Demographics

Overview

Petal, Mississippi is located in Forrest County and is separated from Hattiesburg by the Leaf River. Forrest County functions as a trading, educational, and medical center for south Mississippi.  Petal is located within a 30 mile radius of the University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey University, Howard Techonology Park, Jones Junior College, Pearl River Community College nad the site of the new National Strategic Petroleum Storage Site.                                                                            

Population

The City of Petal has an estimated population of 10,598. Total population of Forrest County, including Petal and Hattiesburg (43,000), is about 70,000. Approximately 385,000 people live and work within an hour's drive. Petal's median age is 35.  Approximately 57% of the population are of working age (18-64).  Postal deliveries has seen a 23% increase since 1998.  Petal has a 75,000 population in trade count area.

Income

Petal has an average household median income of $41,508.and household mean income of $34,322. Forrest County's aggregate income was estimated to be $784.8 million for the same period.

Housing

Wages

Average wage rates for 1995 were $12.70 per hour for services, $13.48 per hour for manufacturing jobs.

Economic Environment

Major employers are manufacturing, government, services, education, and wholesale and retail trade. The public education sector, including The University of Southern Mississippi, William Carey University and others lends to stabilize the economy during business cycle swings in other sectors.