Photo: Roastedbeanz1 · CC BY 4.0Fewer people are out of work in Waveland (3.4%) than in 63% of U.S. towns
Waveland grades B− for jobs and income and C for walkability. The average commute takes 33 minutes each way, where Mississippi has 26 and the U.S. 26. Household incomes here are lower than in 60% of U.S. towns.
Census ACS 2020–24, Census LEHD 2024, EPA Smart Location Database. How the two grades are made
Waveland at work: what stands out
Waveland workers spend longer getting to work
The average trip takes 33 minutes each way, against 26 across Mississippi. Over a year that’s about 253 hours of commuting, 54 more than the state’s typical worker. Time on the road ↓
Stores, warehouses and trucking
42% of the jobs in Waveland are in trade, transport and utilities, against 21% of the jobs its residents hold. The jobs ↓
Written from the Census figures on this page. Commute flows, distances and jobs are Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs only (the self-employed aren’t counted); commute time and working from home are from the Census American Community Survey.
The four measures behind Waveland’s grade
On income, poverty, unemployment and job access, Waveland is better than 48% of U.S. towns, #24 of 99 in Mississippi. Unemployment holds Waveland’s grade up; household income pulls it down ($68,693, U.S. $80,734).
A rough placement. Within the Census margins of error for income, poverty and unemployment, Waveland could be anywhere from C− to A−.
The daily trip from Waveland: about 33 minutes
Round trip, about 230 workdays a year: roughly 10.5 full days in the car, bus or train.
Average commute minutes, one way
of Waveland workers work from home, vs 6% across Mississippi. Their commute is the hallway.
Share of the 3,186 commuters (the 7% who work from home are left out). Across Mississippi: 87% drive alone, <1% take transit; U.S.: 81% and 4%. Census ACS 2020–24.
From the Census survey of workers who don’t work from home.
What the 2,035 jobs in Waveland are
What kind of work
What it pays
Who does it
Jobs based in Waveland, 2014 → 2024: 1,819 → 2,035. Big swings can come from how a large employer reports its locations, not only from real openings or closings.
Primary jobs covered by unemployment insurance (not the self-employed). Pay is monthly earnings. LEHD 2024.
Here is what they are, next to the jobs Waveland’s own residents hold wherever they work.
How a workday changes Waveland
On a workday 2,557 residents head out to work, 247 work right here, and 1,788 people come in from elsewhere.
About 6,300 people are in Waveland on a workday afternoon, 11% fewer than live here.
0.73 jobs for every working resident, so most people commute out.
Workday population = residents − those who work elsewhere + those who come in (the Census “commuter-adjusted” method). Residents: Census survey; commuters: LEHD 2024, primary jobs.
16% of working residents work in Bay St. Louis
Where Waveland clocks in
16% of workers
10% of workers
5% of workersLines run between town centers. The top 10 towns each way; “Everywhere else” is the rest, including other states.
A thicker line means more commuters. Switch between where residents work and where the people who work here live.
Near or far: the trip to work from Waveland
About 26% show a job over 50 miles away. Some of that is real, and some is employers that report every worker at a head office, so a few long commutes are on paper only.
Straight-line distance from each worker’s home block to their main job’s block. LEHD 2024.
Every working resident’s trip, home to work, as the crow flies. Roads add to it, so real drives run longer.
Most trips from Waveland start in a car
On EPA’s walkability index and the share of commuters who walk, bike or take transit, Waveland is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns, #68 of 101 in Mississippi. The street layout scores higher than the way people actually get to work: 0.5% of commuters walk, bike or take transit, below the 1.8% across Mississippi.
A firm grade. EPA’s index has no published margin of error; the commuting share comes from a Census survey of 3,435 workers.
How TownRatings grades walkability →
Transit service: no data. EPA’s transit file has no stops for most of this county (its agencies had not published schedules in the format EPA used in 2020). That is missing data, not a finding that there is no bus or train.
Households without a car (shown, not graded). 7.2% of Waveland households have no vehicle (Mississippi 6.3%, U.S. 8.4%). 0% of Waveland’s commuters take a bus or train.
