Down Payment Assistance on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Program and regulatory figures verified October 6, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Three coastal counties, three different sets of numbers, and one inland county that quietly beats all of them.
What are the coastal county limits?
The three counties on the water are all split, and they do not carry the same figures:
| County | Towns | Status | 1–2 in family | 3 or more |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hancock | Bay St. Louis, Waveland, Diamondhead | Split | $83,100 / $99,720 | $95,565 / $116,340 |
| Harrison | Gulfport, Biloxi, Long Beach, D'Iberville | Split | $83,100 / $99,720 | $95,565 / $116,340 |
| Jackson | Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, Gautier, Moss Point | Split | $86,800 / $104,160 | $99,820 / $121,520 |
Jackson County runs $3,700 above Harrison and Hancock on the non-target side and $4,440 above them on the target side. For a household sitting right at the Harrison limit, moving the search east to Ocean Springs or Gautier can be the difference.
★ The inland county nobody checks
Stone County, immediately north of Harrison, is a target area throughout at $101,760 for a one-or-two-person household and $118,720 for three or more.
That is $2,040 higher than the best figure available anywhere in Harrison County, and because Stone is all-target rather than split, it comes with two things Harrison cannot offer: no address check, and no first-time homebuyer requirement for anyone.
Wiggins is about 35 miles from Gulfport. For a buyer who can commute and is caught on the wrong side of a Harrison County line, Stone County is a genuine option that almost nobody surfaces.
Which coastal-area counties skip the address check?
Four of them, and all four are all-target:
- Stone — $101,760, the highest in the region
- George — $97,680
- Greene — $97,320
- Perry — $97,320
In all four, no buyer faces the first-time rule and there is no non-target side to land on. Compare that against Pearl River County, which is split and sits at the statewide floor of $81,100 on its non-target side.
What about Picayune and Poplarville?
Pearl River County is split at $81,100 non-target and $97,320 target. The non-target figure is the lowest number MHC publishes anywhere in Mississippi, so for a Picayune buyer the address check carries unusual weight: $16,220 of income room turns on it.
Smart7's $137,870 statewide limit is $56,770 above that floor, which is why it comes up so often in this county. Smart7 in full.
Gulf Coast teachers
HAT-eligible districts on the coast: Bay St. Louis Waveland SD in Hancock, Harrison County SD and Pass Christian Public SD in Harrison, Moss Point SD and Jackson County SD in Jackson County, and Picayune SD in Pearl River.
Note which large districts are absent. Gulfport and Biloxi municipal districts do not appear, so a teacher employed by either cannot use HAT even though their county has eligible districts. Eligibility runs by district, not county. The full list.
Do the price caps bind on the coast?
In parts of Ocean Springs, Diamondhead and the Pass, yes. The bond programs stop at $316,373 outside target areas, and waterfront and near-waterfront inventory clears that.
Smart7's $413,610 cap is $97,237 higher, so for a coastal buyer looking above the bond cap, the smallest assistance program is the only one that reaches. The full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Gulfport or Biloxi?
Harrison County is split, so there are two figures: $83,100 for a one-or-two-person household in the non-target area and $99,720 in the target area, or $95,565 and $116,340 for three or more. Hancock County carries identical figures and Jackson County runs higher at $86,800 and $104,160. Smart7 instead uses one statewide limit of $137,870. Verified against MHC 2026-10-06.Which Mississippi Gulf Coast counties are target areas throughout?
None of the three on the water. Hancock, Harrison and Jackson are all split counties. Just inland, Stone, George, Greene and Perry counties are target areas throughout, so no buyer in them faces the first-time rule and no address check is needed. Stone County's $101,760 limit is the highest in the region. Verified against MHC 2026-10-06.Which Gulf Coast school districts qualify for the Mississippi teacher grant?
Bay St. Louis Waveland SD in Hancock County, Harrison County SD and Pass Christian Public SD in Harrison County, and Moss Point SD and Jackson County SD in Jackson County. The Gulfport and Biloxi municipal districts do not appear on MHC's list, so teachers employed by those districts cannot use HAT. Verified against MHC 2026-10-06.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not tax or legal guidance. MHC program terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by the Mississippi Home Corporation and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against MHC's published pages and its Homebuyer Guide. Smart7 and Easy8 are 0% second mortgages with no monthly payment, deferred until sale, refinance, loss of owner-occupancy or payoff of the first mortgage. Trusty10 is a 15-year second at a 2% rate set by MHC and does carry a monthly payment. Housing Assistance for Teachers is Mississippi Department of Education grant money forgiven on completion of three years' service in a district the Department designates as critical-shortage. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.