Petal, MS City Data

Petal, MS is a city with great restaurants, attractions, history and people. There are around 7,579 people who live in Petal and approximately 72,604 who live in Forrest County. We want to help people moving to or living in Petal to understand the dynamics of the city, so we have put together information gathered from various creditable sources to give you a better understanding of Petal. We have included Petal housing information, demographics, social and education characteristics, and even economic information.

General Petal Information

Forrest County where Petal resides is 470.17 square miles. The resident population of this county is 72,604 and has a population rank of 686 out of all the places in the United States.

Petal has a total of 7,579 people and of those residents there are 3,545 males and 4,034 females. The median age of the male population is 32.3 and the female population is 36.2. There are approximately 1,092 births each year and around 733 deaths. The race breakdown of the population in Petal varies per year, but currently 7,523 are one race and 56 are two or more races.

Of the 7,579 people who live in Petal, there are 2,276 under 20 years old. The sex breakdown of the 20 years old and younger population in Petal is 1,151 male and 1,125 female. If you have children or you are under the age of 20, then you will be considered in that statistic. For those of you who are older, then you will be part of the population that is 18 years and older and totals 5,521.

General Petal Information
Total area in square miles - Forrest County	470.17
Water area in square miles - Forrest County	N/A
Resident population - Forrest County	72,604
Population rank - Forrest County	686
Total population	7,579
Total population (male)	3,545
Total population (female)	4,034
Population median age (male)	32.3
Population median age (female)	36.2
Births - Forrest County	1,092
Deaths- Forrest County	733
Population of one race	7,523
Population of two or more races	56
Population under 20 years	2,276
Population under 20 years (male)	1,151
Population under 20 years (female)	1,125
Total population 18 years and over	5,521

Petal Social Characteristics

There are 27,183 households in Petal. Families make up 17,483 of these households. The table below breaks down the Petal families into three different groups. Married-couple families (11,569), male householder with no wife present (1,136) and female householder with no husband present (4,658). The remainder of the Petal households are made up of nonfamily households, which total 9,878. Petal, MS moving companies help people in Petal move locally and all around the world.

For years, the US has been building stats on the relationship of males and females 15 years and older in cities around the country including Petal. This information helps individuals analyze the area they are living in or moving to. For the county where Petal is based, there are 31,093 females 15 and over; of those females there are 10,240 never married, 12,714 now married, 690 separated, 3,662 widowed, and 3,787 divorced. As for the males, there are N/A males 15 and older: N/A never married, N/A now married, 624 separated, 620 widowed and 2,670 never married. There is a lot of great information below regarding Petal social characteristics. Be sure to review the tables for more information on Petal.

If you are moving to or from Petal and need a place to store your things be sure to check out the MovingIdeas.org Petal, MS self storage quote page or storage guides.

HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE (Forrest County)
Total households	27,183
Family households (families)	17,483
With own children under 18 years	9,461
Married-couple family	11,569
With own children under 18 years	5,227
Male householder, no wife present, family	1,136
With own children under 18 years	498
Female householder, no husband present, family	4,658
With own children under 18 years	2,789
Nonfamily households	9,878
Householder living alone	7,734
65 years and over	2,397

GENERAL HOUSEHOLDS
Households with one or more people under 18 years	1,160
Households with one or more people 65 years and over	822
Average household size	2.52
Average family size	3.05

RELATIONSHIP FAMILY HOUSEHOLDS
Population in family households	6,473
Householder	2,079
Spouse	1,502
Child	2,370
Other relatives	102
Nonrelatives	124
Unmarried partner	55
Roomer or boarder	4
Housemate or roommate	25
Unmarried partner	112
Foster child	9
Other	31

RELATIONSHIP NONFAMILY HOUSEHOLDS
Population in nonfamily households	1,043
Male householder	354
Male householder living alone	281
Male householder not living alone	73
Female householder	546
Female householder living alone	512
Female householder not living alone	34
Nonrelatives	143
Unmarried partner	57
Roomer or boarder	16
Housemate or roommate	29
Foster child	N/A
Other	41

RELATIONSHIP BY SEX
Females 15 years and over	31,093
Never married	10,240
Now married	12,714
Separated	690
Widowed	3,662
Divorced	3,787
Males 15 years and over	N/A
Never married	N/A
Now married	N/A
Separated	624
Widowed	620
Divorced	2,670

