The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 16 local governments in Forrest County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
2
0
School districts (school boards)
3
0
Special districts (elected boards)
10
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments (1 in Forrest County), though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in Forrest County
78,272people
32median ageU.S.: 38.9
$53,640 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
21%below the U.S.: 12.5%
30.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$168,000median home valueU.S.: $332,700
6.7%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
3%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
6.4%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
11.1%U.S.: 8.4%
51.6%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
21.2%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 4.4% · White 55.8% · Black 35.5% · Asian 0.9% · Other or more than one race 3.5% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in Forrest County
3.0%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.3%. Mississippi: 3.3%.
34,592people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
35,659in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.0%
1,067
34,592
35,659
August 2026
3.0%
1,055
34,255
35,310
July 2026
3.8%
1,359
34,878
36,237
June 2026
3.9%
1,402
34,586
35,988
May 2026
3.3%
1,199
34,947
36,146
April 2026
3.0%
1,069
35,026
36,095
March 2026
3.6%
1,324
35,015
36,339
February 2026
4.0%
1,468
34,856
36,324
January 2026
3.4%
1,199
34,425
35,624
December 2025
2.7%
997
35,452
36,449
November 2025
3.2%
1,175
35,453
36,628
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.3%
1,221
35,345
36,566
August 2025
3.9%
1,431
34,895
36,326
July 2025
4.4%
1,613
35,139
36,752
June 2025
4.2%
1,548
35,124
36,672
May 2025
3.5%
1,270
35,261
36,531
April 2025
3.1%
1,151
35,729
36,880
March 2025
3.7%
1,347
35,476
36,823
February 2025
4.0%
1,475
35,454
36,929
January 2025
4.0%
1,454
34,745
36,199
December 2024
3.4%
1,226
35,240
36,466
November 2024
3.3%
1,215
35,411
36,626
October 2024
3.3%
1,218
35,423
36,641
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.6%
1,335
35,279
36,614
2024
3.1%
1,108
35,012
36,120
2023
2.9%
1,051
34,929
35,980
2022
3.6%
1,290
34,910
36,200
2021
5.3%
1,902
34,121
36,023
2020
7.6%
2,663
32,574
35,237
2019
5.2%
1,866
34,162
36,028
2018
4.5%
1,609
34,132
35,741
2017
4.8%
1,721
34,128
35,849
2016
5.7%
2,005
33,396
35,401
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Mississippi's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in Forrest County
173.9 per 100,0002025. Mississippi: 226.9.
2,353.2 per 100,0002025. Mississippi: 1,263.8.
4murders2025, 149 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
149
173.9
2,016
2,353.2
2024
151
177.2
1,977
2,319.7
2023
166
195.2
2,343
2,755.0
2022
229
271.7
2,478
2,939.9
2021
262
326.5
2,558
3,187.6
2020
247
307.9
2,813
3,506.3
By police agency (3)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Hattiesburg Police Department
2025
124
1,736
48,465
Forrest County Sheriff's Office
2025
22
225
25,546
Petal Police Department
2025
3
55
11,659
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Mississippi · the U.S.
Police staffing
1.93 per 1,000 residents2025, 3 agencies serving 85,670 people.
165sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
117civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (3), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Hattiesburg Police Department
92
43
48,465
Forrest County Sheriff's Office
50
69
25,546
Petal Police Department
23
5
11,659
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
165
1.93
117
3
2024
179
2.10
156
3
2023
162
1.90
157
3
2022
173
2.05
127
3
2020
174
2.17
157
3
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the Forrest County Chancery Clerk?
Lance C. Reid is the Chancery Clerk of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Circuit Clerk?
Gwen Wilks is the Circuit Clerk of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Constable, District 1?
Mike Harris is the Constable, District 1 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Constable, District 2?
John Tryner is the Constable, District 2 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Constable, District 3?
Jennifer Brown-Travis is the Constable, District 3 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Constable, District 4?
Tommy Cook is the Constable, District 4 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Coroner?
Lisa Klem is the Coroner of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County County Prosecuting Attorney?
Jack Denton is the County Prosecuting Attorney of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Election Commissioner, District 1?
Neil Harvison is the Election Commissioner, District 1 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Election Commissioner, District 2?
Johneice Dupree is the Election Commissioner, District 2 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Election Commissioner, District 3?
Lucretia Sug Jenkins is the Election Commissioner, District 3 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Election Commissioner, District 4?
Nancy Faye Noble is the Election Commissioner, District 4 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Election Commissioner, District 5?
Butch Benedict, Jr is the Election Commissioner, District 5 of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Sheriff?
Charlie Sims is the Sheriff of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Tax Assessor?
Mary Ann Palmer is the Tax Assessor of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who is the Forrest County Tax Collector?
Zac Howell is the Tax Collector of Forrest County, Mississippi.
Who are the Forrest County commissioners?
Gentry Mordica (Supervisor, District 1); Sharon A. Thompson (Supervisor, District 2); Steven Stringer (Supervisor, District 3); Rod Woullard (Supervisor, District 4); Terri Bell (Supervisor, District 5).
What is the population of Forrest County?
About 78,272 people, with a median age of 32; the median household income is $53,640 and 21% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Forrest County?
3.0% in September 2026 (preliminary): 1,067 people unemployed in a labor force of 35,659, against 3.3% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Forrest County?
16 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 3 school district and 10 special district governments.
Officeholders as of May 6, 2026, from the Mississippi Secretary of State's County Offices and Directory; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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