1. Start with the Hattiesburg service footprint, not a population promise
Hattiesburg is recorded as a municipality in Mississippi, with county relationships to Forrest County and Lamar County. A firm may serve people in the city, either county, or another defined area, but those are different geographic decisions. A caller’s location can affect whether the inquiry belongs with your firm, needs a conflict check, or should be redirected. Population is not a substitute for call records: the Census estimate does not show how many people contact your office, what they call about, or when they call.
Recommended approach
Define the geographic questions your answering flow should ask. Decide whether the system should capture city and county, whether your firm accepts matters outside those areas, and who reviews an inquiry that falls outside your stated service footprint. Use your own phone records to determine which location fields are useful rather than assuming the local population predicts demand.
