† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupPetalMississippiUnited States
American16.3%10.0%5.3%
English14.2%10.6%9.5%
Irish11.3%7.4%9.4%
German9.7%5.1%12.5%
French3.6%1.7%1.6%
Scottish3.1%1.6%1.3%
Italian2.1%1.7%4.8%
Scotch-Irish2.1%1.0%—
African American†15.9%35.3%9.9%
Mexican2.6%1.9%11.3%
Puerto Rican0.6%0.3%1.8%
Honduran0.5%0.2%0.3%
Cuban0.3%—0.7%
Salvadoran0.3%—0.7%
Spaniard0.3%——
Spanish0.3%——
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Petal
Mississippi
United States
Median age
37
38.6
39.1
Age 18–24
9.7%
9.7%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
15.1%
17.3%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Petal
Mississippi
United States
Median household income
$74,750
$56,447
$84,427
Poverty rate
11.1%
19.0%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
27.8%
25.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Petal
Mississippi
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
4.2%
4.3%
22.3%
Spanish
3.2%
2.7%
13.6%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
1.1%
0.2%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Petal
Mississippi
United States
Catholic
—
3.4%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
39.0%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
40.7%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Petal, Mississippi
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
−73.1%
2008
−68.5%
2012
−59.7%
2016
−66.4%
2020
−54.7%
2024
−57.6%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
R
20.5%Harris925
78.1%Trump3,529
1.4%
R+57.6
R+3.0
R+56.2
4,517
R
21.5%Biden1,017
76.1%Trump3,608
2.4%
R+54.7
D+11.7
R+59.1
4,740
R
15.1%Clinton612
81.4%Trump3,306
3.5%
R+66.4
R+6.6
R+68.4
4,060
R
19.5%Obama923
79.2%Romney3,751
1.3%
R+59.7
D+8.7
R+63.6
4,735
R
15.0%Obama588
83.5%McCain3,270
1.5%
R+68.5
D+4.6
R+75.7
3,918
R
13.3%Kerry539
86.4%Bush3,505
0.3%
R+73.1
—
R+70.6
4,058
Petal sits just across the Leaf River from Hattiesburg, and its modest but steady population growth has made it a quiet bellwether for how exurban Mississippians trend in statewide races.
Across the recorded series it reached a Republican high of 73.1 points in 2004. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 3.0 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 57.6 points.
A population of 11,294, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $74,750 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Lindale and Yulee.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Petal, Mississippi voted Republican by 57.6 points (R+57.6), carried by the Republican candidate. Out of 4,517 votes cast, 925 went Democratic and 3,529 went Republican.
How many people live in Petal, Mississippi?
Petal, Mississippi has a population of 11,294 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Petal, Mississippi?
Median household income in Petal, Mississippi is $74,750 — below the national median of $80,734. The Mississippi state median is $56,447.
What is the political history of Petal, Mississippi?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Petal, Mississippi from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 0 went Democratic and 6 went Republican.
