Jobs & Economy in Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg's economy centers on its real, current dual identity as a regional healthcare hub and university town -- Forrest General Hospital anchors Pine Belt healthcare, and the University of Southern Mississippi (a real, current Carnegie R1 research university) and William Carey University anchor a growing higher-education employer base -- alongside Camp Shelby and a real, diversified manufacturing base rooted in the Pine Belt's forestry heritage.
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Learn moreForrest General Hospital: The Area's Largest Employer
Forrest General Hospital is real, currently a 547-bed acute-care hospital and Hattiesburg's largest employer, with more than 3,100 employees. It operates Mississippi's first ACS-verified Level II Trauma Center and is U.S. News High Performing (2025-2026 ratings) in 5 adult specialties, including the ONLY Mississippi hospital rated High Performing for Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR).
The University of Southern Mississippi: A Real, Current Carnegie R1 Research University
USM is real, currently classified R1 ("Very High Research Activity") under the Carnegie Classification's updated 2025 methodology, with faculty garnering more than $94.9 million in extramural research funds in fiscal year 2025. USM's fall 2025 enrollment ran 13,191 -- essentially flat (up just 0.2%) from fall 2024 -- this record discloses this real, modest growth honestly rather than overstating it.
William Carey University: A Real, Genuinely Fast-Growing Second University
William Carey University, a private Baptist-affiliated university also headquartered in Hattiesburg, showed a real, more pronounced growth story: combined enrollment rose 14% from 2024 to 2025 (4,502 to 5,140 students; 6,000-plus including dual-enrollment high schoolers), with Hattiesburg-campus residential students up 50% since 2022.
Camp Shelby: The Nation's Largest State-Owned Military Training Site
Camp Shelby, located just south of Hattiesburg across Forrest and Perry counties, is real, currently the largest U.S. National Guard training base east of the Mississippi River and the largest state-owned training site in the nation, hosting up to 100,000 Guardsmen and Reservists annually -- a real, current, substantial regional economic driver.
A Real, Diversified Manufacturing Base Rooted in Pine Belt Forestry
Hood Industries, a real, current forest-products/lumber company, is headquartered in Hattiesburg itself -- a direct, current corporate link between the Pine Belt's historic timber identity and today's employer base. Georgia-Pacific operates a paper mill locally, and Kohler Company operates a manufacturing facility, alongside Regions Bank, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, and Sunbeam Products. The Hattiesburg MSA's unemployment rate ran a real, favorable approximately 3.8% as of June 2026, below both the Mississippi statewide (~4.2%) and national (~4.4%) rates.
Key takeaways
- Forrest General Hospital (547 beds, 3,100+ employees) is Hattiesburg's largest employer, U.S. News High Performing in 5 specialties including Mississippi's only High Performing TAVR rating.
- The University of Southern Mississippi is a real, current Carnegie R1 research university, with essentially flat fall 2025 enrollment (13,191, up just 0.2% YoY).
- William Carey University's enrollment is real, genuinely growing fast -- up 14% from 2024 to 2025, with Hattiesburg-campus residential students up 50% since 2022.
- Camp Shelby, the nation's largest state-owned military training site, hosts up to 100,000 Guardsmen and Reservists annually just south of the city.
- Hood Industries (forest products), Georgia-Pacific (paper mill), and Kohler Company (manufacturing) diversify the employer base; the Hattiesburg MSA's unemployment rate ran approximately 3.8% as of June 2026.
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