Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pearlington’s best subject grade is an A for cost of living; its weakest is a D− for walkability. Pearlington’s average trip to work is 34 minutes, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 23 minutes and U.S. towns at 25 minutes. Only 2 of Mississippi’s 186 towns score lower on walkability. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. 47% of the land in Pearlington is conserved, where Mississippi’s towns sit at 2.8% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Pearlington has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Rocket Propulsion Test Complex and House at 5098 MS 604. Pearlington has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Pearlington beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1943 and 3 maps from 1956 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Pearlington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Pearlington is unincorporated, so Hancock County and regional agencies provide most services.
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 Pearlington.
1.7 miles of trail in 1 park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Pearl River State Wildlife Management Area | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Pearlington beats the Mississippi average on 0 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 46% of adults have high blood pressure in Pearlington.
| Pearlington | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 46% | 45% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 16% | 12% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Pearlington | MS |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Pearlington for work: only 1% work in town. 23% of Pearlington residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Bay St.
| Pearlington | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 1.4% | 19% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 23% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $45,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Pearlington has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Pearlington is 90°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Pearlington home is worth about $159,000, about the same as a year ago, 18% below the Mississippi typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Pearlington; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Pearlington residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
Coastal flooding makes up 13% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
CDP in Mississippi, United States
Pearlington is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hancock County, Mississippi, United States, on U.S. Route 90, along the Pearl River, at the Louisiana state line. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Pearlington had a population of 1,153. On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall just south of Pearlington.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
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.
2 notable people were born here, including Emma Sadler Moss and Ripley A. Arnold.