Harrison County, Mississippi

Harrison County is a county in Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf Coast between New
Orleans and Mobile. It had a population of 208,621 at the 2020 census, an estimated 210,891 by
2024, and covers 976 square miles (2,530 km2) centred near 30°25′N 89°05′W.

Gulfport is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 39501.
Harrison County is unusual among Mississippi counties in having a second, co-equal seat, Biloxi.
The county holds 5 incorporated cities and 4 census-designated places along its coastline and
pine-forest interior, and it runs on Central Time.

Towns & Villages in Harrison County

Harrison County has 9 named places on record: 5 incorporated cities and 4 census-designated
places (CDPs) with no local government of their own. Older lists for this county mixed in
dozens of privately named mobile-home parks and trailer courts — those are addresses, not
settlements, and are left off this table.

Two former CDPs are gone from the 2020 list because their territory was annexed into
neighbouring cities: Orange Grove became part of Gulfport in 2007, and Woolmarket was annexed
into Biloxi in 2000. Both names are still used locally for those neighbourhoods, and North
Gulfport is a long-standing unincorporated community inside Gulfport’s urbanised area, but
none of the three is a separate Census place today.

ZIP Codes

• 39501, 39503, 39505, 39507 — Gulfport (39502 and 39506 are Gulfport post office box ZIPs)
• 39530, 39531, 39532, 39533, 39534, 39535 — Biloxi
• 39540 — D’Iberville (also serves the eastern edge of Biloxi)
• 39560 — Long Beach
• 39571 — Pass Christian
• 39574 — Saucier

Lyman, DeLisle and Henderson Point have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered
under the nearest incorporated city’s code.

Geography

Harrison County sits on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, a low, sandy plain that rises into pine
forest inland. Of its 976 square miles, 574 are land and 402 are water — 41 percent, by far
the highest water share of any inland Mississippi county, because the county line runs south
into the Mississippi Sound and takes in Deer Island off Biloxi. The Wolf River and the
Tchoutacabouffa River drain the interior into Biloxi Bay and the Sound, and Gulfport’s
Bernard Bayou reaches the Port of Gulfport, one of the busiest ports on the Gulf of Mexico.

Stone County lies to the north, Jackson County to the east, and Hancock County to the west;
the Mississippi Sound and St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, lie across open water to the south and
southwest. Stone
County, Jackson
County and Hancock
County all border Harrison directly on land.

Demographics

Harrison County had a population of 208,621 at the 2020 census, Mississippi’s
second-highest county total, and the latest estimate puts it near 210,891 residents in 2024.
Gulfport and Biloxi together hold well over half the county’s population. The county is
61.4 percent white, 24.8 percent Black, 6.7 percent Hispanic or Latino of any race, and 2.9
percent Asian, with a median age of 38.2. Median household income runs $59,479 (2024), above
Mississippi’s statewide figure of $54,203 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to
roughly 363 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Health care and social assistance is the county’s largest employment sector, with about
14,755 workers, followed by retail trade at 9,705 and educational services at 8,252. Gaming is a
major local industry: Biloxi and Gulfport host most of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast casino
resorts, an industry that grew rapidly after the state legalised dockside gambling in the early
1990s. Keesler Air Force Base, a U.S. Air Force training installation in Biloxi, is one of the
county’s largest employers and traces back to Keesler Field, opened during the Second World
War. The Port of Gulfport handles containerised cargo and is one of the busier ports on the Gulf
of Mexico. Biloxi’s Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art preserves the studio legacy of potter
George Ohr, who worked in the city from 1879 to 1910.

History

The Mississippi legislature created Harrison County on February 5, 1841, from parts of
Hancock, Jackson and Perry counties, and named it for President William Henry Harrison. The
ground had been claimed far earlier: French colonists built Fort Maurepas near present-day
Ocean Springs in 1699, the first European capital in what became Mississippi, under Pierre Le
Moyne d’Iberville and his brother Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville. Former Confederate
president Jefferson Davis retired to Beauvoir, his estate on the Biloxi beachfront, in 1877.

Two hurricanes define the county’s modern history. Hurricane Camille struck on August 17,
1969, and Hurricane Katrina on August 29, 2005; both caused catastrophic damage along the coast
and reshaped how the county builds and insures its shoreline.

Getting There

Interstate 10 crosses the county’s northern half, with Interstate 110 branching south into
Biloxi. US 49 and US 90 run through the county, along with Mississippi highways 15, 43, 53, 67
and 605.

• New Orleans, Louisiana — about 75 miles west
• Mobile, Alabama — about 75 miles east
• Hattiesburg — about 65 miles north
• Jackson — about 165 miles north

Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, on the county line between the two seats, is the
region’s commercial airport. Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service, launched August 18, 2025,
restored passenger rail to the coast after a 20-year gap following Katrina; its twice-daily
round trips between New Orleans and Mobile stop at both the Biloxi and Gulfport stations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Harrison County located?
It sits on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, roughly midway between New Orleans and Mobile, bordered
by Stone, Jackson and Hancock counties.

What is the population of Harrison County?
208,621 at the 2020 census, with a 2024 estimate near 210,891.

How big is Harrison County?
976 square miles (2,530 km2) in total, of which 574 square miles are land and 402 square miles
are water.

What is the county seat of Harrison County?
Harrison County has two county seats: Biloxi and Gulfport, an arrangement dating to the
county’s early history of split coastal settlement.

How many towns and cities are in Harrison County?
Five incorporated cities — Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, D’Iberville and Pass
Christian — plus four census-designated places: Lyman, DeLisle, Saucier and Henderson
Point.

What ZIP codes does Harrison County use?
39501, 39503, 39505 and 39507 for Gulfport; 39530 through 39535 for Biloxi; 39540 for
D’Iberville; 39560 for Long Beach; 39571 for Pass Christian; and 39574 for Saucier.

What is Harrison County known for?
Its Gulf Coast casino resorts, Keesler Air Force Base, and the twin hurricanes — Camille in
1969 and Katrina in 2005 — that reshaped the coastline.

More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Mississippi.