Cost of homeownership in Hancock County, Mississippi
Real dollar cost of ownership, rent-vs-buy analysis, and flood risk, backed by Census ACS, FEMA, and FHFA data. Population: 46,010.
Total annual ownership cost
Breakdown of what owning a typical home in Hancock County costs each year.
- Property taxes$1,572
- Insurance estimate$1,500
- Utilities / energy$1,515
- Maintenance (1% of value)$1,974
- Total$6,561/yr · $547/mo
Insurance and energy figures typically vary by property. Adjust in the calculators for a personalized estimate.
Rent vs. buy in Hancock County
Pre-filled with local median home value, median gross rent (Census ACS / HUD FMR), and current FRED rate.
Flood risk
Historical signal from FEMA National Flood Insurance Program.
Risk bucket is normalized as historical claims per 1,000 housing units, not raw count, so dense urban counties aren't penalized for size alone. Buckets: low (<1), moderate (1–10), high (10–50), very-high (50+). Hancock County: 33.48 per 1,000. Historical claims do not capture uninsured properties. For parcel-level flood-zone designations, use FEMA's Map Service Center.
Full flood-risk breakdown →Home price trend in Mississippi
FHFA House Price Index, quarterly.
Property tax above state average.
Share of units owner-occupied (Census ACS).
Census ACS 5-year estimate.
Housing cost burden in Hancock County
Share of households paying 30% or more of income on housing (HUD CHAS 2017-2021). HUD does not publish county-level CHAS rollups through the public API, so Mississippi state data is shown for local context alongside the US average.
Affordability by income bracket
Monthly 30% housing budget at each income vs the median owner cost in Hancock County. Bars above the dashed line can absorb this county's typical ownership cost.
HUD area median income (4-person household) for Mississippi: $78,100. Income limits define 80% AMI at $62,150 and 50% AMI at $38,800.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to own a home in Hancock County?
Based on Census ACS, typical total annual cost in Hancock County is around $6,561 ($547 per month), covering property tax, insurance estimate, utilities, and 1% maintenance. Your actual cost varies by home age, size, and location within the county.
What is the property tax in Hancock County?
Median annual property tax is $1,572 on the county's median home value of $197,400 (Census ACS).
Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Hancock County?
On a monthly cash-flow basis, the typical owner-cost-with-mortgage in Hancock County runs about 57% above the county's median rent. That comparison doesn't account for the opportunity cost on your down payment, maintenance reserve, transaction costs, or how long you plan to stay — use the calculator below to model your specific break-even year against your time horizon.
What is the flood risk in Hancock County?
high historical flood-risk signal from FEMA NFIP: 649 claims (33.48 per 1,000 housing units), average claim $13,745. Bucket reflects claim density, not absolute claim count.
Data sources
- Census ACS 5-year: FIPS 28045
- FEMA NFIP: flood claims aggregation
- HUD Fair Market Rents
- HUD CHAS: cost-burden rollups
- HUD Income Limits
- FHFA HPI
- FRED MORTGAGE30US: as of 2026-05-07