Forrest County, Mississippi, a core county of the Hattiesburg-Laurel, MS market, holds $2.1B in deposits across 14 insured institutions and 28 branches. Renasant Bank is the largest deposit holder at 23.4% share. The top three banks hold 61% of deposits, which places the county in the Concentrated band. Deposits have fallen 5.3% since 2021 while the branch count fell by 9.7%. It produced $3.8B of real gross domestic product in 2024, ranking #695 of the 1,523 ranked counties by economic output.
Ranks show where the county stands among the 1,523 ranked counties (those within a Combined or Metropolitan Statistical Area that have a branch). They describe relative position, not a rating of market quality or suitability.
Deposit trend
Branches: 31 in 2021 to 28 in 2026. Institutions: 14 to 14. Top-three share: 69% to 61%.
Institutions by deposits
| Institution | Deposits | Share | 5‑yr deposits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Renasant Bank | $481M | 23.4% | +244% |
| The Huntington National Bank | $432M | 21.0% | -30% |
| Regions Bank | $335M | 16.3% | -25% |
| Trustmark Bank | $308M | 15.0% | -29% |
| Hancock Whitney Bank | $128M | 6.2% | -56% |
| Wells Fargo Bank | $119M | 5.8% | +78% |
| BankFirst Financial Services | $96M | 4.7% | +57% |
| Community Bank of Mississippi | $46M | 2.3% | +23% |
| First Southern Bank | $27M | 1.3% | +26% |
| The Citizens National Bank of Meridian | $25M | 1.2% | +15% |
| Great Southern Bank | $24M | 1.2% | -26% |
| First Bank | $21M | 1.0% | no 2021 presence |
| Southern Bancorp Bank | $14M | 0.7% | +116% |
| Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Company | $1M | <0.1% | no 2021 presence |
The 14 insured institutions with a branch presence in this county, per the FDIC Summary of Deposits, June 30, 2026. Five-year change compares the same institution’s county deposits in 2021 and 2026. Institutions are tracked by FDIC certificate number, and where an institution acquired another bank, the acquired bank’s prior deposits are folded into the baseline so the change reflects the combined, continuing franchise rather than reading as new. “No 2021 presence” means neither the institution nor a bank it later absorbed reported deposits in this county that year. Deposit figures are nominal and are not adjusted for inflation.
Part of the Hattiesburg-Laurel market
Forrest County is one of 5 counties that make up the Hattiesburg-Laurel, MS market, a Combined Statistical Area (ranked #198 of 293 U.S. markets by economic output). It produces 39.2% of the market’s output and holds 32.8% of its deposits.
| Measure | Forrest County | Share of parent market |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 GDP | $3.8B | 39.2% |
| Deposits | $2.1B | 32.8% |
| Population | 79,034 | 32.9% |
View the full Hattiesburg-Laurel market profile →
Recruiting in Forrest County
Deposits are held closely by the largest banks, which often means the bankers worth recruiting are inside a small number of institutions. Who holds the deposits, and how contested the market is, shapes both the runway for growth and the competition you would be recruiting against. We recruit commercial relationship managers, banking teams, and market leaders for banks building in markets like Forrest County.
See how we help banks recruit commercial banking talent