Among U.S. towns of 4,900 to 9,500, Waveland ranks 1,909th of 3,227 on jobs and income
| # | Town | People | Household income | Poverty | Unemployment | Work in town | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Huntington Woods MI | 6,274 | $190K | 2.2% | 0.9% | 2% | A+ |
| 2 | Glendale MO | 6,060 | $171K | 2.0% | 0.3% | 2% | A+ |
| 3 | Des Peres MO | 9,102 | $224K | 2.0% | 0.5% | 5% | A+ |
| … | |||||||
| 981 | Gulf Park Estates MS | 6,264 | $66K | 5.0% | 1.0% | 1% | A− |
| … | |||||||
| 989 | Saltillo MS | 5,060 | $81K | 6.8% | 1.3% | 3% | B+ |
| … | |||||||
| 1,472 | Diamondhead MS | 9,441 | $87K | 7.0% | 4.2% | 8% | B |
| … | |||||||
| 1,907 | South Haven IN | 7,241 | $76K | 12.7% | 5.5% | 2% | B− |
| 1,908 | Porter IN | 5,167 | $75K | 10.5% | 6.5% | 8% | B− |
| 1,909 | Waveland MS | 7,042 | $69K | 10.8% | 3.4% | 9% | B− |
| 1,910 | Breitung Township MI | 5,857 | $72K | 8.7% | 3.0% | 9% | B− |
| 1,911 | Peach Bottom Township PA | 5,108 | $85K | 2.9% | 7.8% | 6% | B− |
| … | |||||||
| 3,227 | Shiprock NM | 7,610 | $36K | 34.6% | 14.9% | 6% | D− |
Census ACS 2020–24 (income, poverty, unemployment), Census LEHD (work in town), TownRatings Jobs & income grades. Each town links to its Work & commute page.
Ranked on the Jobs & income grade: the towns either side of Waveland, the top three, the last and three more from Mississippi.
16% of Waveland works in a bordering town
Jobs & commute next door
| Town | Waveland workers there | Jobs & income | Walkability | Commute | Household income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waveland | – | B− | C | 33 min | $68,693 |
| Bay St. Louis | 16% | C− | B | 27 min | $67,442 |
Same-state neighbors only. Commute: average minutes each way, Census ACS 2020–24.
The biggest share goes to Bay St. Louis. Darker towns draw more of Waveland’s workers. Tap a town to see its commute.
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Two sources, two years. Trips, distances and jobs based here: Census LEHD 2024, primary jobs, where the employer reports them. Income, poverty, unemployment, commute time and how people travel: Census ACS 2020–24 averages.
- Straight lines, older transit. Miles are as the crow flies. EPA’s walkability and transit files use 2017–20 inputs.
Jobs and commuting in Waveland: questions
What is the median household income in Waveland?
$68,693 (±$13,022) (Census ACS 2020–24), against $56,447 across Mississippi and $80,734 nationally.
What is the poverty rate in Waveland?
10.8%, against 18.9% across Mississippi and 12.5% nationally (Census ACS 2020–24).
How long is the commute from Waveland?
33 minutes each way on average, against 26 across Mississippi and 26 nationally. 7% of workers work from home.
Where do people who live in Waveland work?
9% work in town. The top destinations elsewhere are Bay St. Louis (16%, 3 mi), Gulfport (10%, 21 mi), Biloxi (5%, 29 mi) (Census LEHD 2024).
Is Waveland walkable?
Waveland is more walkable than 31% of U.S. towns (Walkability C): an EPA walkability index of 7.0 out of 20, and 1% of commuters walk, bike or take transit.
Can you get around Waveland without a car?
0% of commuters take transit and 7% of households have no car. EPA has no transit data for this county.
Commuter talk
Getting to work from Waveland, from the people who make the trip.
More of Waveland
Flows, distances and jobs: U.S. Census Bureau, LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics (LODES 8), 2024, primary jobs. Commute time, working from home and working out of state: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Distances are straight lines between home and work; real drives run longer. Walkability index, job access and transit service: U.S. EPA Smart Location Database. The two grades are our own summaries of these figures, not official ratings.