Living in Collins, Mississippi: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 16.4% below the U.S. average in the parts of Mississippi outside metro areas.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 2.2 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhood11 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 5 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 20.3 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
Schools in town3 public schools: 2 elementary and 1 high school.
A hospital close byCovington County Hospital Cah is in town and has an emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityNew Orleans is about 112 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Collins meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $84,200U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 15%Covington County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $751 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $37,944U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 55%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $511 a yearMississippi: $1,215
Homes built before 1940: 3%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 1%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 0%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 83.6U.S. average = 100 (the parts of Mississippi outside metro areas)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 15% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the parts of Mississippi outside metro areas, not Collins alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 2,2322020: 2,332
Median age: 48.8 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 21%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 20%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 7%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 2%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (33%); manufacturing (14%); construction (14%)
Unemployment rate: 5%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 27 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 6%U.S.: 15%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Covington County Hospital Cah, Collins, MS, in town. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Magee General Hospital, Magee, MS, about 18 miles away. Medicare gives it 2 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

3 public schools in Collins, run by Covington County School District.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Mississippi's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with any internet subscription: 73%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 34°F
July average high: 94°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 70 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 41 a year
Rain and melted snow: 58.1 inches a year
Snow: 0 inches a year
Elevation: 293 feet

Weather station: Collins (1 mile away). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Jackson, MSCity of 141,00060

New Orleans, LAMetro of 1 million112

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Jackson, New Orleans.

Covington County is outside any metro area, with fewer than 5,000 people in its towns, next to a metro area (USDA rural-urban code 8, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.

Read about Collins's history on Wikipedia.

Know Collins?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Taylorsville, MS1,100 people, 15 miles
Sumrall, MS2,300 people, 16 miles
Magee, MS3,900 people, 18 miles
Ellisville, MS4,500 people, 21 miles
Laurel, MS17,700 people, 25 miles
West Hattiesburg, MS6,700 people, 26 miles

Smaller places

Seminary, MS295 people, 7 miles
Mount Olive, MS883 people, 9 miles
Bassfield, MS180 people, 15 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.