TOTAL POPULATION BY SEX AND AGE
Total Population	7,579
Male	3,545
Under 5 years	262
5 to 9 years	325
10 to 14 years	279
15 to 17 years	177
18 and 19 years	108
20 years	56
21 years	50
22 to 24 years	150
25 to 29 years	248
30 to 34 years	251
35 to 39 years	263
40 to 44 years	273
45 to 49 years	202
50 to 54 years	195
55 to 59 years	159
60 and 61 years	51
62 to 64 years	88
65 and 66 years	61
67 to 69 years	69
70 to 74 years	118
75 to 79 years	80
80 to 84 years	56
85 years and over	24
Female	4,034
Under 5 years	279
5 to 9 years	290
10 to 14 years	281
15 to 17 years	165
18 and 19 years	110
20 years	62
21 years	46
22 to 24 years	158
25 to 29 years	267
30 to 34 years	279
35 to 39 years	312
40 to 44 years	295
45 to 49 years	217
50 to 54 years	230
55 to 59 years	183
60 and 61 years	66
62 to 64 years	94
65 and 66 years	59
67 to 69 years	117
70 to 74 years	180
75 to 79 years	177
80 to 84 years	82
85 years and over	85

TOTAL POPULATION BY RACE
Total population	7,579
One race	7,523
White	7,119
Black or African American	336
American Indian and Alaska Native	22
Asian	6
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	N/A
Some other race	9
Two or more races	56

RACE POPULATION IN HOUSEHOLDS
Total population in households	7,516
People who are White alone	7,062
People who are Black or African American alone	330
People who are American Indian and Alaska Native alone	22
People who are Asian alone	6
People who are Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone	N/A
People who are Hispanic or Latino	109
People who are Some other race alone	40

RESIDENCE IN 1995
Population 5 years and over	67,835
Same house	32,951
Different house - same county	N/A
Different county - same state	11,719
Different state or abroad	7,716
Different state	6,633
Abroad	1,083

PLACE OF BIRTH (Forrest County)
Total resident population	72,604
Born in United States	50,362
State of residence	54,366
Different state	16,301
Born in Puerto Rico, U.S. Island areas	481
Foreign born	1,456

Petal Education and School Enrollment

School enrollment refers to students currently attending school, both private and public. By understanding the school enrollment in an area, you can make decisions concerning your kids' environments and even job markets. In a table below, we provide you with the total school enrollment for children 3 years and older in the county surrounding Petal. That total enrollment is 24,754 for the population of the country, which includes Petal. Nursery school and kindergarten enrollment was 8,194 and elementary or high school enrollment was 23,577 children. College or graduate school enrollment was 10,505.

Education attainment is defined as "the highest level of education completed in terms of highest degree or the highest level or schooling completed." The table below shows the Petal population over 25 years old and their level of education achievement.

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT
Population 3 years and over enrolled in school	24,754
Pre-kindergarten	1,262
Public	739
Private	523
Kindergarten	1,197
Public	1,090
Private	N/A
Elementary school grades 1 to 8	8,108
Public	7,373
Private	735
Elementary and high school	11,789
Public	10,748
Private	1,041
High school grades 9 to 12	3,681
Public	3,375
Private	306
College, undergraduate years	9,335
Public	8,250
Private	1,085
Graduate or professional school	1,171
Public	1,031
Private	140
Not enrolled in school	44,962

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
Population 25 years and over	41,526
Less than 9th grade	2,644
9th to 12th grade, no diploma	5,956
High school graduate	11,578
Some college, no degree	9,594
Associate's degree	2,272
Bachelor's degree	9,482
Graduate or professional degree	22.8
Percent high school graduate or higher	79.3
Percent bachelor's degree or higher	5,934

Petal Employment and Labor Characteristics

There are 56,912 people that are employed over the age of 16 in Petal. The Petal occupations categories include management, professional and related occupations (9,578), service occupations (5,670), sales and office occupations (8,883), farming, fishing and forestry occupations (167), constructions, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations (2,978) and production, transportation and material moving occupations (4,576). The 56,912 employed over the age of 16 are broken down into the class of worker. There are 23,536 private wage and salary workers, 6,057 government workers, 2,146 self-employed workers and approximately N/A unpaid family workers.

