Expected losses in McLain break down as 43% from hurricanes and 36% from inland flooding. The natural-hazard score from FEMA for McLain comes to 89 of 100, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 58 of 100 and U.S. towns at 44 of 100. The national flood insurance program has paid 28 claims locally since 1980.

89risk score of 100

FEMA risk score

HurricanesInland floodingTornadoes

paid flood claims since 1980

federal disasters paid out here

Full pageMcLain’s hazards pageOpen the page

What it facesVery high risk Flood claims28 paid flood claims · Since 1980 Past disasters5 federal disasters · Paid out in McLain Get ready0.3 events a year, on average · Ready for hurricanes

FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Work & commute

Compared with most of Mississippi and the rest of the country, the average trip to work in McLain is longer

Half of commuters travel less than 32 miles. The typical household income for McLain comes to $29,000. On top of that, nearly a tenth of McLain residents live below the poverty line, below both Mississippi’s towns (21%) and U.S. towns (9.6%). Employers in McLain shed 28 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 2.

0%work in town

	McLain	Mississippi towns	U.S. towns
Average trip to work	36 minutes	23 minutes	25 minutes
Median household income	$29,000	$50,000	$80,000
Below the poverty line	8.4%	21%	9.6%

Where working residents work

In McLain0%

Leakesville26%

Hattiesburg14%

Jackson9%

Waynesboro3%

32 mi

median commute distance

jobs based in McLain

A commuter town

jobs vs. working residents

Full pageMcLain’s work & commute pageOpen the page

The jobs here2 jobs based here · A commuter town Where people work0% work in McLain Commute times36 minutes · The average commute How far they goHalf commute less than 32 miles

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

Housing

Homes in McLain are worth about $140K, by Zillow’s estimate

61% of households are owner-occupiers in McLain. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 11%. Its rent at the middle of the market comes in at $777 a month.

$140KZillow home value

	McLain	Mississippi towns	U.S. towns
Median rent	$777 a month	$905 a month	$1,185 a month
Households that own their home	61%	62%	73%

Typical home value

McLain$140K

Mississippi$195K

+11.1%

value change, 1 year

Full pageMcLain’s housing & cost-of-living pageOpen the page

Prices over the yearsUp 11.1% in a year Years of income to buyA typical home costs 4.8 years of income Rents$777 a month · Median rent

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

Climate

Expect mild winters and hot summers in McLain

No town among the 102 in Mississippi we compare has a higher typical July afternoon high than McLain. July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 38° and snow is almost unheard of.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter40–63°

Spring53–79°

Summer70–92°

Fall54–80°

Nov 12

typical first frost

Mar 18

typical last frost

+0.6°

vs. the 20th-century average

92°

typical summer high

Full pageMcLain’s climate pageOpen the page

A year of weatherJuly highs 92°, January lows 38°Rain & snow63″ of rain a year · Snow is almost unheard of Heating & coolingBoth heating and cooling Then and now+0.6° vs. the 20th century · Warmer than the 20th-century average

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

Health

How healthy McLain is

McLain tracks Mississippi closely on all 31 CDC measures. In McLain, 46% of adults have high blood pressure. Two figures for adults locally: 16% have diabetes, 43% have obesity.

	McLain	Mississippi towns	U.S. towns
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)	46%	45%	35%
Diabetes (CDC PLACES)	16%	16%	12%
Obesity (CDC PLACES)	43%	42%	35%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)	34%	36%	25%

31 measures vs. Mississippi

0 better31 too close to call0 worse

Greene County Hospital

15.9 mi away · emergency room

3 of 3

care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

Full pageMcLain’s health reportOpen the page

Everyday habitsFewer adults sleeping under 7 hours Hospitals & doctors nearby15.9 miles to an ER · Greene County Hospital How adults are doingMore adults in frequent physical distress Every CDC estimateBetter than MS on 0 of 31

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

Outdoors

Open space protected for good: 0.2% of McLain

Among 88 Mississippi towns, just 8 have a lower share of conserved land than McLain. 1.5 miles of trail. Also worth knowing: in McLain, the concentration of trails is 0.4 miles per square mile.

0.2%conserved

	McLain	Mississippi towns	U.S. towns
Conserved land	0.2%	2.8%	4.3%
Miles of trail per square mile	0.4 miles per square mile	0.2	0.4

0.2%

conserved · 4 of 2,206 acres

1.5 mi

of trails · 0.4 per sq mi

Full pageMcLain’s outdoors pageOpen the page

Trail map1.5 miles of trail, mapped Pick a walkPick a walk Conserved land0.2% conserved · 4 acres protected Questions“Where can I hike in McLain?”

Keep exploring

Everything we know about McLain

18pages on McLain

The big questions

Schools1 school HealthBetter than MS on 0 of 31 CDC measures Cost of living$140K typical home · up 11.1% in a year Work & commute$29K median household income · 2 jobs here Natural hazardsFEMA risk higher than 89% of U.S. communities · hurricanes

Out and about

Outdoors2 mi of trails · 0% conserved land PlacesAttractions24 nearby · Mississippi Armed Forces Museum 23 mi LibraryMclain Public Library Colleges

The story

HistorySettled 1902 Town Hall & politicsOne full-time town employee per 158 residents Climate92° summer highs · 1″ of snow

Day to day

NewsWeatherHandbookZIP code 39456 Town SquareNeighbors

After high school

Colleges nearby

None within 15 miles of McLain; the nearest are

Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Perkinston28.9 mi$4,250 in-state tuition University of Southern MississippiUniversity or college · Public · Hattiesburg34 mi$9,998 in-state tuition

About 3 of every 100 McLain residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.

Prices by family income, graduation and earnings →

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave McLain for work

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

2jobs based in McLain

0%of working residents work in town

32 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About McLain

Town in Mississippi, United States

McLain is a town in Greene County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, McLain had a population of 313.

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

Area: 3.5 sq mi
Elevation: 72 ft
ZIP code: 39456
Area code: 601

Questions about McLain

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is McLain, MS a good place to live?

McLain has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.

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Is McLain a good place to live?

315 people, and everyone knows the way

124 years in pictures

Moving to McLain: who provides what

The data

The schools McLain’s kids attend

Top of a very high hazard risk in McLain: hurricanes