| | Petal, MS | Starkville, MS | United States |
| Population | 11,342 | 24,578 | 329,725,481 |
| Female Population | 52.2% | 49.7% | 50.5% |
| Male Population | 47.8% | 50.3% | 49.5% |
| Median Age | 35.2 | 27 | 38.4 |
| space3 | | | |
| Population - 2010 | 10,450 | 23,900 | 309,327,143 |
| Population - 2000 | 7,579 | 21,869 | 285,036,114 |
| Population - 1990 | 7,883 | 18,458 | 251,960,433 |
| Pop. 2000 to Now | 41.1% | 16.8% | 15.6% |
| Pop. 1990 to Now | 35.6% | 38.4% | 30.8% |
| space4 | | | |
| Population Density | 676.3 | 963.4 | 93.4 |
| Land Area | 16.8 | 25.5 | 3,531,905.4 |
| Water Area | 0.4 | 0.1 | 264,836.8 |
| space | | | |
| Est. Total Population By Age | | | |
| | Petal, MS | Starkville, MS | United States |
| Age 0 to 4 | 7.6% | 4.6% | 5.9% |
| Age 5 to 9 | 6.9% | 4.5% | 6.1% |
| Age 10 to 14 | 8.9% | 7.0% | 6.6% |
| Age 15 to 17 | 3.8% | 2.8% | 3.9% |
| Age 18 to 20 | 4.2% | 9.5% | 4.0% |
| Age 21 to 24 | 6.3% | 16.3% | 5.2% |
| Age 25 to 34 | 12.1% | 16.9% | 13.8% |
| Age 35 to 44 | 10.3% | 12.7% | 12.9% |
| Age 45 to 54 | 16.0% | 6.8% | 12.6% |
| Age 55 to 59 | 4.3% | 3.8% | 6.7% |
| Age 60 to 64 | 5.1% | 4.6% | 6.3% |
| Age 65 to 74 | 6.1% | 5.4% | 9.6% |
| Age 75 to 84 | 5.3% | 3.5% | 4.5% |
| Age 85 and over | 3.1% | 1.6% | 1.9% |
| space1 | | | |
| Race | | | |
| | Petal, MS | Starkville, MS | United States |
| White | 75.7% | 59.3% | 59.4% |
| Black | 16.1% | 32.3% | 12.2% |
| Asian | 0.8% | 3.6% | 5.6% |
| Native American | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.6% |
| Hawaiian, Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.2% |
| Other | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Two or More Races | 1.6% | 1.9% | 3.2% |
| Hispanic | 5.6% | 2.5% | 18.4% |
| space2 | | | |
| Marriage & Family | | | |
| | Petal, MS | Starkville, MS | United States |
| Married Population | 52.4% | 37.8% | 49.8% |
| Currently Married | 50.3% | 35.7% | 48.0% |
| Married but Separated | 2.2% | 2.1% | 1.8% |
| Single Population | 47.6% | 62.3% | 50.2% |
| Never Married | 29.4% | 51.0% | 33.8% |
| Divorced | 11.1% | 6.1% | 10.8% |
| Widowed | 7.1% | 5.2% | 5.6% |
| space5 | | | |
| Household Size | 2.74 | 2.13 | 2.60 |
| Households | 4,114 | 10,924 | 124,010,992 |
| Family Households | 2,933 | 4,964 | 80,755,759 |
| Married couple, w/children | 32.0% | 31.7% | 30.5% |
| Married couple, no children | 37.6% | 38.3% | 42.9% |
| Non Family Households | 1,181 | 5,960 | 43,255,233 |
| Single householder, w/children | 22.6% | 16.5% | 15.8% |
| Single householder, no children | 7.8% | 13.5% | 10.8% |