EMPLOYMENT STATUS (Forrest County)
Population 16 years and over	56,912
In labor force	35,018
Civilian labor force	34,582
Employed	31,852
Unemployed	2,730
Percent Unemployed	7.9
Armed Forces	436
Females 16 years and over	30,628
In labor force	17,101
Civilian labor force	17,052
Unemployed Civilian labor force	1,577
Armed forces	49
Males 16 years and over	26,284
In labor force	17,917
Civilian labor force	N/A
Unemployed Civilian labor force	1,153
Armed forces	387

COMMUTING TO WORK (Forrest County)
Workers 16 years and over	31,559
Car, truck, or van -- drove alone	25,268
Car, truck, or van -- carpooled	4,068
Public transportation (excluding taxicab)	N/A
Walked	1,139
Other means	169
Worked at home	655
Mean travel time to work (minutes)	668,150

OCCUPATION (Forrest County)
Civilian employed population 16 years and over	9,578
Management, professional, and related occupations	9,578
Service occupations	5,670
Sales and office occupations	8,883
Farming, fishing, and forestry occupations	167
Construction, extraction, maintenance and repair occupations	2,978
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations	4,576

INDUSTRY (Forrest County)
Civilian employed population 16 years and over	9,578
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining	615
Construction	N/A
Manufacturing	3,607
Wholesale trade	1,110
Retail trade	4,345
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities	1,351
Information	674
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing	1,585
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative	1,849
Educational services, and health care and social assistance	8,556
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services	3,295
Other services, except public administration	N/A
Public administration	1,266

CLASS OF WORKER (Forrest County)
Civilian employed population 16 years and over	9,578
Private wage and salary workers	23,536
Government workers	6,057
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business	2,146
Unpaid family workers	N/A

Petal Housing Characteristics

In Petal, MS there are 29,913 housing units; of those housing units, there are approximately 27,183 occupied and 2,730 vacant. Types of homes change over the years, but single family homes detached have remained fairly consistent. In Petal, there are 18,597 1-unit detached housing units. Single-family attached homes, 1-unit attached, which are also known as row houses or town homes, total 357 units in Petal. Apartment housing and apartment buildings are from 2-50 units and the statistics are below. With so many housing units people are always in need of Petal, MS local movers to help them move from one place to another so be sure to check out MovingIdeas.org for moving guides, Petal, MS truck rentals options, quotes and additional information.

There are several different ranges if you are looking to rent or are a renter in Petal. There are 539 housing units with rent less than $200, 949 with rent between $200-299, 5,020 with rent between $300-499 and 3,331 with rent for $500 and above. Full Petal gross rent statistics are shown in the table below. Regardless of the housing unit value, it is always suggested by MovingIdeas.org to have Petal, MS home security systems installed to keep you and your family safe.

HOUSING OCCUPANCY (Forrest County)
Total housing units	29,913
Occupied housing units	27,183
Vacant housing units	2,730

UNITS IN STRUCTURE (Forrest County)
Total housing units	29,913
1-unit, detached	18,597
1-unit, attached	357
2 units	1,038
3 or 4 units	1,812
5 to 9 units	1,483
10 to 19 units	1,061
20 to 49 units	843
50 or more units	1,624
Mobile home	3,050

HOUSING TENURE (Forrest County)
Occupied housing units	27,183
Owner-occupied	16,365
Renter-occupied	10,818

VEHICLES AVAILABLE (Forrest County)
Occupied housing units	27,183
No vehicles available	2,229
2 vehicle available	14,152
3 vehicles available	3,055
4 vehicles available	742
5 or more vehicles available	307

HOUSE HEATING FUEL (Forrest County)
Occupied housing units	27,183
Utility gas	10,740
Bottled, tank, or LP gas	N/A
Electricity	14,001
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc.	58
Coal or coke	5
Wood	162
Solar energy
Other fuel	30
No fuel used	141

HOUSING UNIT VALUE (Forrest County)
Occupied housing units	27,183
Less Than $50,000	16,365
$50,000 to $99,999	5,829
$100,000 to $149,999	1,829
$150,000 to $199,999	749
$200,000 to $299,999	388
$300,000 to $499,999	61
$1,000,000 or more	12
Median (dollars)	69,100

GROSS RENT (Forrest County)
Occupied units paying rent	10,818
Less than $200	539
$200 to $299	949
$300 to $499	5,020
$500 to $699	2,461
$700 to $999	713
$1,000 to $1,499	148
$1,500 or more	8