West Hattiesburg, MS

Census Place

2024 Population

6,715

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

28.8

4.64% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

38.5%

3.62% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$39,366

2.87% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$213,700

Population & Diversity

West Hattiesburg, MS is home to a population of 6.72k people, from which 91.2% are citizens.

As of 2024, 9.14% of West Hattiesburg, MS residents were born outside of the country (614 people).

In 2024, there were 2.41 times more Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) residents (3.82k people) in West Hattiesburg, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 1.59k White (Non-Hispanic) and 777 Other (Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

91.2%

2024 Citizenship

89.9%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 91.2% of West Hattiesburg, MS residents were US citizens, which is lower than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in West Hattiesburg, MS was 89.9%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in West Hattiesburg, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in West Hattiesburg, MS

Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
3.82k ± 919
White (Non-Hispanic)
1.59k ± 391
Other (Hispanic)
777 ± 405

14.3%

Hispanic Population

963 people

14.3% of the people in West Hattiesburg, MS are hispanic (963 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in West Hattiesburg, MS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the Place level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
15,967 ± 3,094 people
Honduras
6,221 ± 1,934 people
Guatemala
4,623 ± 1,668 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 15,967 Mississippi residents, followed by Honduras with 6,221 and Guatemala with 4,623.

Foreign-Born Population

9.14%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

614 people

10.1%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

660 people

As of 2024, 9.14% of West Hattiesburg, MS residents (614 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in West Hattiesburg, MS was 10.1%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in West Hattiesburg, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
73 ± 68
Gulf War (2001-)
38 ± 65
Gulf War (1990s)
21 ± 24

West Hattiesburg, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.92 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in West Hattiesburg, MS.

Economy

The economy of West Hattiesburg, MS employs 2.73k people. In 2024, the largest industries in West Hattiesburg, MS were Accommodation & Food Services (649 people), Educational Services (360 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (305 people), and the highest paying industries were Transportation & Warehousing ($56,071), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,071), and Other Services Except Public Administration ($55,833).

Employment

Occupations

2.73k

2024 Value

± 540

2.79%

1 Year growth

± 26.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Hattiesburg, MS grew at a rate of 2.79%, from 2.66k employees to 2.73k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in West Hattiesburg, MS, are Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance Occupations (370 people), Food Preparation & Serving Related Occupations (277 people), and Management Occupations (274 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of West Hattiesburg, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Mississippi (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

2.73k

2024 Value

± 540

2.79%

1 Year growth

± 26.9%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in West Hattiesburg, MS grew at a rate of 2.79%, from 2.66k employees to 2.73k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in West Hattiesburg, MS, are Accommodation & Food Services (649 people), Educational Services (360 people), and Health Care & Social Assistance (305 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of West Hattiesburg, MS, though some of these residents may live in West Hattiesburg, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$27,416

Median earning men ± $24,637

$29,656

Median earning women ± $4,053

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Other Services Except Public Administration ($56,479), Manufacturing ($52,898), and Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($41,250).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($45,757), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($33,253), and Retail Trade ($16,111).

Housing & Living

The median property value in West Hattiesburg, MS was $213,700 in 2024, which is 0.642 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $209,100 to $213,700, a 2.2% increase. The homeownership rate in West Hattiesburg, MS is 42.3%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in West Hattiesburg, MS have an average commute time of 23.5 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in West Hattiesburg, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$213,700

Median Property Value 2024

±$12,607

$971

Median Property Taxes

±$235

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In West Hattiesburg, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in West Hattiesburg, MS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

42.3%

Homeownership

2024

70.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 42.3% of the housing units in West Hattiesburg, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 35%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in West Hattiesburg, MS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$39,366

Median Household Income

± $13,012

2.3k

Number of Households

± 517

In 2024, the median household income of the 2.3k households in West Hattiesburg, MS grew to $39,366 from the previous year's value of $38,269.

The following chart displays the households in West Hattiesburg, MS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the $10k - $15k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for West Hattiesburg, MS is from Mississippi.

0.447

2024 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2024, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.74% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Mississippi in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Mississippi across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (76.7%)
Carpooled (11.1%)
Worked At Home (7.28%)

In 2024, 76.7% of workers in West Hattiesburg, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (11.1%) and those who worked at home (7.28%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.5 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in West Hattiesburg, MS have a shorter commute time (23.5 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 5.72% of the workforce in West Hattiesburg, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in West Hattiesburg, MS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in West Hattiesburg, MS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in West Hattiesburg, MS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

38.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in West Hattiesburg, MS (2.56k out of 6.66k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females < 5 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in West Hattiesburg, MS is Black, followed by Hispanic and Other.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798, followed by New York (5,087).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

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