Sell Your Commercial Property In Jackson, MS

Who rents in Jackson

Jackson had 146,631 residents in the 2020–2024 American Community Survey, about 67.1% of the 218,533 in Hinds County. Renters hold 31,537 of the city's 61,415 occupied homes, or 51.4%, against 41.7% countywide and 30.0% across Mississippi. Jackson accounts for 84.5% of the 37,315 renter households in Hinds County, so an owner looking to sell commercial property in Jackson, MS sells into most of that county's rental market.

Public-sector and health care payrolls anchor that demand. The State Personnel Board counted 82,572 full-time employees in Mississippi's state workforce on June 30, 2025, and reports that 56% of the employees under its purview work outside Metro Jackson. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is the state's only academic medical center, with a $2 billion annual budget it equates to 10 percent of the Jackson metro economy, and it reports more than 13,000 employees and over 2,500 students. Mississippi Baptist Medical Center, a 638-bed hospital on North State Street, adds a second large clinical employer near downtown.

Rents and what tenants can afford

Median gross rent in Jackson was $1,055 over 2020–2024, close to Hinds County's $1,061 and above Mississippi's $954. Incomes lag the rest of the state: the city's median household income was $42,071, against $49,402 in the county and $56,447 statewide. Among renters, 60.3% (about 17,284 households) pay 30% or more of income on housing, and 31.3%, or 8,965 households, pay half or more. Hinds County's figures are 57.9% and 30.4%, and the statewide figures are 51.3% and 26.0%.

HUD set fair market rents for the Jackson area, which covers Copiah, Hinds, Madison and Rankin counties, for FY2027:

Source: HUD FY2027 FMR schedule. The area is wider than the city and the Census median covers every unit size, so the two are not like for like. A buyer will test whether 31.3% of renters already paying half their income can absorb an increase.

The apartment stock

According to Census ACS data, 16,211 of Jackson's 74,871 housing units, or 21.7%, sit in buildings of five or more units, against 17.9% in Hinds County and 9.2% in Mississippi. The split is 7,705 units in 5–9 unit buildings, 3,278 in 10–19, 1,969 in 20–49 and 3,259 in buildings of 50 or more, with 6,401 more in two-to-four unit buildings. Jackson holds 85.4% of Hinds County's 18,983 units in larger buildings. Detached houses are 66.1% of the city's stock.

The buildings are mostly mid-century or older. The median year built is 1969, compared with 1974 in the county and 1986 statewide, and 72.8% of units predate 1980 versus 61.6% in Hinds County and 41.5% in Mississippi. Only 2,523 units (3.4%) date from 2010 or later, and 253 from 2020 or later. Rental vacancy is 8.4%, and total vacancy, which includes seasonal and other non-rental units, is 18.0%, against 15.8% in the county and 14.6% in the state. Anyone looking to sell commercial real estate in Jackson, MS should know buyers read those numbers as roofs, HVAC, plumbing and unit turns, and they price that work into the offer.

Property taxes in Hinds County

The Mississippi Department of Revenue explains that the county tax assessor appraises property at true value, real property must be revalued at least once every four years, and taxes equal true value times the assessment ratio times the millage rate. Class I, single-family owner-occupied homes, is assessed at 10% of true value. Class II, all other real property, is assessed at 15%, which is where an apartment building falls. Taxes are due by February 1, and an appeal is normally filed by the first Monday in August.

Each taxing entity sets its own levy, covering the county, the municipality and the school district, so the total mills for a Jackson parcel depend on its district. Hinds County says its rates for the new tax year are not set until September. We did not find a dated official total for Jackson, so we do not quote one here; ask the Hinds County Tax Assessor for the rate on a specific parcel. As an illustration only, a $2 million building is assessed at $300,000 at 15%, and every 10 mills of levy adds $3,000 a year. At the 100 mills in the Department's own example, the tax would be $30,000.

The sources we opened did not address reassessment after a sale or a transfer tax, so we leave both out. Confirm them with the Hinds County Tax Assessor and Chancery Clerk before you price a deal.

Landlord rules for Jackson owners

Mississippi's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Miss. Code Ann. §§ 89-8-1 through 89-8-29, governs most residential leases. This summary comes from the Attorney General's consumer guide, which reflects amendments through the 2018 session, so check current text. On deposits, the landlord claims amounts by written, itemized notice and must return the remainder within 45 days after the tenancy ends, possession is delivered and the tenant demands it (§ 89-8-21). Bad-faith retention can bring damages up to $200 plus actual damages.

For unpaid rent, § 89-7-27 allows removal proceedings after three days' written notice requiring payment or possession. For other breaches, § 89-8-13 requires a notice giving at least 14 days to cure before the lease ends, and notice may go by email or text if the tenant agreed in writing. A month-to-month tenancy ends on 30 days' written notice, and a week-to-week tenancy on seven days (§ 89-8-19).

The city adds a registration layer. The City of Jackson relaunched its rental registration program, issues a Rental Certificate, requires a local agent who can act for the owner, and enforces the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments. The city says rentals now outnumber owner-occupied homes.

What this means if you own a building in Jackson

Sellers here hold older apartments in a city whose median household income trails the state's, while state government and the medical centers supply steady demand. Buyers will price the age of the stock, 8.4% rental vacancy and an unquoted but district-specific millage, plus the cost of keeping a Rental Certificate current. Our cap rate calculator shows how those costs move value, and the guide to what it costs to operate apartments in Jackson in 2026 lays out the expense side. If you plan to sell commercial property in Jackson, MS, send us the address and unit count through our seller page, and we will tell you plainly whether it fits what we buy, listed or off-market.