Moving to Ocean Springs, MS? Your 2026 Neighborhood Guide

Quick Answer: Ocean Springs is a small arts-driven city in Jackson County, Mississippi, sitting just across the Biloxi Bay Bridge from Biloxi. The Ocean Springs School District earned an A and ranked second among all 149 Mississippi districts on the state's 2024-2025 accountability scores with 781 points, after finishing first the two years before that. Redfin reported a median sale price of about $285,000 in the 39564 zip. Roughly 18,429 people live inside the city limits, and 729 properties sold in the zip over a recent twelve-month stretch, making it one of the busiest markets on the coast.

What makes Ocean Springs different from the rest of the coast?

It's the only town on the Mississippi Gulf Coast with a real downtown you'd drive an hour to visit. Government Street and the blocks around it are lined with live oaks, galleries, boutiques, and restaurants, and people come from Mobile and New Orleans to spend a Saturday there. USA Today named it a top ten Best Coastal Small Town in 2022, and Coastal Living put it on a top ten Happiest Seaside Towns list back in 2015.

The arts thing isn't marketing. Peter Anderson founded Shearwater Pottery here in 1928, and his brother Walter Anderson became the only Mississippi artist to have work exhibited at the Smithsonian. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art opened in 1991, and his murals inside the community center are valued around $27 million. The Peter Anderson Festival runs the first weekend of November, started in 1978, and draws somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 people with more than 300 vendors.

How are the schools in Ocean Springs?

Excellent, and consistently so. The Ocean Springs School District scored 781 points and an A on the Mississippi Department of Education's 2024-2025 accountability report, ranking second in the state behind Long Beach. Before that, MDE ranked Ocean Springs the top-performing district in Mississippi for both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024.

The district runs seven schools with roughly 5,808 students. Ocean Springs High School is International Baccalaureate certified, with about 1,928 students and a student-teacher ratio near 16 to 1. For a district this size to hold a top-two spot statewide year after year is unusual. Most large districts trade consistency for scale. This one hasn't.

Does a 39564 address mean you're in the Ocean Springs School District?

No, and this one catches buyers constantly. St. Martin is an unincorporated community that uses an Ocean Springs 39564 mailing address, but it sits in the Jackson County School District, not Ocean Springs. St. Martin High School's own address reads Ocean Springs, MS 39564, and it's a Jackson County school with a different mascot, different zoning, and different accountability scores.

Gulf Hills and other areas outside the city limits carry the same mailing address. So a listing that says "Ocean Springs" tells you the mail carrier's route and nothing more. If schools are why you're buying, call the Ocean Springs School District and confirm zoning for the exact street address before you write an offer. Not the subdivision. The address.

How much do homes cost in Ocean Springs in 2026?

Right around $285,000 to $305,000 depending on the source, and prices have been close to flat. Redfin showed a $285,000 median sale price for 39564, up 0.9% year over year. RealtyTrac put the zip's median at $305,000 with 729 properties sold across twelve months. Zillow's average home value came in at $275,246, up 0.5%.

That flat trend is the honest headline, but the sales volume is the more useful number. Ocean Springs moved 729 properties in a year. Long Beach did 312. Pass Christian did 206. That means the comps here are real comps, not two waterfront sales dragging a whole median around. If you're pricing a home in Ocean Springs, you can actually trust the data.

Prices run from around $45,000 for land and teardowns up past $2 million on the water. Days on market have been running about 60 to 70, which is quicker than most of the coast right now. It's a stable, liquid market rather than a hot one, and for most buyers that's the better situation.

What about flood risk and insurance?

Take it seriously here. Katrina's storm surge reached 28 feet in 2005 and destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge along with much of the Ocean Springs shoreline, including the yacht club. The replacement bridge opened in 2007.

First Street's modeling, shown on Redfin, projects that about 74% of properties in the 39564 zip face some risk of severe flooding over the next 30 years. That's a forward-looking model, not a FEMA flood zone designation, so don't treat it as your insurance quote. But it does tell you this is a low-lying area threaded with bayous, and that your specific lot matters a lot.

