Because there are quite a few people attending college in Hattiesburg, it is thought of as a college town. To the benefit of the many students in the area, Hattiesburg provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared towards their needs and activities.
Hattiesburg, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.
Compared to the rest of the country, citizens of Hattiesburg spend much less time in their cars: on average, their commute to work is only 17.18 minutes. This also means that noise and pollution levels in the city are less than they would otherwise be.
The population of Hattiesburg is very well educated relative to most cities and towns in the nation, where the average community has 21.84% of its adult population holding a 4-year degree or higher: 34.97% of adults in Hattiesburg have a bachelor's degree or even advanced degree.
The per capita income in Hattiesburg in 2022 was $27,005, which is upper middle income relative to Mississippi, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $108,020 for a family of four. However, Hattiesburg contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Hattiesburg also has one of the higher rates of people living in poverty in the nation, with 31.99% of its population below the federal poverty line.
Hattiesburg is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Hattiesburg home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Hattiesburg residents report their race to be Black or African-American, followed by White. Important ancestries of people in Hattiesburg include Irish, English, German, Scottish, and French.
The most common language spoken in Hattiesburg is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Polish.
