City profile · Mississippi · Census ACS 2023

Gulfport, MS

Population, income, housing, safety, climate and schools for Gulfport — drawn straight from Census ACS, FBI UCR, NOAA, NCES, HUD and FEMA, refreshed on the 2024–2025 release cycle.

72,533
Residents
$46,044
Median income
$167,100
Median home
$924
Median rent

Data Snapshot: Gulfport, MS

Gulfport is a city in Mississippi with a population of 72,533 residents based on U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. Median household income here reaches $46,044 per year, while the poverty rate sits at 20.2%. Typical homes in Gulfport are valued around $167,100, and the median resident age is 36.7 years. About 22.3% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, while 51.2% of working-age residents are in the labor force.

Housing supply pressure shows in Census Building Permit Survey data: 1,152 residential units were authorized in 2024 (Building Boom), up 510% from five years earlier.

On a cost-of-living index where 100 equals the national average, Mississippi registers 87.0 (Below Average) per BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. HUD Fair Market Rent for a typical two-bedroom in this state is $924 per month. Average monthly utility bills run around $223 based on EIA 2023 residential energy data. Workers in Gulfport report an average commute of 20.7 minutes, with 80.4% driving alone and 5.2% working from home. FEMA's National Risk Index rates natural-hazard exposure at 50.9 out of 100 (Low).

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates, PlainCities renders standardized city-level demographic, income, education, employment, and housing indicators across more than 19,000 incorporated places nationwide. Population counts and median household income figures are sourced directly from Census Table B01003 and B19013 respectively, with poverty rates from B17001 and cost-of-living adjustments from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities (RPP) 2024 release. Every value displayed in this snapshot links back to the official upstream tables and is refreshed on the ACS annual release cadence (typically December of the survey year + 1).

Methodology: city boundaries follow the Census Bureau's place-level geography (incorporated places, census-designated places, and consolidated city-county governments), with FIPS codes ensuring consistent identifiers across decennial and annual surveys. Cost-of-living comparisons use BEA's Regional Price Parities (RPP) indexed to the national average (100), enabling cross-city purchasing-power comparisons. See our methodology page for full source attribution, refresh cadence, and known data quality limitations including margin-of-error disclosure and sample-size thresholds.

Population

72,533 residents

Census ACS 2023 — Mississippi

Median Household Income

$46,044 /yr

Poverty 20.2%

Cost of Living Index

87.0 (US=100)

Below Average — BEA RPP 2024

How does Gulfport compare to other US cities?

Where Gulfport sits among all US cities (population 1,000+) on each measure — computed live from Census and FBI data.

Household income 14% higher than other cities
Home value 33% pricier than other cities
Median rent 0% pricier than other cities

Percentiles compare Gulfport against every US city with at least 1,000 residents. "Safer than" reflects total crime rate from FBI UCR; the others use Census ACS estimates.

Income distribution context

Household income distribution — Gulfport, MS Quintile shares of aggregate household income for Gulfport, MS. The Lorenz curve traces cumulative income share against cumulative population share — perfect equality is the diagonal; observed inequality bows below. $ Household Income Distribution Gulfport, MS — median $46,044/yr — Census ACS quintile shares QUINTILE SHARE OF AGGREGATE INCOME Lowest 20% 3.4% Second 20% 9.2% Middle 20% 15.1% Fourth 20% 23.2% Top 20% 49.1% LORENZ CURVE cumulative income vs. population 100% 0% 100% pop. 0%
Household income distribution for Gulfport, MS — Census ACS 5-year estimates. Diagonal = perfect equality.

Key socioeconomic indicators

Bachelor's degree or higher (adults 25+) 22.3%

Census ACS S1501 — educational attainment

Poverty rate (households below FPL) 20.2%

Census ACS S1701 — poverty status

Labor force participation (adults 16+) 51.2%

Census ACS S2301 — share of working-age residents in the labor force

Population
72,533
Median Income
$46,044
Median Home Value
$167,100
Median Age
36.7
Poverty Rate
20.2%
Labor force participation
51.2%
Bachelor's Degree+
22.3%

Schools

Total Schools
23
Public schools in this city

Housing Supply

Census Bureau Building Permits Survey (BPS) — annual residential permits authorized

📈 Building Boom
Total Permits (2024)
1,152
housing units authorized
Single-Family
1,152
detached homes
Multifamily
0
apartments & condos
Supply Intensity
15.9
permits per 1,000 residents

5-Year Permit Trend (2019–2024)

Year Total
2019 189
2020 192
2021 216
2022 1,086
2023 1,122
2024 1,152

Permit volume increased 510% from 2019 to 2024.

