Moving to Ocean Springs, MS? Your 2026 Neighborhood Guide

By Randy Richardson, Broker Associate, The 4th Right Team

Quick Answer: Ocean Springs is a small, arts-driven city in Jackson County, Mississippi, just across the Biloxi Bay Bridge from Biloxi. The Ocean Springs School District earned an A with 763 points in the state's 2025-26 accountability grades, released in October 2026, tied with Long Beach for the second-highest total in Mississippi. Redfin reported a median sale price of about $304,000 in the 39564 zip for the three months ending June 2026, up 5.9% from a year earlier, with homes selling in about 47 days. The city counted 18,429 residents in the 2020 Census, and 39564 is one of the busiest housing markets on the Coast.

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

It has 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 its top ten Happiest Seaside Towns list in 2015.

The arts thing isn't marketing. Peter Anderson founded Shearwater Pottery here in 1928, and his brother Walter Anderson became one of the South's best-known painters and muralists. The Walter Anderson Museum of Art sits downtown. The Peter Anderson Festival, held the first weekend of November, is one of the Southeast's premier arts and crafts festivals.

How are the schools in Ocean Springs?

Excellent, and consistently so. On the Mississippi Department of Education's 2025-26 accountability grades, released in October 2026, the Ocean Springs School District earned an A with 763 points. That tied Long Beach for the second-highest total among the state's 148 districts, behind only Bay St. Louis-Waveland. Ocean Springs High School earned an A too, with a 95.5% graduation rate.

This year's grades are the first under the state's tougher standards, so don't compare this year's points to older reports. The track record still holds. The district had the top score in the state for both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. For 2024-2025, it stayed near the top statewide, behind Long Beach. On the 2025-2026 state tests, released in August 2026, Ocean Springs ranked in the top ten statewide in all three subjects: English, math, and science.

For a district this size to stay at or near the top of the state year after year is unusual. New accountability grades come out each fall, so check the current Mississippi Succeeds Report Card before you buy.

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's in the Jackson County School District, not the Ocean Springs district. St. Martin's schools have different zoning and different accountability scores. That doesn't mean worse. Jackson County School District earned an A in the 2025-26 grades, and St. Martin High earned an A too. It's just a different district.

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 not much 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?

Around $300,000. Redfin reported a median sale price of about $304,000 in 39564 for the three months ending June 2026, up 5.9% from a year earlier. Price per square foot rose about 1% to $156.

Sales volume is the more useful number. Redfin counted 255 sales in its latest three-month count, one of the biggest totals on the Coast. 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 put more trust in the data than in smaller towns.

Homes averaged 47 days on market, the same as a year earlier, and sold for about 97.7% of list price. Redfin rates 39564 as somewhat competitive. For context, homes across the whole Gulf Coast averaged 71 days on market in August, according to the Gulf Coast Association of REALTORS®. It's a steady, active market rather than a hot one, and for most buyers that's the better situation. Prices run from modest homes and lots well under the median up into the millions on the water.

What about flood risk and insurance in Ocean Springs?

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

First Street modeling shown on Redfin puts about 68% of properties in 39564 at severe flood risk over the next 30 years. That's a forward-looking model, not a FEMA flood zone, so don't treat it as your insurance quote. But it tells you this is low-lying ground threaded with bayous, and your specific lot matters a lot.

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 higher ground farther from the water. Here's what that flood zone letter actually costs.

Jackson County is in Mississippi's coastal Wind Pool area, too. 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 sits just east of Biloxi across the bay bridge, so you're in Biloxi in about ten minutes. Keesler Air Force Base is roughly fifteen minutes. Pascagoula and Ingalls Shipbuilding, Mississippi's largest private single-site employer, run about twenty minutes east. Gulfport is around a half hour, and Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport about twenty-five minutes. Mobile is about an hour east, and New Orleans about an hour and a half west. These are rough off-peak estimates.

If you like Ocean Springs but want more land or a lower price, look at Vancleave to the north or Gautier to the east.

