A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Laurel$850/mo

Typical home $140K (Zillow) · tax rate 1.01% · or rent about $909/mo · Housing →

Gautier$1,120/mo

Typical home $194K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.68% · or rent about $1,040/mo · Housing →

The difference: $280 a month, about $3,300 a year, between Gautier and Laurel.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Gautier places higher on 15 of 22 MS lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every Mississippi ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

D−LaurelSafer than 3% of U.S. towns CGautierSafer than 29% of U.S. towns

Schools

BLaurelBetter than 61% of districts in the state BGautierBetter than 61% of districts in the state

Health

DLaurelHealthier than 7% of U.S. towns C−GautierHealthier than 19% of U.S. towns

7Laurel

15Gautier

Lists won, of 22 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 94 towns #75#2 Most walkableOutdoors · 104 towns #13#75 Shortest commuteGetting around · 104 towns #4#59 SafestSafety · 41 towns #41#24 Most activeHealth · 104 towns #83#40 Best schoolsSchools · 92 towns #64#26 Lowest depressionHealth · 104 towns #9#50 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 104 towns #77#42

Left end = #1 in Mississippi. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Laurel’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

LaurelGautier

Snow a year0″0″

January low35°F —

July high93°F —

Growing season (days)244d —

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)62nd 94th

Outdoors & history

LaurelGautier

Trails6 mi 7 mi

Conserved land0.7%24.3%

Settled1882 1867

National Register places8 3

Archive photos12 —

Community

LaurelGautier

Library hours a week52 hrs 54 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 1

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

93 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

LaurelMS GautierMS

Laurel ↔ Gautier93 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs Mississippi average

LaurelGautier

People

Population 17,679Lowest 19,046Highest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -7.4%Lowest +2.4%Highest

Median age 35.1±2.1Lowest 9% below MS 37.9±2.7Highest about the MS average

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 26.1%±4Highest MS: 23.3% 25.1%±3.1Lowest MS: 23.3%

Laurel and Gautier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 14.2%±1.9Lowest MS: 17.2% 15.8%±2Highest MS: 17.2%

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 21.8%Lowest MS: 25.1% 22%Highest MS: 25.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 3.2%±1.5Lowest MS: 6.1% 4.3%±1.2Highest MS: 6.1%

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $47,661±$6kLowest 16% below MS $61,926±$12kHighest 10% above MS

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $125,800±$28kLowest 26% below MS $166,400±$11kHighest about the MS average

Rentmedian gross, monthly $909±$58Lowest 5% below MS $1,040±$74Highest 9% above MS

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,268Highest 4% above MS $1,134Lowest 7% below MS

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 56.6%±12.6Highest MS: 51.3% 47.4%±9.4Lowest MS: 51.3%

Laurel and Gautier are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 23.3%Highest MS: 18.9% 17.5%Lowest MS: 18.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 63.2%Lowest MS: 70% 66.8%Highest MS: 70%

Typical home builtmedian year 1969Lowest 17 yrs older than MS 1984Highest 2 yrs older than MS

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 16 minLowest 36% below MS 24 minHighest 8% below MS

Work from home 5.6%±2.5Lowest MS: 5.9% 6.6%±2.2Highest MS: 5.9%

Gautier and Laurel are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 46.3%Highest 10%Lowest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 5.3 miLowest 9.8 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 3.05Highest 0.51Lowest

Top workplaceoutside town Hattiesburg (8%)Pascagoula (27%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in GautierFew work in Laurel

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.7%Lowest 24.3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 5.6 miLowest 6.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.3 miHighest 0.2 miLowest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 9Highest 2Lowest

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 57.7Highest 26.9Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #64 of 92 in MS #26 of 92 in MS

School district Jones County School District · Laurel School DistrictPascagoula-Gautier School District

High school in town Laurel High SchoolGautier High

Students per teacherat that high school 17.2Highest 12.6Lowest

Mississippi average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Laurel neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Laurel’s Town Square.

Gautier neighborsTown Square →

1 neighbor in Gautier can answer.

Add a town

Set another town beside Laurel and Gautier

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Bordering Laurel

+ Compare

Ellisville4,521 people · $100K homes

Towns like Laurel

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Pascagoula21,710 people · $145K homes

+ Compare

Grenada12,375 people · $146K homes

+ Compare

Horn Lake26,647 people · $171K homes

+ Compare

D'Iberville13,203 people · $210K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks Mississippi towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Laurel vs Gautier

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $280 more a month in Gautier

Gautier places higher on 15 of 22 MS lists

What daily life feels like in each

93 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Laurel and Gautier

Bordering Laurel

Towns like Laurel

Post to Laurel

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