Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,435, settled in 1858.
Hazlehurst earns a D, 75th of 99 graded towns in Mississippi, mostly because of health and schools. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its public schools trail 87% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: homes are within reach, about $110K for a typical one, or 1.8 years of the Jackson metro’s $62K median household income. 33% of residents live below the poverty line in Hazlehurst, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Hazlehurst has 7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Illinois Central Railroad Passenger Depot and Tabernacle Methodist Church. Hazlehurst's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Hazlehurst beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 662 in 1870, a low of 463 in 1880, 3,619 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1963 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Hazlehurst is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hazlehurst, 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 Hazlehurst.
Hazlehurst trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, draws workers from Jackson and beyond and is healthier than towns with similar incomes.
2,496 jobs are based in Hazlehurst, 1.9 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 5 of Hazlehurst’s working residents works in town. Hazlehurst’s median household income is $44,000. Jobs based in Hazlehurst fell to 2,496 in 2023, 237 fewer than in 2013.
| Hazlehurst | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $44,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Hazlehurst City School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hazlehurst High School, with 385 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazlehurst ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 643 | D |
| Hazlehurst High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 385 | D |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 3,518 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hazlehurst’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is less healthy than 71% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
53% of Hazlehurst adults have high blood pressure. Hazlehurst beats the Mississippi average on 3 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 35% of Hazlehurst adults worry about having enough food.
| Hazlehurst | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 53% | 45% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 24% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 13% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 42% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Hazlehurst | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.2% | 13.6% |
| Fewer adults who have had cancer | 6.4% | 7.6% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 31.9% | 18.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Homes are within reach (about $110K for the typical one, A for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 32 miles. At 1.8 years of the Jackson metro’s $62K median household income, the typical home (about $110K) costs less against local pay than in 91% of Mississippi towns; that ratio is one input to its A for cost of living.
The median rent in Hazlehurst is $676 a month. The typical Hazlehurst home is worth about $110,000, up 0.6% in a year, 44% below the Mississippi typical home. 60% of households own their home in Hazlehurst.
| Hazlehurst | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $676 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 60% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Hazlehurst has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 37° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Mississippi average. Hazlehurst has lost 5.2% of its people since 2020, down to 3,435 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 26% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Hazlehurst | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Median age | 39.7 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
58% women, 42% men
About 71 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±7.1 points). Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women. Among residents 35 to 44, 71% are women (MS 52%).
| Hazlehurst | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 13.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.3% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.6% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 6% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.6% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.7% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 11.6% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.2% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.4% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.9% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 18% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 7.8% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,400, single groups can be off by several points
0.7 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lake Hazle Park, at 55 acres.
| Hazlehurst | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Lake Hazle Park | — | 55 |
| 2. Hazlehurst Youth Park | — | 4 |
| 3. Byron Hidalgo Downtown Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 1980, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hazlehurst.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Hazlehurst
About 2 of every 100 Hazlehurst residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
Where Hazlehurst’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
7 places in Hazlehurst on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Hazlehurst.
City in Mississippi, United States
Hazlehurst is a city in and the county seat of Copiah County, Mississippi, United States, located about 30 miles (48 km) south of the state capital Jackson along Interstate 55. As of the 2020 census, Hazlehurst had a population of 3,619. It is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its economy is based on agriculture, particularly tomatoes and cabbage.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Hazlehurst grades D overall, better than 9% of U.S. towns and #75 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and D for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades A.
17 notable people were born here, including Robert Johnson and Max Dale Cooper.
