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Hattiesburg, MississippiPhoto: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.0
Town Hall · Hattiesburg

Hattiesburg spent more per resident in 2022 than 94% of similar cities

Hattiesburg’s city government spent $75.4 million on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, about $1,557 per resident. Water and other utilities ($9.9 million) are counted separately.

Town website
Next public meeting

Planning Commission

1:00 pm · 220 W Front Street

All meetings →
Day-to-day spending, 2024
$75.4M
year to September 30, 2024
Per resident, 2024
$1,557
In 2022: $1,576, more than 94% of 18 similar cities
Long-term debt
$131.9M
end of FY2024, reported
City staff, 2025
607
full-time · 27 part-time · March payroll $2.6M · Census estimate
Typical tax bill
$1,486
0.90% of home value · MS 0.72%

What stands out about how Hattiesburg is run

Read from the city’s budget, meetings and official records.

Agendas posted online6 upcoming meetings posted, with agendas.Spends more than most similar citiesIn 2022: $1,576 per resident, more than 94% of 18 similar cities.Runs its own water & sewer24% of day-to-day spending goes to water, sewer and trash (2024).Split between districts6 State House districts cover Hattiesburg; your street decides yours.
★ What stands out · Meetings

6 upcoming meetings at town hall

From Hattiesburg’s own agenda portal, checked daily. Agendas can change up to the meeting, so check before you go.

Recent meetings

Go in person

Most meetings are open to the public, and many have a public comment period at the start.

Agenda portal ↗
Your share of the 2024 budget

About $1,557 per resident a year, or $4.27 a day

Day-to-day services only. The biggest line: police, at 17%.

Where the money comes from
From the state 31%Property taxes 19%Fees & charges 17%Sales taxes 15%Utility sales 10%From the federal government 5%Interest, fines & other 2%From other local governments 2%Other taxes & licenses <1%
Not in the receipt.Building projects $39.6 million; interest on debt $4.7 million; payments to other governments $3.2 million. With these and the enterprises, the whole budget was $133.7 million.
Compared with similar places

$1,576 per resident in 2022: more than 94% of them

Hattiesburg’s day-to-day spending in 2022 ($1,576 per resident, hospital and utilities left out) against 18 Mississippi cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools: the median was $1,041, and the middle half spent $969–$1,215. Hattiesburg spent more than 94% of them.

Middle half of the group, $969–$1,215Median $1,041Hattiesburg

Includes sewer and trash ($11.1 million), as the Census Bureau counts them. Later years come from a Census sample, so the comparison stays on 2022. How Town Hall compares budgets →

The group
18

Mississippi cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools, 2022 Census of Governments (every government counted that year; Hattiesburg itself left out).

Over the years

Day-to-day spending is up 4% since 2022

Day-to-day services, in dollars, in the years Hattiesburg reported to the Census Bureau. Prices rose too: about 4% a year in 2022–2024.

Day-to-day spending by fiscal year

2022$72.2 million
2023$71.9 million
2024$75.4 million

Per resident: 2022: $1,576 · 2023: $1,529 · 2024: $1,557. Per resident it went from $1,576 to $1,557 (down 1%), partly because the Census population behind it changed from 45,806 to 48,455.

City staff
607

full-time in March 2025, up from 594 in 2022. Both are Census estimates.

Building projects, interest and enterprises (hospital, utilities) are left out, so a big construction year doesn’t read as growth.

Property tax

The typical homeowner pays $1,486 a year

Every local property tax on the home: town, schools and county. About 0.90% of the home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi.

What homes cost →

Typical yearly bill next door and statewide

Petal$1,502
Hattiesburg$1,486
West Hattiesburg$1,268
Mississippi$1,215
Arnold Line$1,062
$1,486
typical bill a year
0.90%
effective rate
$165,900
typical home value (Census)
Your own bill

The Housing page’s calculator splits a monthly payment into loan, tax and insurance at Hattiesburg’s rate.

