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Rawls Springs Attendance Center
Mississippi›Forrest County

Rawls SpringsMS

A town of 1,499. Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.

1 bordering townMap →
Photo: Dofftoubab · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo of Rawls Springs

Rawls Springs, MS · Photo: Dofftoubab · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source ↗

Is Rawls Springs a good place to live?

The best of Rawls Springs’ subject grades is a B+ for schools; the weakest is a C− for walkability. Rawls Springs’ average trip to work is 34 minutes, above both Mississippi’s towns (23 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Rawls Springs. Rawls Springs has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.

What makes Rawls Springs stand out

Where Rawls Springs beats most towns.

Small town

1,499 people, and everyone knows the way

In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.

Nearby towns
HattiesburgHattiesburgRawls Springs

How Rawls Springs grades

Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Rawls Springs 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 →

Getting set up

Moving to Rawls Springs: who provides what

Rawls Springs is unincorporated, so Forrest County and regional agencies provide most services.

PowerMississippi Power15.7¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterRawls Springs Utility DistrictNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesForrest CountyForrest County provides services here
SchoolsForrest County SchoolsWhich 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 hereForrest County RegistrarForrest County; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Sep 2023
ZIP code3940239402 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 Rawls Springs.

Work & commuteJobs & income grade C+

More than half of Rawls Springs’ working residents commute to Hattiesburg

Most working residents leave Rawls Springs for work: only 0% work in town. 7.3% of Rawls Springs residents live below the poverty line, against 21% in Mississippi’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income in Rawls Springs is $47,000.

0%work in town
Rawls SpringsMississippi townsU.S. towns
Below the poverty line7.3%21%9.6%
Median household income$47,000$50,000$80,000

Where working residents work

In Rawls Springs0%
Hattiesburg53%
Laurel7%
Jackson3%
Petal2%
7 mi
median commute distance
55
jobs based in Rawls Springs
A commuter town
jobs vs. working residents
C−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 20% of U.S. towns

Census LEHD 2023 · ACS

SchoolsB+

Public schools in Rawls Springs beat 73% of Mississippi districts

Its public schools are run by the Forrest County School District. Its one school is below.

73%of MS districts it outscoresB+School Grade
SchoolLevelStudentsLetter
Rawls Springs Attendance CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6Grades PK–6214B

NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation

Natural hazardsHazard risk grade C

Inland flooding leads a high hazard risk in Rawls Springs

Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 68% of U.S. communities.

68risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
68High riskLowerHigher
Inland floodingTornadoesHurricanes

FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA

Climate

Rawls Springs has mild winters and hot summers

Rawls Springs has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. No town among the 102 in Mississippi we compare has a higher July high than Rawls Springs.

92°summer high

Typical low → high °F

Winter39–63°
Spring53–78°
Summer70–92°
Fall54–79°
Nov 23
typical first frost
Mar 7
typical last frost
+0.5°
vs. the 20th-century average
92°
typical summer high

NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020

HealthC+

Rawls Springs is less healthy than 64% of U.S. towns

Rawls Springs beats the Mississippi average on 5 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 43% of Rawls Springs adults sleep under 7 hours.

36%healthier than U.S. townsC+Health Grade
Rawls SpringsMississippi townsU.S. towns
Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES)43%39%36%
Depression (CDC PLACES)18%20%23%
Get no exercise (CDC PLACES)30%36%25%
High blood pressure (CDC PLACES)44%45%35%
31 measures vs. Mississippi
5 better26 too close to call0 worse
What stands outRawls SpringsMS
Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth11.3%18.5%
Fewer adults with COPD6.9%8.6%
Forrest General Hospital
3.4 mi away · emergency room
3 of 3
care shortages: primary care, dental, mental health

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

Nearby attractions

Hattiesburg Zoo and 5 more within 40 miles

Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Rawls Springs. Close and well known come first.

All 6 attractions →
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits

Lauren Rogers Museum of Art: Michlaovic, Public domain · African American Military History Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mississippi Armed Forces Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · All-American Rose Garden: Dudemanfellabra, CC BY-SA 3.0

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Rawls Springs

15pages on Rawls Springs
After high school

Colleges nearby

2 within 15 miles of the center of Rawls Springs

A commuter town

100% of working residents leave Rawls Springs for work

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

53% → Hattiesburg Hattiesburg 53% 7% → Laurel Laurel 7% 3% → Jackson Jackson 3% 2% → Petal Petal 2% 2% → Purvis Purvis 2% 2% → Gulfport Gulfport 2% Rawls Springs · 0% stay
55jobs based in Rawls Springs
0%of working residents work in town
7 mimedian commute distance

Census LEHD 2023

About Rawls Springs

Census-designated place in Mississippi, United States

Rawls Springs is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located in Forrest County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 1,202. Rawls Springs is approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) northwest of Hattiesburg near U.S. Route 49 and a part of the Hattiesburg, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. Rawls Springs is located on the former Illinois Central Gulf Railroad. A post office operated under the name Rawles Springs from 1905 to 1927.

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

Area
1.8 sq mi
Elevation
174 ft

Questions about Rawls Springs

Short answers, built from the data on this page.

Is Rawls Springs, MS a good place to live?

Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.

Is Rawls Springs, MS expensive?

Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.