Petal is a city of 11,294 people in Mississippi. 3,715 more people live here than in 2000. Home values have roughly tripled since 2000, reaching $174,900. Households here earn about 32% more than in Mississippi as a whole. The foreign-born share is 3%. 28% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
At a glance
Lower income
median household income $74,750, below the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.0
US median: 38.9
Less educated
28% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 62%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Unique to this place
What stands out about Petal
What changed most since 1990
Black share2.4% → 16.1%(+13.7 pts)US over the same years: +0.2 pts
Median household income (2024 dollars)$49,213 → $74,750(+52%)US over the same years: +14%
White share96.7% → 72.8%(−23.9 pts)US over the same years: −17.8 pts
Petal's population equals 14% of Forrest County's. Its number of households without a car equals 5.1% of the county's. Its number of residents living in poverty equals 7.6% of the county's.
Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.
Section 09 · Service history
Veterans
Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)29.6%(198)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)19%(127)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era35.9%(240)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.6%(31)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0%(0)
US avg: 1%
Share of the 668 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Over time
Petal, decade by decade
Petal population, inflation-adjusted income and home value, education, and diversity by year
Year
Population
Median household income
Median home value
Bachelor's degree+
Diversity score
1990
7,883
$49,213
$101,523
9.3%
8.2
2000
7,579
$53,988
$107,842
17.9%
16.6
2010
10,454
$69,217
$172,628
25.8%
34.8
2020
11,010
$69,771
$165,928
34.0%
52.6
2024
11,294
$74,750
$174,900
27.8%
55.0
Census years come from the decennial census and the latest year from the American Community Survey, so part of any change between those two rows can reflect the different surveys. Dollar figures are adjusted for inflation to 2024 dollars; a figure ending in "+" was at the Census Bureau's reporting cap that year. The diversity score runs from 0 to 100; see how it's calculated.