Can I afford it? →

The median bill homeowners report to the Census survey (bills of $10,000+ are reported as “$10,000+”). The effective rate is that bill ÷ the median home value: a rough guide, not the official tax rate.

Tax bills are one input to Hattiesburg’s Cost of living grade. Cost of living in Hattiesburg →

Who runs it

Who’s in charge in Hattiesburg

Names change after every election, so we link to the source that keeps them current.

See hattiesburgms.com for Hattiesburg’s current officialsWe name an official only when a public source lists a current term. None does for Hattiesburg yet.hattiesburgms.com ↗
Who works for Hattiesburg

One full-time city employee for every 80 residents

On the payroll in March 2025, from the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll (a Census estimate). Residents: the Census population in the 2024 finance file (48,455).

By department full-time, plus part-time, March 2025

Police157 + 18 pt
Fire133
Parks & libraries65 + 1 pt
Administration & buildings63 + 2 pt
Roads & transportation61 + 1 pt
Sewer & trash43
Health & welfare35
Water & other utilities35
Housing & development6 + 1 pt
Courts, inspections & corrections1
Other8 + 4 pt
607
full-time
27
part-time
$2.6M
payroll for March 2025
$30.8M
a year, estimated (March × 12)
$50,200
average full-time pay, before benefits (March × 12)
111
sworn police officers
130
full-time firefighters
Estimates.Hattiesburg didn’t report its staff figures; these are the Census Bureau’s estimates, so they aren’t compared with other towns.

The Census reports one month’s payroll (March); yearly figures are that month × 12, an estimate. Part-timers count half in the bar lengths.

The school district

Hattiesburg Public School District

Hattiesburg’s K–12 school district. It’s its own government, with a budget separate from the town’s.

Schools in Hattiesburg →
$14,267
per pupil · MS $12,392
3,746
students
None
long-term debt

Of the $14,267 per pupil, $7,911 goes to the classroom (teachers, aides, supplies); the rest to buses, buildings, counselors and administration. Building projects and debt payments aren’t in the per-pupil figure.

The district: schools, scores and graduation →

Where the district’s money comes from
Local 35%State 31%Federal 34%

Mississippi districts overall: 33% local, 45% state, 23% federal.

Also serving Hattiesburg

Forrest County Schools · $13,803 per pupil

Lamar County School District · $10,838 per pupil

School year 2023–24. Census Bureau school finance survey.

Elections · 2024 general election

Hattiesburg’s votes are counted by county

Mississippi reports official results by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hattiesburg alone, and we don’t estimate them. These are Forrest County’s results.

President · Forrest County’s results28,466 votes · results as certified
Donald J TrumpDonald J TrumpRepublican58.2%16,579 votes
Kamala D HarrisKamala D HarrisDemocrat40.3%11,475 votes

Others: 1.4% (412 votes).

Most votes in Forrest County: Donald J Trump

Mississippi: Trump 60.9%, Harris 38.0%

The county’s page

86% of Hattiesburg lies in Forrest County; the rest in Lamar County. Every 2024 race in Forrest County is on the county’s page.

Forrest County’s 2024 results →
DemocratRepublicanLibertarianIndependent / other

Official 2024 general election returns, as certified (MIT Election Data + Science Lab). Percentages are of votes for candidates; blank and spoiled ballots aren’t counted. Candidates are listed by votes, and party colors are neutral on purpose.

Portraits: Kamala D Harris: official vice-presidential portrait, Lawrence Jackson, The White House, 2021; Donald J Trump: official portrait, Shealah Craighead, The White House, 2017. All are U.S. government works in the public domain. A race shows photos only when every candidate has an official portrait; otherwise every candidate in it gets initials.

Who represents Hattiesburg

From town hall to Washington

Hattiesburg sends 6 representatives to the Mississippi House alone.

