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Kiln, Mississippi Welcome Football Sign 01
Mississippi›Hancock County

KilnMS

A town of 2,016, settled in 1887.

Photo: Amin Eshaiker · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Kiln

Kiln, MS · Photo: Amin Eshaiker · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Kiln a good place to live?

The best of Kiln’s subject grades are a B+ for cost of living and schools; the weakest is a D− for walkability. Kiln’s median age is 56.1 years, above both Mississippi’s towns (37 years) and U.S. towns (40.5 years). On walkability, just 13 of Mississippi’s 186 towns do worse. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. Holly Bluff on-the-Jordan is on the National Register of Historic Places. Kiln has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Kiln stand out

Where Kiln beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.

A job hub

Every workday, about 2,463 people come to Kiln for work

Where Kiln’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.

13% → Gulfport Gulfport 13% 9% → Bay St. Louis Bay St. Louis 9% 5% → Picayune Picayune 5% 3% → Hattiesburg Hattiesburg 3% 3% → Biloxi Biloxi 3% 3% → Slidell Slidell 3% Kiln · 9% stay
2,545jobs based in Kiln
9%of working residents work in town
20 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

How Kiln grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Kiln is from typical.

How grading works

Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.

How TownRatings grades towns →

Jordan River Lumber Company Sawmill
Jordan River Lumber Company Sawmill, 1920
Kiln’s story

139 years in pictures

Census counts: 1,262 in 1990, 2,224 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1920 and 2 maps from 1959 on.

1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.

  • 1887Kiln is settled
Explore the history →
Getting set up

Moving to Kiln: who provides what

Kiln is unincorporated, so Hancock County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMississippi Power15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterKiln Utility and Fire District of HancocNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet5 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesHancock CountyHancock County provides services here
SchoolsHancock County School DistrictWhich school depends on your addressNCES
Register to voteIn personMississippi has no online registration; you can register in person until 30 days before Election Day or by mail (postmarked 30 days before).vote.gov
Who runs elections hereHancock County RegistrarHancock County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code3955639556 100%Census 2020

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 Kiln.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C

With 2.9 jobs for every working resident, Kiln draws in 2,463 commuters

Most working residents leave Kiln for work: only 9% work in town. Kiln’s average trip to work is 31 minutes, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Jobs based in Kiln grew to 2,545 in 2023, 1,576 more than in 2013.

9%work in town
KilnMississippi townsU.S. towns
Average trip to work31 minutes23 minutes25 minutes
Below the poverty line18%21%9.6%
Working residents who work in town9.5%19%8%

Where working residents work

In Kiln9%
Gulfport13%
Bay St. Louis9%
Picayune5%
Hattiesburg3%
20 mi
median commute distance
2,545
jobs based in Kiln
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
D−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 4% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

89risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
89Very high riskLowerHigher
HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes
8
federal disasters paid out here

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

HealthC−

On CDC estimates, Kiln is less healthy than 77% of U.S. towns

Kiln beats the Mississippi average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 32% of Kiln adults get no exercise outside work. Only 10 of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who feel lonely than Kiln.

23%healthier than U.S. townsC−Health Grade
KilnMississippi townsU.S. towns
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)32%36%25%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)42%45%35%
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)34%39%36%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)14%16%12%
31 measures vs. Mississippi
4 better26 too close to call1 worse
What stands outKilnMS
Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off7.4%11.2%
Fewer adults facing food insecurity15.6%22.4%
More adults who have had cancer8.8%7.6%
Ochsner Medical Center-Hancock
8.3 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA

Climate

In Kiln, expect mild winters and hot summers

Kiln has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Kiln’s July high is 90°F.

91°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter42–63°
Spring57–77°
Summer72–90°
Fall58–79°
Dec 3
typical first frost
Feb 21
typical last frost
+0.9°
vs. the 20th-century average
91°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HousingCost of living grade B+

Homes in Kiln are worth about $233K, by Zillow’s estimate

The typical Kiln home is worth about $233,000, up 4.5% in a year, 20% above the Mississippi typical home. 86% of households own their home in Kiln. Among 97 Mississippi towns, just 7 have a higher median rent than Kiln.

$233KZillow home value
KilnMississippi townsU.S. towns
Households that own their home86%62%73%
Median rent$1,403 a month$905 a month$1,185 a month

Typical home value

Kiln$233K
Mississippi$195K
+4.5%
value change, 1 year
2
homes sold in May

Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Kiln

17pages on Kiln
After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of Kiln; the nearest are

Famous people from Kiln

3 notable people were born in Kiln.

See all 3 →

About Kiln

CDP in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States

Kiln is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States. The town is located about 50 miles (80 km) northeast of New Orleans, Louisiana. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Kiln had a population of 2,224.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)

Area
13 sq mi
Elevation
23 ft
ZIP code
39556
Area code
228

Questions about Kiln

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Kiln, MS expensive?

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 B+.

What is Kiln, MS known for?

3 notable people were born here, including Leland Mitchell and Dick Arrington.