Commute Patterns

How workers travel to work — Census ACS 2023

Average Commute Time
20.7 minutes
Drive Alone
80.4%
Carpool
9.9%
Public Transit
0.5%
Walk
2.7%
Work from Home
5.2%
Other
1.3%

Based on 30,056 workers 16 and over.

Monthly Utility Costs

State-average estimates for Mississippi — EIA 2023 residential energy data

Electricity
$135
avg/month
Natural Gas
$50
avg/month
Water & Sewer
$38
avg/month
Total Utilities
$223
estimated/month

Estimates reflect Mississippi state averages. Actual costs vary by home size, usage, and local rates. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023.

Living Costs & Risk

Mississippi state-level data from PlainCost, PlainRent, and PlainHazard

Cost of Living Index
87.0
Below Average
US average = 100 · BEA RPP 2024
Typical 2-BR Rent
$924/mo
HUD Fair Market Rent
State-level FMR estimate
Natural Hazard Risk
50.9 / 100
Low
FEMA NRI composite score

Race & Ethnicity Composition

Race and ethnicity — Gulfport, MS Race categories sum to one hundred percent per Census methodology. Hispanic or Latino is shown separately as an ethnicity overlay; it cuts across all race categories per OMB Directive 15. Race & Ethnicity Composition Gulfport, MS — Census ACS, OMB race + ethnicity categories RACE — sums to 100% 59.5% 12.1% 6.1% 10.6% 10.3% ETHNICITY — Hispanic or Latino (any race) 18.7% White 59.5% Black or African American 12.1% Asian 6.1% American Indian 1.2% Native Hawaiian 0.2% Some other race 10.6% Two or more races 10.3% Per OMB Directive 15: Hispanic/Latino ethnicity is reported separately from the race categories.
Race categories sum to 100%. Hispanic or Latino ethnicity is reported separately and cuts across race per Census/OMB methodology.

National-average reference values shown when city-level race/ethnicity table is not loaded. Source: Census ACS 5-year, OMB Directive 15 race-and-ethnicity categories.

How Gulfport compares to nearby Mississippi cities

Census ACS 2023 — population and median income benchmarks

Side-by-side population + income comparison anchored on the current city (Gulfport) plus the nearest peer cities in Mississippi, sourced from Census Bureau ACS 5-year B01001 (population) and B19013 (median household income).
Selected

MS

Gulfport

46.04% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$46,044
Brackets
73
Selected

MS

Southaven

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$5,550
Brackets
56
Selected

MS

Biloxi

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,900
Brackets
49
Selected

MS

Hattiesburg

65.00% top marginal rate
Structure
Progressive
Burden @ $100K
$4,850
Brackets
49
Census ACS 5-year FIPS MS NCES CCD Census BPS 2024 OMB Bulletin 23-01

What do people ask about Gulfport, MS?

What is the population of Gulfport, MS? +

Gulfport, MS has a population of 72,533 according to U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.

What is the median household income in Gulfport, MS? +

The median household income in Gulfport is $46,044 per year, based on Census ACS 2023 data.

What is the cost of living in Gulfport? +

Gulfport has a cost of living index of 87.0 (U.S. average = 100), rated "Below Average" based on BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 data.

What is the median home value in Gulfport, MS? +

The median home value in Gulfport is $167,100, according to Census ACS 2023 estimates.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year 2023, NCES CCD, Census BPS 2024, Census ACS B08301/B08136, U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) 2023, BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, HUD Fair Market Rents 2026, FEMA National Risk Index.

Related

Data sourced from official U.S. government datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCities Editorial

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