2024 results ↑
  1. 1
    Your cityMayor & council
    Officials: hattiesburgms.com ↗
  2. 2
    Mississippi HouseHattiesburg is split between 6 districts
    Percy WatsonMissy McGeeKent McCartyNoah SanfordLarry ByrdBubba Tubb
  3. 3
    Mississippi SenateState senator
    Johnny DuPreeChris Johnson
  4. 4
    GovernorStatewide
    Tate Reeves
  5. 5
    U.S. HouseYour representative in Congress
    Mike Ezell
  6. 6
    U.S. SenateBoth represent all of Mississippi
    Roger F. WickerCindy Hyde-Smith
Find your state legislators by address ↗

Democrat · Republican · other or independent. Tap a name for their official page.

Next door

How Hattiesburg compares with the towns next door

Hattiesburg spent $1,576 per resident in 2022. Towns that run more services spend more. Tap a town to see its page.

West Hattiesburg: unincorporated, no town budgetArnold Line: unincorporated, no town budgetRawls Springs: unincorporated, no town budgetPetal: no reported 2022 figuresWest HattiesburgArnold LineRawls SpringsPetalHattiesburg
Spends the leastSpends the mostEstimate or no figures
TownDay-to-day, per resident (2022)Tax bill
Petalestimate$1,502
Hattiesburg$1,576$1,486

Day-to-day spending in 2022, the last year every government was counted, for governments that reported it; hospital and utilities left out. Tax bill: the typical homeowner’s bill (Census ACS, 2020–24).

Reach Hattiesburg’s government

The official site has phone numbers, hours and forms. Neighbors add the rest to the Handbook.

The Handbook →
Official websitehattiesburgms.com ↗

Questions about Hattiesburg’s government

How much does Hattiesburg spend per resident?

About $1,557 per resident on day-to-day services in the year to September 30, 2024, as reported to the Census Bureau. In 2022, the last full count, its $1,576 was more than 94% of 18 Mississippi cities of 25,000–49,999 that don’t run their own schools.

What is the property tax rate in Hattiesburg?

Homeowners report a typical bill of $1,486 a year (Census ACS, 2020–24), about 0.90% of the typical home’s value, vs 0.72% across Mississippi. For the official rate per $1,000 of assessed value, see hattiesburgms.com.

Who runs Hattiesburg’s government?

See hattiesburgms.com for current officials. We name an official only when a public source lists a current term, and none does for Hattiesburg yet.

How did Hattiesburg vote in 2024?

Mississippi counts votes by county and precinct, not by city, so there are no official results for Hattiesburg alone. Forrest County, where 86% of Hattiesburg lies, voted Trump 58.2%, Harris 40.3% for president; its page has every race.

How many people work for Hattiesburg?

607 full-time and 27 part-time employees in March 2025, with a March payroll of $2.6M (about $30.8M a year if every month were the same); Census Bureau estimates.

Who represents Hattiesburg in the state legislature?

Hattiesburg is split among 6 State House districts and 3 State Senate districts, so your address decides. The Mississippi Legislature’s lookup finds yours. Listed by Open States; districts from the Census Bureau.

When is the next public meeting in Hattiesburg?

The next posted meeting is Planning Commission on Wednesday, November 4, at 1:00 pm in 220 W Front Street, from the city’s own agenda portal.

Ask neighbors about Hattiesburg’s government

Neighbors who’ve been to the meetings can help.

Town Square →
Ask neighbors

Budget and staff: U.S. Census Bureau, Census of Governments (2022, every government) and Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances (2023–24, a sample) and the Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll; day-to-day spending is current operations, with hospitals, utilities and airports apart. School district: Census school finance survey, 2023–24. Property tax: Census American Community Survey, 2020–24. Elections: official 2024 returns via the MIT Election Data + Science Lab; turnout uses Census citizen voting-age population (CVAP, 2020–24). Officials: Open States, names shown only with a current term (checked October 9, 2026). Districts: Census Bureau (119th Congress, 2024 state districts); legislators: Open States and congress-legislators. How Town Hall works →