PlainCompare

Metro Life Score

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS

58.0
Life Score / 100
B+
Grade (curved)
#83
of 387 metros
79%
of metros outranked

Data updated May 2026

Verify: BEA · BLS · HUD · FBI · NCES · EPA · Census

The verdict

Gulfport ranks #83 of 387 US metros, ahead of 79% - carried by its childcare (99/100) and held back most by schools (13/100).

99
strongest: Childcare
90
then: Safety
13
weakest: Schools
7
weighted dimensions

Where Gulfport sits among all US metros

Composite Life Score vs the national field

58 Top 21% higher than 79% of 387 US metros

25–30: 1 US metros (0%). Below this entry. 30–35: 16 US metros (4%). Below this entry. 35–40: 46 US metros (12%). Below this entry. 40–45: 53 US metros (14%). Below this entry. 45–50: 81 US metros (21%). Below this entry. 50–55: 67 US metros (17%). Below this entry. 55–60: 68 US metros (18%). This entry sits in this band. 60–65: 40 US metros (10%). Above this entry. 65–70: 12 US metros (3%). Above this entry. 70–75: 3 US metros (1%). Above this entry. This metro 25 75 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainCompare composite of BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, EPA data · May 2026

How the score is built

Reading the Gulfport Life Score

Gulfport's composite score of 58.0 out of 100, a grade of B+, places the metro at rank #83 of 387, ahead of 79% of US metros. The strongest inputs are Childcare (99/100) and Safety (90/100), which pull the composite upward, while Schools (13/100) and Wages (17/100) drag it downward. (How the weighting works.)

BEA RPP 90.0 (rent-RPP 67.9). BLS median salary $58,519, 149,220 jobs (Retail Salespersons, Cashiers, Waiters and Waitresses). HUD 2BR FMR $1,140/mo (studio $786).

FBI UCR (MS): 143 violent, 953 property/100K. NCES: 13.3:1 ratio, 0.9% charter. DOL infant childcare $6,498/yr. EPA: 14 Superfund sites (MS). Ranks #80-#86 below.

Dimension detail

How Gulfport scores, dimension by dimension

Score Breakdown

Cost of Living Wages Rent Safety Schools Childcare Environment

Dimension Scores

Cost of Living 75/100 (20%)
Wages 17/100 (20%)
Rent 75/100 (15%)
Safety 90/100 (15%)
Schools 13/100 (10%)
Childcare 99/100 (10%)
Environment 37/100 (10%)

Key Data Points

90.0
Cost Index (RPP)
$58,519
Avg Median Salary
$1,140
2BR Fair Market Rent
143
Violent Crime/100K (MS)
13.3:1
Student-Teacher Ratio
$6,498
Infant Childcare/yr (MS)
14
Superfund Sites (MS)
149,220
Total Employment

Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level where metro-specific data is unavailable.

Compare Gulfport With...

Gulfport vs Hattiesburg Compare → Gulfport vs Jackson Compare → Gulfport vs Memphis Compare → Gulfport vs Wildwood Compare → Gulfport vs Waterloo Compare → Gulfport vs Paducah Compare →

Ranking Context

Gulfport outranks 79% of U.S. metros.

Rank Metro Score Grade
#80 Waco, TX 58.2 B+
#81 Cleveland, OH 58.2 B+
#82 Idaho Falls, ID 58.4 B+
#83 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 58.0 B+
#84 Bowling Green, KY 58.0 B+
#85 Fayetteville, NC 58.0 B+
#86 Hammond, LA 57.8 B+

MS Metro Scores

Hattiesburg, MS A- 59.7 Jackson, MS B 54.8 Memphis, TN-MS-AR C+ 47.4

Using Gulfport's Life Score

Gulfport is a regional baseline, not a neighborhood reading, use it to shortlist, then dig into the dimensions that matter to you.

  • Its strongest dimension is childcare (99/100) and its weakest is schools (13/100) - weigh those against your own priorities. How the score is built
  • Put Gulfport head-to-head against another metro before you decide, every dimension, side by side. Compare metros
  • See where Gulfport lands on the national rankings for cost, safety, pay and more. Browse rankings

Scores summarize federal data at the metro level; crime, schools and cost vary widely within a single metro.

Explore more

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Gulfport's biggest strengths? ▼
Gulfport's strongest dimensions are Childcare (99/100), Safety (90/100), Cost of Living (75/100). Childcare is top-tier nationally.
What are Gulfport's weakest areas? ▼
Gulfport's lowest-scoring dimensions are Schools (13/100), Wages (17/100), Environment (37/100). Schools weighs heavily on the composite.
How expensive is Gulfport compared to the national average? ▼
Gulfport's Regional Price Parity is 90.0 (10.0% less than national); rent RPP 67.9.
What is the average salary in Gulfport? ▼
Gulfport median salary: $58,519, 149,220 jobs. Top: Retail Salespersons, Cashiers, Waiters and Waitresses.
How is the life score calculated? ▼
Gulfport's 58.0/100 blends 7 federal-data dimensions - see our methodology page for the weighting.

Research Guides

Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.

Related

Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, DOL, and EPA. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

All federal data sources used on this page
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - multi-dimension demographic + housing + income aggregates for cross-area comparison. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • BEA Regional Economic Accounts - GDP, personal income, employment by state and metro. bea.gov/data/regional
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) - wage estimates for comparable-area indexing. bls.gov/oes
  • FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - crime statistics for safety-score component. fbi.gov/ucr
  • NCES Common Core of Data - public-school quality indicators by area. nces.ed.gov/ccd
  • EPA AirNow + Air Quality System (AQS) - air-quality measurements by area. epa.gov/outdoor-air-quality-data
  • HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR) - county and metro housing-cost indicators. huduser.gov/datasets/fmr

Every figure on PlainCompare is loaded directly from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OEWS, NCES, DOL, EPA, and the Census Bureau, no number is typed in by an editor. This metro's Life Score is computed directly from the 7 federal sources cited above. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026.