VancleaveMS
A town of 5,078, settled in 1870. Public schools that outperform most of Mississippi.
Is Vancleave a good place to live?
Vancleave gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $284K for a typical one, or 4.5 years of the Gulfport metro’s $62K median household income. It grades B overall, ranked 15th of 99 in Mississippi. The low prices come with trade-offs. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 85% of Mississippi towns on state tests and graduation. Vancleave’s average trip to work is 33 minutes, above both Mississippi’s towns (22 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 98% of U.S. towns. The biggest park or preserve is Ward Bayou Wildlife Management Area, at 2,307 acres.
What makes Vancleave stand out
Where Vancleave beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Vancleave Lower Elementary | PK–3 | 686 |
| Vancleave Upper Elementary | 4–5 | 333 |
| Vancleave Middle School | 6–8 | 562 |
How Vancleave grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Mississippi), ordered by how far Vancleave is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Moving to Vancleave: who provides what
Vancleave is unincorporated, so Jackson 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.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Vancleave.
Vancleave pairs an A for schools with modest home prices and trades workers with Pascagoula and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Mississippi (mostly hurricanes).
Very high risk in Vancleave, with hurricanes at the top
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 94% of Mississippi towns, with expected losses of about $532 per resident a year; that rating is what its D− for hazard risk is built on.
Only 6 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Vancleave. Since 2005, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Vancleave.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Vancleave earns an A for schools
Its A for schools comes with a B for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $284K.
Its public schools are run by the Jackson County School District. Three of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Vancleave High School, with 737 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vancleave Lower ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 686 | – |
| Vancleave High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 737 | A− |
| Vancleave Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 562 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MS on state tests and graduation
Compared with most of Mississippi and the rest of the country, more of Vancleave’s households own their home
96% of Vancleave households own their home. The typical Vancleave home is worth about $284,000, up 3.4% in a year, 46% above the Mississippi typical home.
Typical home value
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Mild winters and hot summers in Vancleave
Vancleave has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Vancleave’s July high is 91°F.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Vancleave has set aside 14.3% of its land for conservation
0.0 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ward Bayou Wildlife Management Area | — | 2,307 |
| 2. Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge | — | 576 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
About one in ten working residents works right in Vancleave
Vancleave has about as many jobs (1,988) as working residents, but only 225 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 33.3 minutes, against 25.6 across Mississippi.
Most working residents leave Vancleave for work: only 10% work in town. 6.2% of residents live below the poverty line in Vancleave. Jobs based in Vancleave grew to 1,988 in 2023, 426 more than in 2013.
| Vancleave | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 6.2% | 21% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 10% | 20% | 8% |
| Median household income | $70,000 | $50,000 | $80,000 |
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
More middle-aged adults than Mississippi overall
Adults 35 to 64 are 42% of residents (37% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (22% statewide). The median age in Vancleave is 43.6 years. 29% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Vancleave | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43.6 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 23% | 24% | 22% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| Vancleave | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 12.3% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.2% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.9% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.1% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.9% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 9.7% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 28.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 25.9% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.1% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 6.2% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Vancleave is healthier than 57% of U.S. towns
Within Mississippi it is healthier than 79% of the 101 graded towns: much of Mississippi scores lower on these measures. Its widest gap with Mississippi is utility shut-off threats: 5.8% of its 4,286 adults were threatened with a utility shut-off, against 11.2% statewide.
Vancleave beats the Mississippi average on 14 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 2. Only 4 of the 101 Mississippi towns we compare have a higher share of adults who binge drink than Vancleave.
| Vancleave | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 24% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 27% | 19% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 13% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 36% | 25% |
| What stands out | Vancleave | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing a utility shut-off | 5.8% | 11.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 11.7% | 22.4% |
| More binge drinkers | 17% | 13.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Gulf Islands National Seashore and 14 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Vancleave. Close and well known come first.
11 mi National SeashoreGulf Islands National Seashore7.6M visitors a year
21 mi MuseumJefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum
13 mi MuseumOld Spanish Fort
39 mi Stadium & arenaMobile Civic Center
16 mi MuseumOhr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art
33 mi GardenBellingrath Gardens and HomePhoto credits
Gulf Islands National Seashore: National Park Service, Public domain · Jefferson Davis Presidential Library and Museum: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Spanish Fort: Michelle Miller-Freeck/FEMA, Public domain · Mobile Civic Center: Infrogmation of New Orleans, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Ohr-O'Keefe Museum Of Art: Woodlot, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bellingrath Gardens and Home: Altairisfar, Public domain
Everything we know about Vancleave
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Vancleave; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Vancleave residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Mississippi.
About Vancleave
Census-designated place in Mississippi
Vancleave is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Pascagoula Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2020 census, Vancleave had a population of 5,592.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 44 sq mi
- Elevation
- 30 ft
- ZIP code
- 39565
- Area code
- 228
Vancleave’s neighbors
One town shares a border with Vancleave.
Vancleave reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Vancleave with a neighbor →
Questions about Vancleave
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Vancleave, MS a good place to live?
By most measures, yes. Vancleave grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #15 of 99 in Mississippi. It grades B for health and A for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D−.
Is Vancleave, 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.