DeSoto County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
DeSoto County, MS Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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B
Health Around averageAmong the top 5 healthiest counties in Mississippi
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B
Income Around averageAmong the top 3 wealthiest counties in Mississippi
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D
Education Well below averageBetter educated than 91% of counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 191,302 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 385.5 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.42% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 38.6 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 70,986 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in DeSoto County grew by 28.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 191,302 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in DeSoto County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.7% of residents. That is 2.3 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 42,297 22.1% on par
- Millennials 29–44 43,382 22.7% +2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 40,407 21.1% +1.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 27,047 14.1% -3.7 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Mississippi, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 51.8% of the people living in DeSoto County and men 48.2%.
- Women 51.8% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 48.2% Mississippi 48.5%
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Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in DeSoto County
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Economy
DeSoto County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $85,458 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.50% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in DeSoto County is about 51% higher than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $136,029 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,451 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.9% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in DeSoto County is about 7.8 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,451 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in DeSoto County spend about 50 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 209 hours, about 8.7 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 25.1 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 50.2 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 209 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,483 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.2% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 8,124 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,216 | 914 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Mississippi:
Sharkey County (11.9 min), Coahoma County (13.2 min), Leflore County (15.2 min).
Slowest:
Wilkinson County (36.8 min), Tate County (32.8 min), Greene County (32.7 min).
The average commute time in DeSoto County is 25 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in Mississippi.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
DeSoto County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24.9% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.68 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Mississippi:
Madison County (0.4), Lafayette County (0.3), Oktibbeha County (0.3).
Lowest:
Issaquena County (0.1), Tallahatchie County (0.2), Greene County (0.2).
Health
DeSoto County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | DeSoto County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.7 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.5% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 20.2% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Mississippi:
Madison County (0.8), Lafayette County (0.8), Oktibbeha County (0.8).
Lowest:
Holmes County (0.7), Quitman County (0.7), Sharkey County (0.7).
DeSoto County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
DeSoto County, MS is the 2nd largest of the 5 counties compared here, 191,302 residents against a local median of 40,771. DeSoto County, MS's median household income, at $85,458, runs 42% above the $60,326 typical of the counties around it. That is the better end of the local range on this measure.
Median home price tells the same story from another angle: $136,029 against a local median of $171,109, 21% below it. The counties themselves sit within $15,405 of each other on median household income, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and DeSoto County, MS, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. DeSoto County, MS has the highest median household income of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeSoto County, MS | 191,302 | $85,458 #1/5 | $136,029 #4/5 | 25.1 min #3/5 |
| Tate County, MS | 28,321 | $68,865 | $22,500 | 32.8 min |
| Shelby County, TN | 918,438 | $64,222 | $250,964 | 21.8 min |
| Crittenden County, AR | 47,563 | $56,430 | $164,627 | 18.8 min |
| Marshall County, MS | 33,979 | $53,460 | $177,591 | 30.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about DeSoto County, Mississippi.
What is the population of DeSoto County, Mississippi?
About 191,302 people live in DeSoto County, Mississippi, in 70,986 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 38.6, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is DeSoto County, Mississippi urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, DeSoto County, Mississippi has 385 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 4.5 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is DeSoto County, Mississippi an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 1.6 times the median household income ($136,029 against $85,458), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $1,451 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is it hard to find a job in DeSoto County, Mississippi?
Unemployment in DeSoto County, Mississippi is only 3.2%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
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