Jackson County, Mississippi

Jackson County is a county in Mississippi, United States, on the Gulf of Mexico at the state’s southeastern tip, about 90 miles northeast of New Orleans. It had a population of 143,252 at the 2020 census, an estimated 145,249 by 2024, and covers 1,043 square miles (2,700 km2) centred near 30°28′N 88°37′W.

Pascagoula is the county seat; its postal code is 39567. The county holds 4 cities and 10 census-designated places, and it runs on Central Time. Its FIPS code is 28059.

Towns & Villages in Jackson County

Jackson County has 14 named places on the Census Bureau’s current list: 4 incorporated cities and 10 unincorporated census-designated places (CDPs) with no local government of their own.

The site’s old settlement list for this page was mostly not Jackson County place names at all — roughly four in five entries were individual mobile-home and trailer parks (Anchor Trailer Park, Baker MH Park, Krebs Mobile Park and dozens more) pulled from a park directory rather than the Census Bureau’s gazetteer, and none of them are recognized places. Two more, D’Iberville and Orange Grove, are real communities but sit entirely in neighboring Harrison County, not Jackson County. All of that has been dropped; the table above holds only places the Census Bureau lists inside Jackson County.

ZIP Codes

• 39567 — Pascagoula (also serves the rural Wade and Helena communities)
• 39563 — Moss Point
• 39562 — Big Point and rural Moss Point addresses
• 39553 — Gautier
• 39564 — Ocean Springs (shared by St. Martin, Gulf Hills, Gulf Park Estates and Latimer)
• 39565 — Vancleave
• 39552 — Escatawpa
• 39555 — Hurley

Geography

Jackson County sits in Mississippi’s Piney Woods on sandy coastal soil, at the state’s southeastern corner where the Pascagoula and Escatawpa rivers empty into the Mississippi Sound. Of its 1,043 square miles, 723 are land and 321 are water — 31 percent, the highest water share of any Mississippi county — a mix of bayous, marsh and the barrier islands offshore. It is the state’s largest county by total area.

George County lies to the north, Stone County to the northwest, Harrison County to the west, and Mobile County, Alabama to the east. George County, Stone County and Harrison County all border Jackson directly, along with Mobile County across the Alabama state line.

Demographics

Jackson County had a population of 143,252 at the 2020 census, Mississippi’s fifth-most populous county, and the latest estimate puts it near 145,249 residents in 2024. Pascagoula and Gautier are the two largest communities, followed closely by Ocean Springs. Median household income runs $66,201 (2024), well above Mississippi’s statewide figure of $54,203 (2023 ACS). Population density works out to roughly 198 people per square mile of land.

Economy & Local Life

Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 9,886 people, followed by health care and social assistance at 9,197 and retail trade at 6,773. Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi’s largest private single-site employer, builds destroyers and amphibious assault ships for the U.S. Navy. Pascagoula is also home to the world’s largest Chevron oil refinery and to Rolls-Royce Naval Marine operations, and Singing River Health System runs hospitals across the county. Ocean Springs’s biggest annual event is the Peter Anderson Arts and Crafts Festival, held the first weekend of November and drawing crowds well beyond the city’s own population.

History

Jackson County was established on 14 December 1812 from unorganized territory, five years before Mississippi became a state, when the old Mobile County was split into Jackson, Mobile and Hancock counties. It was named for Andrew Jackson, a U.S. Army general during the War of 1812 and later president. Spain had ceded the area to the United States only two years earlier, in 1810.

Pascagoula’s downtown grew up as a separate town, Scranton, incorporated in 1870; a governor’s proclamation merged Scranton into Pascagoula in 1904, formalized by a state legislative act in 1912. Hurricane Camille struck the coast in August 1969 and Hurricane Katrina followed on 29 August 2005, both causing severe damage across the county’s low-lying communities.

Getting There

Interstate 10 crosses the county east–west through Moss Point and Gautier. U.S. Route 90 runs along the coast through Pascagoula, Moss Point and Ocean Springs, and Mississippi Highways 57, 63, 609, 611, 613 and 614 connect the inland communities.

• Biloxi — about 22 miles west of Moss Point
• Mobile, Alabama — about 36 miles northeast of Moss Point
• Lucedale — about 23 miles north of Hurley
• New Orleans — about 90 miles west of Pascagoula

Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, roughly 30 miles west, is the nearest major commercial airport; Trent Lott International Airport in Moss Point handles general aviation. Amtrak’s Mardi Gras Service, launched 18 August 2025, stops in Pascagoula on its run between New Orleans and Mobile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Jackson County located?
It sits at Mississippi’s southeastern tip on the Gulf of Mexico, bordered by George, Stone and Harrison counties in Mississippi and Mobile County, Alabama.

What is the population of Jackson County?
143,252 at the 2020 census, with an estimated 145,249 residents in 2024.

How big is Jackson County?
1,043 square miles (2,700 km2), of which 723 square miles are land — the largest county in Mississippi by total area.

What is the county seat of Jackson County?
Pascagoula, whose downtown grew from the former town of Scranton, merged into Pascagoula in 1904.

How many towns and cities are in Jackson County?
Four incorporated cities — Pascagoula, Gautier, Ocean Springs and Moss Point — plus ten census-designated places: St. Martin, Latimer, Gulf Hills, Gulf Park Estates, Vancleave, Escatawpa, Hurley, Wade, Helena and Big Point.

What ZIP codes does Jackson County use?
39567 for Pascagoula, Wade and Helena; 39562 and 39563 for Big Point and Moss Point; 39553 for Gautier; 39564 for Ocean Springs, St. Martin, Gulf Hills, Gulf Park Estates and Latimer; 39565 for Vancleave; 39552 for Escatawpa; and 39555 for Hurley.

What is Jackson County known for?
Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi’s largest private employer, and the world’s largest Chevron refinery, both in Pascagoula, plus the barrier islands offshore in the Mississippi Sound.

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