A town of 17,679, settled in 1882. A regional job hub with 18,303 jobs.
The 3 things Laurel does most differently from other towns.
Where Laurel’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
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Nothing on the calendar.
Ordered by what stands out in Laurel. Another town gets a different order.
46% of Laurel’s working residents work right in town. The top destinations are Hattiesburg (8%), Ellisville (3%) and Jackson (2%). Half commute less than 5 miles.
5.6 miles of trails across 9 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gardiner Park | 0.5 mi | 10 |
| 2. Laurel Sportsplex | — | 91 |
| 3. Mason Memorial Park | — | 26 |
Laurel beats the Mississippi average on 1 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 14.
| What stands out | Laurel | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 13.6% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 17.3% | 11.2% |
Laurel reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 97% report less.
The typical Laurel home is worth about $140,000, down 2.2% in a year, 29% below the Mississippi typical home.
Laurel has mild winters and hot summers, with plenty of rain. A typical July afternoon reaches 92°, a January night drops to 36°, and snow is almost unheard of.
The public schools Laurel’s kids attend, from kindergarten through graduation, outperform 61% of Mississippi’s districts on state tests and graduation. Among towns with similar incomes, they sit near the middle.
| School | Grades | Students | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nora Davis Elementary | 2–4 | 519 | Not graded |
| Oak Park Elementary School | PK–1 | 405 | D |
| Laurel Magnet School Of The Arts | PK–6 | 323 | A+ |
| St. Johns Day School Private | PK–6 | 174 | |
| Laurel Middle School | 7–8 | 388 | C− |
| Laurel Upper Elementary | 5–6 | 253 | D |
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 62% of U.S. communities.
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Mississippi average. 22% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 25% across Mississippi.
| Laurel | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 14.7% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 11.4% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.9% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.7% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.2% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.2% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.8% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.3% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.9% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 12.9% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 34.5% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 22.7% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.1% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 13.4% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 8.4% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
1917
Mississippi
Photo · Wikimedia Commons. A different picture from Laurel’s archive appears here every day.
See all 12 archive items →
12 postcards, papers and photographs from public archives, and 8 places on the National Register.
8 places in Laurel on the National Register of Historic Places.
City in Mississippi, United States
Laurel is a city in and the second county seat of Jones County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,161. Laurel is northeast of Ellisville, the first county seat, which contains the first county courthouse. It has the second county courthouse, as Jones County has two judicial districts. Laurel is the headquarters of the Jones County Sheriff's Department, which has jurisdiction in the county. Laurel is the principal city of a micropolitan statistical area named for it. Its major employers include Howard Industries, Sanderson Farms, Masonite International, Family Health Center, Howse Implement, Thermo-Kool, and South Central Regional Medical Cent…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Laurel.
