Hattiesburg, MS Metro Area
The Hattiesburg, MS metro area is made up of 3 counties in Mississippi: Forrest, Lamar, and Perry, largest first. About 158,014 people lived there on July 1, 2025 (Census estimate), 2.7% more than in April 2020.
- Population, July 2025
- 158,014 2.7% more than in April 2020
- Type
- Metropolitan statistical area
- Counties
- 3: 2 central, 1 outlying
- Land area
- 1,610 sq mi (4,170 km²)
- Time zone
- Central TimeUTC-06:00 in January; UTC-05:00 in July
- State
- Mississippi
- Combined statistical area
- Hattiesburg-Laurel, MS
- CBSA code
- 25620
Counties in the Hattiesburg, MS metro area, largest first
| County | Role | Population, July 2025 | Share of the area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest County | Central | 79,034 | 50.0% |
| Lamar County | Central | 67,403 | 42.7% |
| Perry County | Outlying | 11,577 | 7.3% |
A central county holds the area’s core, an urban area of at least 50,000 people. An outlying county is in the area because of commuting: at least a quarter of its workers have jobs in the central counties, or at least a quarter of the people working there live in them. A county belongs to one metro or micro area at most, and it counts whole, countryside included.
Principal city
- Hattiesburg48,619 people
OMB names the area after its largest principal cities. A principal city is the area’s largest city, plus any other city that is very large or a big job center, and smaller ones with at least as many jobs as working residents (2020 Census and commuting figures). People counts are American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Part of the Hattiesburg-Laurel, MS combined statistical area
OMB joins neighboring metro and micro areas into a combined statistical area when enough people commute between them. The other area in this one is
- Laurel, MS Micro Area82,281 people
Bordering metro and micro areas, nearest first
Areas with a county on this area’s edge. Distances are straight lines between the areas’ largest cities.
- Laurel, MS Micro Area28 mi north
- Picayune, MS Micro Area58 mi south
- Gulfport-Biloxi, MS Metro Area63 mi south
Before using this answer on a form
A metro or micro area is a statistical area that OMB draws for federal statistics. It is not a city, a local government or a mailing address, and it is not a measure of urban and rural: whole counties count, rural parts included. Programs that use metro areas, such as housing income limits or wage rates, can use their own version of these lists; check the program’s own list for an address.
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