Throughout several months in 2020, Mayor Toby Barker impressed upon Hattiesburg residents the importance of filling out the U.S. Census, which determines measures such as federal funding and congressional representation based on population.
Barker’s work in that endeavor seems to have paid off, with numbers from the 2020 Census - which was started by the U.S. Census Bureau in March 2020 and completed in October of that year - showing a 5.96 percent growth in Hattiesburg’s population, or more than 2,500 new residents, over the last 10 years. In 2010, the year of the previous census, the Hub City’s count was 45,863; in 2020, that number grew to 48,730.
“It came out much better than I expected,” Barker said. “We went into the census knowing that we had lost a lot of population in a few neighborhoods because of the 2013 and 2017 tornadoes, and while we had a really sophisticated plan for this census count, it was built on a lot of in-person events, and as soon as the census started, COVID hit.
“Even with those things combined, we really went in heavy, and we feel like we had the best possible count."
Numbers for the Hattiesburg Metropolitan Statistical Area, Forrest County and Lamar County according to the 2020 Census are as follows:
- Hattiesburg MSA: Featured a census population of 172,231, for a 6 percent increase in population since the 2010 census. That growth ranks second in metropolitan growth in the state, behind Gulfport-Biloxi. The city reported 74,640 housing units in 2020, which is an increase of 6.1 percent since the 2010 census.
- Forrest County: Featured a census population of 78,158, for a 4.3 percent increase in population since the 2010 census. That growth ranks 10th in the state, as far as counties. The county reported 33,490 housing units, which is an increase of 3.7 percent since the 2010 census.
- Lamar County: Featured a census population of 64,222, for a 15.4 percent in population since the 2010 census. That growth ranks second in the state, as far as counties. The county reported 27,434 housing units, which is an increase of 14 percent since the 2010 census.
Barker attributed the growth, in part, to the fact that Hattiesburg has been ranked first in the state in job creation for the past several years.
“That’s an automatic draw,” he said. “I think that the culture of our city lends itself to people when they’re looking at Mississippi; we’re at the top of the list.
“When you have two universities, both of which are doing well in their respective area of focus, that continually brings new people in. A lot of them end up choosing to stay here."
The new census data, which was delayed for more than four months because of the COVID-19 pandemic, meets the required criteria as constitutionally mandated for political boundaries to be updated at several levels of government.
“This census was unbelievably hard due to everything our residents have faced over the last year, but I cannot speak enough about the efforts of our office staff, our steering committee of community volunteers, the business community and our civic and faith-based organizations,” Barker said. “Together, they helped drive a grassroots approach to make sure Hattiesburg counts.
“I look forward to our continued momentum in building on our ability to be a premier city in the Gulf South.”
In addition, Barker estimates that between 2,000 and 3,000 residents were not counted in the census, as several students from The University of Southern Mississippi and William Carey University left for spring break and did not come back for in-person classes by the time of the count.
“We obviously wish they would have been counted, because we probably would have crossed the 50,000 (residents) threshold, and Biloxi would not have passed us in terms of (population) now,” Barker said. “However, having grown by 6 percent, and the rest of the state is losing population, that’s a win. I’m excited about both of our counties and the growth that they saw, and I think it’s a real testament that Hattiesburg is a destination for people who want to live in a dynamic (city), and with a city with a lot of opportunity."
Barker said the city was hurt in the 2010 census because of an inaccurate count caused by a poor response by residents. Hattiesburg, which was projected to have a population of approximately 51,000 in that census, instead came in at 46,000.
As a result of that, the Hub City fell to the rank of fourth most populous city in Mississippi, down from its previous rank of third in the state. In addition, after the 2000 census, Mississippi dropped down from five congressional seats to four.
“We did not do a good count (in 2010),” Barker said in a previous story. “In fact, there was not a single area in our city - not a single census tract - that had a self-response rate of over 37 percent.
“And there were consequences to that … and we remember that count (in 2020).”
With the latest numbers, however, Barker is confident that Hattiesburg’s growth will continue from here on out, particularly with the fact that next year, William Carey University will boast the largest medical school in Mississippi. That, in itself, will bring in 200 new medical students per year.
“A lot of them stick around for residency, and a lot of them may stay here for full-time, permanent jobs,” Barker said. “Maybe in years from now, (some of them) will come back here to retire, and so I’m excited about the future. Again, we’re better than we expected, but at the same time, we feel there was something left on the table that no one can really help with because of when classes let out for the spring.
"I can’t say enough about our staff and the campaign they put together … and the partners that we recruited to help get the word out. Considering that you didn’t have census workers on the ground until the summer, a lot of the legwork had been done and the narrative was already there, and we’re appreciative of our federal census workers, and also the people of Hattiesburg who took the time to fill out their (census) form and told others to do the same.”
