Forest is a city and the county seat of Scott County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,684 at the 2010 census and the population is a minority-majority.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.0 square miles (34 km), of which 13.0 square miles (34 km) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km) (0.15%) is water.

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1890	547		—
1900	761		39.1%
1910	1,136		49.3%
1920	1,188		4.6%
1930	2,176		83.2%
1940	2,735		25.7%
1950	2,874		5.1%
1960	3,917		36.3%
1970	4,085		4.3%
1980	5,229		28.0%
1990	5,060		−3.2%
2000	5,987		18.3%
2010	5,684		−5.1%
2020	5,430		−4.5%
U.S. Decennial Census

Forest Racial Composition

Race	Num.	Perc.
White	1,123	20.68%
Black or African American	2,319	42.71%
Native American	20	0.37%
Asian	30	0.72%
Other/Mixed	88	1.62%
Hispanic or Latino	1,841	33.9%

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 5,430 people, 1,987 households, and 1,165 families residing in the city.

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,987 people, 2,085 households, and 1,478 families residing in the city. The population density was 460.0 inhabitants per square mile (177.6/km). There were 2,257 housing units at an average density of 173.4 per square mile (67.0/km). The racial makeup of the city was 40.35% White, 50.88% African American, 0.40% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 5.85% from other races, and 1.92% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.71% of the population.

There were 2,085 households, out of which 36.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 24.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 29.3% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,638, and the median income for a family was $29,767. Males had a median income of $23,825 versus $17,277 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,484. About 21.6% of families and 23.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 29.5% of those under age 18 and 13.8% of those age 65 or over.

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Forest is home to several poultry processing plants, including Koch Foods, Tyson Foods, and the Forest Packing Company.

Raytheon has a consolidated manufacturing center in Forest; it builds electronic equipment for radars and other sensor systems.

Almost all of the City of Forest is served by the Forest Municipal School District. Schools include Forest Elementary School, Hawkins Middle School and Forest High School.

A small portion is in the Scott County School District.

Forest is served by Interstate 20, U.S. Route 80, and Mississippi Highways 21, 35, and 501. Air transportation is available through G. V. Montgomery Airport or the nearby Jackson-Evers International Airport (JAN).

• Rashard Anderson, football player
• Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup (1905–1974), blues musician, who wrote "That's All Right (Mama)" and is honored with a Mississippi Blues Trail marker
• James Eastland (1904–1986), segregationist United States Senator from Mississippi
• Sheila Guyse (1925–2013), actress and recording artist
• Andrew R. Johnson (1856–1933), Louisiana state senator from 1916–1924
• Dollree Mapp (1923–2014), appellant in the landmark Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio
• Lewis Nordan, writer
• Todd Pinkston, former NFL wide receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
• Jamie and Gladys Scott, sisters convicted in a controversial robbery case that drew national attention for its severe sentencing
• Kevin Sessums, writer
• Donald Triplett, first person to be diagnosed with autism
• Victoria Vivians, basketball player, played for Mississippi State University before being drafted by the Indiana Fever of the WNBA
• Cardis Cardell Willis, comedian

• City of Forest, Mississippi website