City safety & data profile

PetalMS

Petal, MS is a 11K-resident city in Forrest County with a median household income of $74,750.

Forrest County, Mississippi. Federal health, economic, and safety indicators for Petal, drawn from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey, CDC PLACES, and CMS Hospital Compare. Petal has a population larger than 4% of the 4,640 U.S. cities Areazine tracks, and a median home value of $174,900.

Data updated 2026-07-20

11K
Population
Top 96%
By size
$74,750
Median income
$174,900
Median home
11.1%
Poverty rate

The read on Petal

Petal posts a median household income higher than 43% of U.S. cities Areazine tracks.

Top 57%
by median income, US cities

Where Petal income ranks nationally

Median household income vs. every place Areazine profiles (place-level ACS)

$74,750 Bottom 43% higher than 43% of 3,889 places Areazine profiles

$0–$20,000: 0 places Areazine profiles (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 71 places Areazine profiles (2%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 788 places Areazine profiles (20%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 1,055 places Areazine profiles (27%). This entry sits in this band. $80,000–$100,000: 768 places Areazine profiles (20%). Above this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 515 places Areazine profiles (13%). Above this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 308 places Areazine profiles (8%). Above this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 171 places Areazine profiles (4%). Above this entry. $160,000–$180,000: 92 places Areazine profiles (2%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 47 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. $220,000–$240,000: 18 places Areazine profiles (0%). Above this entry. $240,000–$260,000: 28 places Areazine profiles (1%). Above this entry. MS $0 $260,000 every profiled place, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more places Areazine profiles. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (place-level) · 2024 ACS 5-year

The quick read

Reading Petal, MS beyond the headline numbers

Petal sits inside Forrest County, Mississippi, at roughly 31.35°N, -89.26°W. Population 10,701, $74,750 median household income. Median home value $174,900, median rent $1,047. Poverty rate 11.1%, read against that income figure since two cities on the same median can differ underneath it.

CDC PLACES: Petal's highest-prevalence health measure is high blood pressure at 39.4%, then short sleep duration at 37%.

Sources: U.S. Census ACS, CDC PLACES, CMS Hospital Compare, plus live alerts for Petal from FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC. Comparison bars benchmark each metric against the national reference.

Population
10,701
Petal
Median Income
$74,750
+10% vs avg
Median Home Value
$174,900
-23% vs avg
Median Age
37
years

10-Year Trends 2013–2024

County-level trend (Forrest County) - Petal's own historical series isn't separately published by the Census Bureau, so these year-over-year figures track the surrounding county, not the city alone.

20132024
Population
78K+3%
Median Income
$53,640+46%
Median Home Value
$168,000+43%
Poverty Rate
21%-24%
Unemployment
6.6%-47%

Economics

Economics indicators for Petal, MS
IndicatorValue
Median Rent
$1,047/mo
Poverty Rate
11.1% -22% vs avg
Unemployment 3.6%
Bachelor's Degree+ 27.8%
Work From Home 5%
Public Transit 0%

Population

White 74.5%
African American 16.1%
Asian 1.7%
Two or More Ethnicities 2.2%

Health Profile 15 measures

Health Indicators

High Blood Pressure
39.4%
Short Sleep Duration
37%
Obesity
34.4%
Physical Inactivity
29.2%
Frequent Mental Distress
17.6%
Current Smoking
16.2%
Binge Drinking
15.7%
Frequent Physical Distress
14.4%
Diabetes
12.6%
Lack of Health Insurance
11.1%

Preventive Care

Dental Visit 10.4%
Annual Checkup 79.4%

Other Measures

Current Asthma
9.7%
Coronary Heart Disease
6.7%
Stroke
3.8%

Frequently Asked Questions 5

What is the population of Petal, MS? ▼
Petal, MS has a population of 10,701 people, located in Forrest County, Mississippi.
What is the median household income in Petal? ▼
The median household income in Petal, MS is $74,750 per year, per the U.S. Census ACS. The poverty rate is 11.1%.
What is the median home value in Petal? ▼
The median home value in Petal, MS is $174,900. Median rent is $1,047/month.
What are the top health concerns in Petal? ▼
The top health indicators in Petal include High Blood Pressure (39.4%), Short Sleep Duration (37%), Obesity (34.4%). Data from CDC PLACES.
What is the median age in Petal? ▼
The median age in Petal, MS is 37 years. 27.8% of residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Safety Context

Petal, MS is located in Forrest County, Mississippi. With a population of 11K and a $74,750 median household income, the community faces health challenges including high blood pressure and short sleep duration. Safety alerts for the Petal area are monitored from federal and state agencies including FEMA, NOAA, FDA, and CPSC.

Safety Guides

How Product Recalls Work

CPSC, FDA & NHTSA recall process explained

Understanding Weather Alerts

Watch vs warning vs advisory explained

Earthquake Magnitude Explained

What the numbers mean & when to act
All safety guides →

Primary source data

EPA Outdoor Air Quality Data

Federal monitoring network, every measurement we report

AirNow - Mississippi

Real-time AQI for every monitored Mississippi location

National Weather Service

NOAA active watches, warnings, advisories

CDC Air Quality & Health

Health-impact reference for every AQI category

EPA NAAQS standards

National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the regulatory thresholds

Nearby Cities 8

Hattiesburg, MS 47K Laurel, MS 19K Bogalusa, LA 12K Carriere, MS 13K Picayune, MS 11K West Gulfport, MS 71K D'Iberville, MS 11K Gulfport, MS 72K
All cities in Mississippi → Compare Petal vs Hattiesburg → All comparisons → Browse all cities

Using Petal's profile

Use this as a starting research checklist, not a verdict on whether to live here.

  • Check live recalls, weather and hazard alerts scoped to the Petal area before relying on national headlines. Check your area
  • Read the poverty rate alongside the income figure, two places with the same median can have very different realities.
  • Compare Petal against Mississippi peers on any ranking lens. Explore Mississippi

Population and economics (income, home value, poverty, education) are place-level U.S. Census ACS; health is CDC PLACES; hospital counts reflect facilities in and around the city.

Data Sources

All data on this page comes from official U.S. government sources. Population and economic data from the Census Bureau American Community Survey (2024 5-year estimates, place geography). Health data from the CDC PLACES program (2023). Hospital ratings from CMS Hospital Compare (2024). Climate data from NOAA. Education data from NCES. Cost of living from Bureau of Economic Analysis. Crime statistics, where referenced on Areazine, originate from the FBI Crime Data Explorer. Housing market figures referenced on Areazine come from HUD Fair Market Rents. Census economics and population are at place geography; some health and hospital indicators are reported at the county level (Forrest County) where that is the smallest published unit.

Every figure on Areazine is published directly from official U.S. government sources, no number is typed in by an editor. City demographic and health figures are compiled directly from U.S. Census, CDC, and CMS releases, updated quarterly within 30 days of upstream release. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.