Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ocean Springs grades B+ overall, ranked 12th of 99 in Mississippi. Its public schools beat 97% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. Residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $273K for a typical one and 4.4 times the Gulfport metro’s $62K median household income. Its National Register listings include Saint John's Episcopal Church and Shearwater Historic District. On hazard risk, just 18 of Mississippi’s 187 towns do worse. 11% of the land in Ocean Springs is conserved, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 2.8% and U.S. towns at 4.3%.
Where Ocean Springs beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Saint John's Episcopal Church| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Magnolia Park Elementary | K–3 | 613 |
| Pecan Park Elementary | K–3 | 486 |
| Oak Park Elementary | PK–3 | 467 |
Its founding year, 1699, is the earliest of any Mississippi town we grade.
Census counts: 560 in 1870, 18,429 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1700 and 3 maps from 1954 on.
22 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Ocean Springs is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ocean Springs. Close and well known come first.
in town National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
11 mi MuseumJefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
5 mi MuseumOhr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art
14 mi MuseumOld Spanish Fort
18 mi Zoo & aquariumMississippi Aquarium
4 mi MuseumMaritime & Seafood Industry MuseumGulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Spanish Fort: Michelle Miller-Freeck/FEMA, Public domain · Mississippi Aquarium: Kaotate, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ocean Springs, 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 Ocean Springs.
Ocean Springs has schools in the top 5% of Mississippi and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
Its A− for the outdoors ranks #1 of 101 in Mississippi.
5.8 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. Gulf Islands National Seashore, at 372 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Ocean Springs’ trail network density stands at 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge | 2.6 mi | 146 |
| 2. Gulf Islands National Seashore | 2.2 mi | 372 |
| 3. Mississippi Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park | 0.3 mi | 13 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade ranks #3 of the 101 Mississippi towns we grade for schools.
The public schools here belong to the Ocean Springs School District. Three of its 9 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. 4 public schools serve Ocean Springs, with 2,850 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Springs Upper ElementaryLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 1,284 | A |
| Grace Baptist Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades PK–12 | Grades PK–12 | 57 | – |
| Ocean Springs Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 899 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 88% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $899 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on. 860 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 45 properties have flooded more than once.
Ocean Springs’ FEMA hazard score stands at 91 of 100, against 58 of 100 in Mississippi’s towns and 44 of 100 across U.S. towns. 860 flood insurance claims have been paid locally since 1978. FEMA puts 60% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to hurricanes, and 22% to inland flooding. Federal aid has come to Ocean Springs households in 7 declared disasters; the latest was in 2023.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The median property tax bill is $2,046, against $1,215 across Mississippi, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Among 96 Mississippi towns, just 9 have a higher midpoint rent than Ocean Springs. Zillow values the typical Ocean Springs home at about $273,000, about the same as a year ago, 40% above the Mississippi typical home. A home in Ocean Springs typically sold within 53 days of listing.
| Ocean Springs | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,358 a month | $900 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 62% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its widest gap with Mississippi is food insecurity: 9.5% of its 14,423 adults worry about having enough food, against 22.4% statewide. Its A− for health tops all 5 graded neighbors; Gulf Park Estates (B) comes closest.
Only 5 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Ocean Springs. Ocean Springs: 16% of adults say their health is fair or poor.
| Ocean Springs | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 18% | 17% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 27% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 24% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ocean Springs | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.5% | 22.4% |
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 4.8% | 11.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 7.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
January nights average 42.5°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 89.2°.
For Ocean Springs, the January low is 43°F. Only 3 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a lower typical July afternoon high than Ocean Springs. Snow almost never falls.
| Ocean Springs | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 36°F | 22°F |
| July high | 89°F | 91°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The share of residents in Ocean Springs who live below the poverty line: 5.5%. Roughly one working resident in four has a job in Ocean Springs itself. Employers in Ocean Springs added 939 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 8,877. The typical journey to work locally is 26 minutes.
| Ocean Springs | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 5.5% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 19% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 22 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Ocean Springs's reported crime rate is close to Mississippi's. The violent crime rate for Ocean Springs comes to 1 per 1,000 residents.
| Ocean Springs | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 2.5 | 1.9 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2022) | 22.7 per 1,000 residents | 22.7 | 14.1 |
FBI crime data, 2022 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Ocean Springs; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Ocean Springs residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
10.9% of the town is conserved land, across 20 parks and preserves.
22 places in Ocean Springs on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Ocean Springs.
City in the United States
Ocean Springs is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) east of Biloxi and west of Gautier. It is part of the Pascagoula metropolitan area. The population was 18,429 at the 2020 U.S. Census, down from 18,434 in 2010. The town has a reputation as an arts community and is a popular tourist destination. The town was voted as a top 10 Happiest Seaside Town by Coastal Living in 2015 and was also voted as a top 10 Best Coastal Small Town by USA Today in 2022. Its historic and secluded down town area, with streets lined by live oak trees, is home to several art galleries, shops, restaurants, and bars. Ocean Springs was the home town of the late Walter …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Ocean Springs.
Gautier next door grades lower for schools (B+ to Ocean Springs’s A+) and higher for cost of living (B− to C−).
| Town | MS rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Springs | #12 | B+ | C− | — | A+ | A− |
| Gulf Hills | #29 | C+ | C+ | — | A | B |
| Gulf Park Estates | #9 | B+ | C+ | — | A+ | B |
| Biloxi | #52 | C− | C | D | A− | C+ |
| Gautier | #66 | D | B− | C | B+ | C− |
| St. Martin | #34 | C | C+ | — | A | C+ |
Ocean Springs, Gulf Hills, Gulf Park Estates and St. Martin report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Ocean Springs with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ocean Springs grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #12 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades A− for health and A+ for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Jai Johanny Johanson and Garrett Crochet.