By the Numbers

Median sale price, 39564: about $304,000, three months ending June 2026, up 5.9% (Redfin)
Median price per square foot: $156 (Redfin)
Average days on market: 47 (Redfin)
Sale-to-list ratio: about 97.7% (Redfin)
Properties facing severe flood risk over 30 years: about 68% (First Street, via Redfin)
City population: 17,442 in 2010, 18,429 in 2020
School district grade, 2025-26: A, 763 points, tied for 2nd in Mississippi
School district: top score in Mississippi for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, under the previous grading scale
Katrina storm surge: about 28 feet

The Bottom Line

Ocean Springs gives you the best-known downtown on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, a school district that has ranked at or near the top of the state for years, and a housing market deep enough that the comps mean something. Prices are rising modestly, which is fine if you're buying to live, not 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. When you're ready to look, start with homes for sale in Ocean Springs.

Keep reading: Vancleave, MS 39565: A 2026 Guide to Buying Land and Homes and Gautier, MS 39553: A 2026 Neighborhood Guide for Buyers

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, one of the top school districts in the state, 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?
Ocean Springs has been selling around $300,000, with prices rising modestly. Prices range from modest homes and lots up into the millions on the water, so recent comparable sales nearby are the best guide.

How are the schools in Ocean Springs, MS?
Excellent. On the 2025-26 state accountability grades, the Ocean Springs School District earned an A with 763 points, tied for second in Mississippi, and Ocean Springs High earned an A. The district had the top score in the state for both 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Check the current state report card for the latest grade.

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, which earned an A in the 2025-26 grades, 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 storm surge of about 28 feet in 2005 that destroyed the Biloxi Bay Bridge and much of the waterfront. Flood risk varies a lot by lot, so check the FEMA flood zone and elevation certificate for the specific address and get an insurance quote early.

Sources

WXXV, South Mississippi school districts earn high marks under tougher state accountability standards, October 2026 (2025-26 district grades and points): https://www.wxxv25.com/south-mississippi-school-districts-earn-high-marks-under-tougher-state-accountability-standards-for-2025-26-school-year/
WLOX, South Mississippi schools earn top grades under new MDE standards, October 2026 (2025-26 high school grades and graduation rates): https://www.wlox.com/2026/10/15/south-mississippi-schools-earn-top-grades-under-new-mde-standards/
Redfin, 39564 Housing Market (median sale price, price per square foot, days on market, homes sold, sale-to-list ratio, competitiveness, and First Street flood risk, three months ending June 2026, checked September 2026): https://www.redfin.com/zipcode/39564/housing-market
Gulf Coast Association of REALTORS®, Gulf Coast Market Stats, August 2026 (average days on market across the Coast): https://gcarealtors.com/
Wikipedia, Ocean Springs School District (top district rankings for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Springs_School_District
WLOX, Long Beach School District ranks number one in the state, September 2025 (2024-2025 statewide ranking): https://www.wlox.com/2025/09/25/long-beach-school-district-ranks-number-one-state/
WLOX, South Mississippi school districts rank in top 10 on state test results, August 2026 (2025-2026 test results): https://www.wlox.com/2026/08/21/south-mississippi-school-districts-rank-top-10-state-test-results/
Wikipedia, Ocean Springs, Mississippi (population, Katrina surge and damage, Biloxi Bay Bridge, national rankings, Walter Anderson, Peter Anderson Festival): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocean_Springs,_Mississippi
Mississippi Code Section 83-34-1 (coast area counties for the Windstorm Underwriting Association): https://law.justia.com/codes/mississippi/title-83/chapter-34/section-83-34-1/

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About the Author
Randy Richardson is a Broker Associate and Team Leader of The 4th Right Team at CENTURY 21 J. Carter & Company. He serves buyers and sellers across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Randy Richardson | Broker Associate
The 4th Right Team | Century 21 J. Carter & Company
📞 Office: (228) 731-3881 | Cell: (228) 547-9999
📧 realtorrandyrichardson@gmail.com
🌐 www.The4thRightTeam.com

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