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

–St. MartinNot graded C−ForestSafer than 23% of U.S. towns

Schools

ASt. MartinBetter than 91% of districts in the state CForestBetter than 25% of districts in the state

Health

C+St. MartinHealthier than 42% of U.S. towns D−ForestHealthier than 5% of U.S. towns

13St. Martin

6Forest

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Most conserved landOutdoors · 94 towns #83#4 Most activeHealth · 104 towns #24#91 Fewest uninsuredHealth · 104 towns #42#103 Highest graduation rateSchools · 93 towns #32#78 Best schoolsSchools · 92 towns #23#65 Most remote workersWork · 102 towns #55#100 HealthiestHealth · 104 towns #31#76 Most walkableOutdoors · 104 towns #32#72

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

Monthly cost

A typical home costs $240 more a month in St. Martin

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%

St. Martin$990/mo

Typical home $172K (Census) · tax rate 0.59% · or rent about $1,231/mo · Housing →

Forest$750/mo

Typical home $125K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.89% · or rent about $900/mo · Housing →

The difference: $240 a month, about $2,900 a year, between St. Martin and Forest.

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.

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

St. MartinForest

Snow a year0″1″

January low—33°F

July high—90°F

Growing season (days)—221d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)89th 45th

Outdoors & history

St. MartinForest

Trails—3 mi

Conserved land—23.1%

Settled—1860

National Register places—3

Archive photos—2

Community

St. MartinForest

Library hours a week54 hrs 46 hrs

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

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

138 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

St. MartinMS ForestMS

St. Martin ↔ Forest138 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

St. MartinForest

People

Population 8,139Highest 5,357Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census +1%Highest -4.5%Lowest

Median age 37.3±2.4Highest 3% below MS 36±5.2Lowest 7% below MS

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

Kids under 18 21.8%±4.1Lowest MS: 23.3% 32.7%±7.1Highest MS: 23.3%

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

Age 65+ 11.9%±2.3Lowest MS: 17.2% 13.1%±3.1Highest MS: 17.2%

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

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 17.3%Lowest MS: 25.1% 19.9%Highest MS: 25.1%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 2.6%±1.6Lowest MS: 6.1% 4.5%±3.7Highest MS: 6.1%

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

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $55,000±$7kHighest about the MS average $49,724±$4kLowest 12% below MS

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

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $172,400±$20kHighest about the MS average $141,100±$26kLowest 17% below MS

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

Rentmedian gross, monthly $1,231±$114Highest 29% above MS $900±$232Lowest 6% below MS

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

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,019Lowest 16% below MS $1,252Highest 3% above MS

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 62.7%±16Highest MS: 51.3% 50.7%±11.3Lowest MS: 51.3%

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

Below poverty line 17.2%Lowest MS: 18.9% 33.8%Highest MS: 18.9%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 53.9%Highest MS: 70% 50.8%Lowest MS: 70%

Typical home builtmedian year 1994Highest 8 yrs newer than MS 1977Lowest 9 yrs older than MS

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 22 minHighest 14% below MS 20 minLowest 23% below MS

Work from home 5%±4.4Highest MS: 5.9% 0%±1.3Lowest MS: 5.9%

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

Work in townworking residents 2.8%Lowest 32.4%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 7.8 miLowest 15.3 miHighest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 0.24Lowest 3.35Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Biloxi (28%)Morton (8%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in ForestFew work in St. Martin

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.5%Lowest 23.1%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.5 miLowest 2.7 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 0 0

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 45.3Highest 27.4Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #23 of 92 in MS #65 of 92 in MS

School district Jackson County School DistrictForest Municipal School District · Scott County School District

High school in town None in townForest High School

Students per teacherat that high school — 13.6

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.

St. Martin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to St. Martin’s Town Square.

Forest neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Forest’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside St. Martin and Forest

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Bordering St. Martin

+ Compare

Gulf Hills8,451 people · $204K homes

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D'Iberville13,203 people · $210K homes

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Biloxi48,861 people · $225K homes

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Latimer6,756 people · $189K homes

Towns like St. Martin

+ Compare

Kosciusko6,933 people · $112K homes

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West Point9,900 people · $154K homes

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Indianola9,062 people · $109K homes

+ Compare

Grenada12,375 people · $146K 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.

St. Martin vs Forest

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

St. Martin places higher on 13 of 19 MS lists

A typical home costs $240 more a month in St. Martin

What daily life feels like in each

138 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside St. Martin and Forest

Bordering St. Martin

Towns like St. Martin

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