In principle, three things set your cost. The FEMA flood zone, your finished floor elevation, and wind coverage. Homes near Front Beach, Old Fort Bayou, and the back bay generally price higher than homes on the higher ground north of Highway 90. Get an insurance quote and the elevation certificate before you're under contract.

How far is Ocean Springs from Biloxi, Pascagoula, and Mobile?

Ocean Springs is about two miles east of Biloxi across the bay bridge, so you're in Biloxi in under ten minutes. Keesler Air Force Base is roughly fifteen minutes. Pascagoula and Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi's largest private employer, run about twenty minutes east. Gulfport is around a half hour. Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport is about twenty-five minutes. Mobile sits roughly 50 miles east and New Orleans about 100 miles west, so this is the eastern end of the coast, not the middle of it.

By the Numbers

Median sale price, 39564: about $285,000 to $305,000, depending on source
Year-over-year price change: roughly flat, up 0.9%
Properties sold in 39564 over twelve months: 729
Days on market: about 60 to 70
City population, 2020 Census: 18,429
Median household income: about $79,712
School district state ranking: 2nd of 149, with an A and 781 points
Peter Anderson Festival attendance: 80,000 to 100,000

The Bottom Line

Ocean Springs gives you the best downtown on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a school district that's finished first or second in the state three years running, and a housing market deep enough that the comps mean something. Prices aren't climbing much, which is fine if you're buying to live rather than flip. The two things to nail down are school zoning for the exact address and a real insurance quote on the specific lot. Get those right and this is one of the most livable towns in the state.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Ocean Springs, MS a good place to live?
For most buyers, yes. It has a walkable arts downtown, restaurants people drive in for, a top-two school district statewide, and quick access to Biloxi and Keesler. USA Today named it a top ten Best Coastal Small Town in 2022.

How much does a house cost in Ocean Springs, MS?
Recent data puts the 39564 median between about $285,000 and $305,000, roughly flat year over year. Prices range from around $45,000 for land up past $2 million for waterfront property.

How are the schools in Ocean Springs, MS?
The Ocean Springs School District earned an A and ranked second among all 149 Mississippi districts on the 2024-2025 state accountability scores with 781 points. It ranked first statewide in both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Ocean Springs High School is International Baccalaureate certified.

Is St. Martin part of Ocean Springs?
No. St. Martin is an unincorporated community that shares the Ocean Springs 39564 mailing address, but it's served by the Jackson County School District, not the Ocean Springs School District. Confirm zoning for the exact address before you buy.

Does Ocean Springs flood?
Parts of it can. Katrina brought a 28-foot storm surge in 2005 that destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge and much of the shoreline. Flood risk varies significantly by lot, so check the FEMA flood zone and elevation certificate for the specific address and get an insurance quote early.

Sources

Mississippi Department of Education 2025 District Ratings (https://www.mississippifreepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-School-District-Ratings.pdf) — Ocean Springs A rating and 781-point score
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Springs_School_District) — Top-ranked district for 2022-23 and 2023-24
U.S. News (https://www.usnews.com/education/k12/mississippi/districts/ocean-springs-school-dist-112345) — District school count and enrollment
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Martin_High_School) — St. Martin High School's Jackson County district and Ocean Springs mailing address
Redfin (https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/39564/housing-market) — 39564 median sale price, days on market, First Street flood risk projection
RealtyTrac (https://www.realtytrac.com/market-trends/ocean-springs-ms-39564/) — Twelve-month sales volume and price range
Zillow (https://www.zillow.com/home-values/53676/ocean-springs-ms/) — Average home value
Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Springs,_Mississippi) — 2020 Census population, Katrina damage, national rankings
Advisory Council on Historic Preservation (https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/ocean-springs-mississippi) — Shearwater Pottery, Walter Anderson murals, Peter Anderson Festival attendance
World Population Review (https://worldpopulationreview.com/us-cities/mississippi/ocean-springs) — Median household income

Randy Richardson | Broker Associate
The 4th Right Team | Century 21 J. Carter & Company
📞 Office: (228) 731-3881 | Cell: (228) 547-9999
📧 realtorrandyrichardson@gmail.com
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