Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,232, settled in 1899. A regional job hub with 3,175 jobs.
Lucedale gives you more for your money than most places: a typical home costs about $216K, 3.6 years of the county’s $60K median household income. It grades C overall, 33rd of 99 graded towns in Mississippi. The low prices come with trade-offs. The median household income is $41K, and 40% of residents live below the poverty line, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 76% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. 40% of residents live below the poverty line in Lucedale, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 21% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 8 of Mississippi’s 187 towns score higher on the outdoors. Lucedale's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Lucedale beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Where Lucedale’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Lucedale is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 797 in 1910, 2,869 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 2006 and 2 maps from 1941 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lucedale, 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 Lucedale.
Lucedale pairs an A− for schools with modest home prices and trades lower home prices for longer drives to work, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
3,175 jobs are based in Lucedale, 3.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
About one in 3 of Lucedale’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Lucedale is 26 minutes. The top destinations are Pascagoula (9%), Hattiesburg (4%) and Jackson (3%).
| Lucedale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 29% | 19% | 8% |
| Median household income | $41,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its A− for schools comes with an A− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $216K.
Its public schools are run by the George County School District. One of its 3 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| George County Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 618 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Against the 2,565 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lucedale’s, it is healthier than 51%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income. Within Mississippi it is less healthy than 51% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures.
Lucedale beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 20% of Lucedale adults smoke cigarettes.
| Lucedale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Lucedale | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 10.4% | 8.6% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 97% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $1,024 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Among 101 Mississippi towns, just 3 have a higher FEMA risk score than Lucedale. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Lucedale since 1983.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.3 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Lucedale City Park, at 27 acres.
| Lucedale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conserved land | 6.2% | 2.8% | 4.3% |
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Depot Creek Greenway | 0.5 mi | 20 |
| 2. Lucedale City Park | 0.4 mi | 27 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lucedale has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Lucedale’s July high is 92°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lucedale's reported crime rate is well above Mississippi's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. 14 violent crimes were reported in 2024.
| Lucedale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 35.6 per 1,000 residents | 18.5 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 4.5 per 1,000 residents | 2.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
Homes are within reach (about $216K for the typical one, A− for cost of living), but half of working residents commute more than 37 miles.
Typical home values rose 4.8% in the year to September 2026. 58% of households own their home in Lucedale.
| Lucedale | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 58% | 62% | 73% |
| Median rent | $788 a month | $909 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Lucedale; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Lucedale residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
9 notable people were born in Lucedale.
City in Mississippi, United States
Lucedale () is a city in George County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, Lucedale had a population of 2,869. It is the county seat of George County.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Lucedale grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #33 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades D for health and A− for schools. Jobs & income 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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Ruthie Bolton and Janice Lawrence Braxton.