INVEST
LAUREL is strategically situated about 30 miles north of Hattiesburg and almost 60 miles south of Meridian. An estimated 30,000 cars travel Interstate 59 between Hattiesburg and Meridian each day according to the Mississippi Department of Transportation Annual Average Daily Traffic Map.
Population 18,500
Daily Population 45,000
Housing Units 7,700
Businesses 1,750
Average Household Income $50,057
Median Home Value $83,700
City Budget $17,000,000
Did You Know?
Laurel brings in 60% more in sales tax collections than the city of Madison, 112% more than Ocean Springs, and 35% more than Oxford. You’ll find Laurel on par with tax collections from Mississippi cities like Biloxi, Flowood, and Columbus.
-MS Department of Revenue 2013
Major Employers
- Care Center of Laurel
- Dunn Roadbuilders
- Essmeuller Company
- Headrick Signs
- Howard Industries
- Laurel Machine & Foundry
- Laurel School District
- Masonite Corporation
- Morgan Brothers Millwork
- Sanderson Farms Corporate Office
- Sawmill Square Mall
- South Central Regional Medical Center
- Tanner Construction
- Thermo-Kool
- Wal-Mart
- Wayne Farms Corporate Office
- West Quality Food
Federal and State Infrastructure
- 4 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, 1 high school
- Two U.S. Post Offices
- Laurel Airport, one of only two of the state’s self-sustaining, general aviation airports with a dozen daily flights, including jet service
- South Central Regional Medical’s 285-bed hospital
- Primary interstate artery, I-59, for hurricane evacuation and transportation to New Orleans
- 4 U.S. highways, 2 state highways
- Amtrak and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks with a peak seasonal run count up to 76 (MDOT Rail Div.) that connect New Orleans to the Northeast United States
- Laurel Natatorium, Olympic pool complex
- Laurel Sportsplex, six baseball fields and 14 soccer fields
- Magnolia Center & Fairgrounds
- Public Water Works System
- Regional offices for AT&T, Mississippi Power and CenterPoint Energy
The Town That Timber Built
Built in the heart of the Pine Belt just before the turn of the century, Laurel earned its distinction as “The Town that Timber Built” from city fathers who came to mill its coveted yellow pine. With its lumber background, it is no surprise that within the Laurel city limits you’ll find one of the largest collections of craftsman-style homes in the United States, many of which were built in the 1920s and 1930s. Oak-lined avenues connect the city’s five parks, four elementary schools, two middle schools, and a high school with combined enrollment of over 2,900 students.
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