Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Mississippi Population Density Map and Area Scores
State Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
-
C
Health Below averageLeast healthy state in the US
-
D
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy states in the US
-
D
Education Well below averageAmong the 3 least educated states in the US
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Mississippi grew by 0.7% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 2,946,497 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Mississippi is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.2% of residents. That is 0.7 points above the US as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 653,114 22.2% +0.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 599,372 20.3% -1.9 pts
- Gen X 45–60 571,748 19.4% -0.4 pts
- Boomers 61–79 524,494 17.8% +0.9 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 the US, 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 51.5% of the people living in Mississippi and men 48.5%.
- Women 51.5% the US 50.5%
- Men 48.5% the US 49.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Mississippi
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Mississippi has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Mississippi is about 30% lower than in US.
Housing
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Mississippi is about 11.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $954 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Mississippi spend about 43 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 179 hours, about 7.5 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 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 Mississippi is about the same as in US.
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
Mississippi has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 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
Mississippi has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Mississippi | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 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).
Mississippi Compared With Nearby States
Mississippi is the smallest of the 6 states compared here, 2,946,497 residents against a local median of 5,083,438. Where Mississippi breaks from the states next to it is median home price, sitting 24% below the local median of $170,446 at $130,069.
The states themselves spread $145,030 on median home price, so Mississippi sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Mississippi has the 5th highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 2,946,497 | $56,669 #6/6 | $130,069 #5/6 | 21.5 min #3/6 |
| Alabama | 5,083,438 | $64,544 | $160,474 | 22.1 min |
| Louisiana | 4,610,276 | $60,934 | $170,446 | 21.3 min |
| Arkansas | 3,049,066 | $60,940 | $111,957 | 18.6 min |
| Tennessee | 7,058,506 | $69,901 | $255,786 | 22.4 min |
| Georgia | 10,939,918 | $77,523 | $256,986 | 23.6 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Mississippi.
How many people live in Mississippi?
About 2,946,497 people live in Mississippi, in 1,145,227 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 36.7, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Mississippi urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Mississippi has 61 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Mississippi?
The median home costs 2.3 times the median household income ($130,069 against $56,669), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $954 a month takes about 20% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Mississippi?
21.7% of adults in Mississippi hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
Analyze any area in the US
Get local demographics for any address, aggregated by drive time or radius, on the interactive map.
Explore the map →