 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 30 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 54% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 932 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hattiesburg.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hattiesburg. Close and well known come first.
in town MuseumAfrican American Military History Museum
29 mi MuseumLauren Rogers Museum of Art
11 mi MuseumMississippi Armed Forces Museum50K visitors a year25 mi Zoo & aquariumCollins Zoo
in town GardenAll-American Rose GardenAfrican American Military History Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lauren Rogers Museum of Art: Michlaovic, Public domain · Mississippi Armed Forces Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · All-American Rose Garden: Dudemanfellabra, CC BY-SA 3.0
2 within 15 miles of the center of Hattiesburg
College town 19 of every 100 Hattiesburg residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
2 colleges in town.
18 places in Hattiesburg on the National Register of Historic Places.
75 notable people were born in Hattiesburg.
City in Mississippi, United States
Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and most populous city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 48,730 in 2020, making it the 5th most populous city in Mississippi. Hattiesburg is the principal city of the Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Covington, Forrest, Lamar, and Perry counties. The city is the anchor of the Pine Belt region. Founded in 1882 by civil engineer William H. Hardy, Hattiesburg was named in honor of Hardy's wife Hattie. The town was incorporated two years later with a population of 400. Development of the interior of Mississippi took pla…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hattiesburg.
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hattiesburg | #68 | D | C+ | D | B+ | C− |
| West Hattiesburg | #60 | C− | C | — | A− | D |
| Arnold Line | — | — | C+ | — | A− | C+ |
| Rawls Springs | — | — | B− | — | B+ | C+ |
| Petal | #6 | A− | B | A | A+ | C+ |
Arnold Line and Rawls Springs have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. West Hattiesburg, Arnold Line and Rawls Springs report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Hattiesburg with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hattiesburg grades D overall, better than 13% of U.S. towns and #68 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades C− for health, D for safety and B+ for schools. Jobs & income is its weak spot, with a D.
That is 3.6 years of the area's median household income ($60,285 across the Hattiesburg, MS metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
75 notable people were born here, including Fred Armisen and Barbara Ferrell.
