Lafayette County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Lafayette 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 3 healthiest counties in Mississippi
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D
Income Well below averageWealthier than 80% of counties in Mississippi
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B
Education Around averageAmong the top 3 best educated counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 58,327 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 85.8 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 1.40% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 31.4 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 19,044 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Lafayette County grew by 35.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 58,327 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Lafayette County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 35.4% of residents. That is 13.2 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 20,647 35.4% +13.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 11,457 19.6% -0.7 pts
- Gen X 45–60 9,543 16.4% -3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 7,476 12.8% -5.0 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 52.2% of the people living in Lafayette County and men 47.8%.
- Women 52.2% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 47.8% Mississippi 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Lafayette County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Lafayette County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $70,279 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.15% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.1% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Lafayette County is about 24% higher than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $217,605 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,085 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 63.8% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Lafayette County is about 16.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,085 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Lafayette County spend about 32 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 135 hours, about 5.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 16.2 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 32.3 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 135 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,173 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 5,777 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 738 | 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 Lafayette County is 16 minutes, shorter 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
Lafayette County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 34.7% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.75 | 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
Lafayette County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Lafayette County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.9 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 15.1% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.0% | 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).
Lafayette County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
Lafayette County, MS is the largest of the 4 counties compared here, 58,327 residents against a local median of 32,808. Lafayette County, MS's median home price, at $217,605, runs 127% above the $95,972 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 16.2 min against a local median of 30.2 min, 47% below it. Every measure here with a clear better direction points the same way, so Lafayette County, MS is not trading one advantage for another, it reads stronger than its neighbours across the board. The counties themselves spread $143,187 on median home price, so Lafayette County, MS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Lafayette County, MS has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette County, MS | 58,327 | $70,279 #1/4 | $217,605 #1/4 | 16.2 min #1/4 |
| Marshall County, MS | 33,979 | $53,460 | $177,591 | 30.7 min |
| Panola County, MS | 32,808 | $46,208 | $34,404 | 30.2 min |
| Pontotoc County, MS | 31,525 | $52,298 | $95,972 | 23.7 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Lafayette County, Mississippi.
How many people live in Lafayette County, Mississippi?
About 58,327 people live in Lafayette County, Mississippi, in 19,044 households of 2.7 people on average. The median age is 31.4, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 6 years.
Is Lafayette County, Mississippi urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Lafayette County, Mississippi has 86 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Lafayette County, Mississippi an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.1 times the median household income ($217,605 against $70,279), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,085 a month takes about 19% 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 Lafayette County, Mississippi?
Unemployment in Lafayette County, Mississippi is only 2.1%, 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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