Petal
MSForrest County, Mississippi
Population 78K |Median income $49,340 |1 hospital
Population
77,917
Forrest County
Median Income
$49,340
-22% vs avg
Median Home Value
$144,000
-26% vs avg
Median Age
31.9
years
10-Year Trends 2013–2023
20132023
Population
78K+3%
Median Income
$52,821+44%
Median Home Value
$152,900+30%
Poverty Rate
21.5%-22%
Unemployment
6.2%-50%
Economics
Median Rent $911/mo
Poverty Rate
22.8% +58% vs avg
Unemployment 7.3%
Bachelor's Degree+ 28.7%
Work From Home 2.4%
Public Transit 0.5%
Demographics
White 58.1%
African American 36.1%
Hispanic or Latino 3.2%
Other / Multiethnic 1.7%
Asian 0.9%
Health Profile 15 measures
Health Indicators
High Blood Pressure
39.5%
Short Sleep Duration
38.4%
Obesity
35.8%
Physical Inactivity
29.8%
Frequent Mental Distress
18.4%
Current Smoking
15.2%
Binge Drinking
14.9%
Frequent Physical Distress
13.7%
Diabetes
13.1%
Lack of Health Insurance
10.8%
Preventive Care
Dental Visit 9.9%
Annual Checkup 80%
Other Measures
Current Asthma
10%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.2%
Stroke
3.8%
Public Safety 2022 data
Violent Crime Rate
212 per 100k
-40% vs avg Avg: 355
Property Crime Rate
1798 per 100k
-9% vs avg Avg: 1,985
Offenses by Type (per 100k residents)
Aggravated Assault
178.5
Homicide
7.9
Robbery
25.9
Burglary
337.2
Larceny-Theft
1282.1
Motor Vehicle Theft
178.4
Source: FBI Crime Data Explorer, UCR Summary (2022). State-level rates applied to county.
Hospitals 1 total
Rating Distribution
★★★★★ 0
★★★★ 0
★★★ 0
★★ 1
★ 0
Average Rating
2/5
Total Hospitals
1
With ER
1
FORREST GENERAL HOSPITAL
HATTIESBURG · Acute Care Hospitals · ER
★★☆☆☆
Alerts & News — Petal Area 1
Nearby Cities 8
Data Sources
All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Demographics and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-year estimates). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Data is county-level (Forrest County) as the smallest consistent geographic unit across all sources.