Prentiss County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Prentiss 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.
-
C
Health Below average
-
D
Income Well below average
-
F
Education Well below averageLess educated than 75% of counties in Mississippi
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 25,184 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 60.2 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -0.08% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.2 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,595 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Prentiss County declined by 1.6% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 25,184 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Prentiss County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 22.4% of residents. That is 0.2 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 5,630 22.4% +0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 4,845 19.2% -1.1 pts
- Gen X 45–60 5,003 19.9% +0.5 pts
- Boomers 61–79 4,452 17.7% -0.1 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 51.1% of the people living in Prentiss County and men 48.9%.
- Women 51.1% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 48.9% Mississippi 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Prentiss County
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Economy
Prentiss County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $49,651 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 5.15% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 3.5% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Prentiss County is about 12% lower than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $27,500 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $636 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 77.5% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Prentiss County is about 3.6 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $636 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Prentiss County spend about 38 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 158 hours, about 6.6 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 18.9 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 37.8 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 158 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,888 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 2.6% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,036 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 506 | 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 Prentiss County is 19 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
Prentiss County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 16.9% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.51 | 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
Prentiss County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Prentiss County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.5 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.4% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 23.3% | 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).
Prentiss County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
Prentiss County, MS is typical in size for this group, 25,184 residents against a local median of 29,162, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Prentiss County, MS's median home price, at $27,500, runs 86% below the $202,813 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $252,740 on median home price, so Prentiss County, MS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Prentiss County, MS has the 5th highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prentiss County, MS | 25,184 | $49,651 #5/5 | $27,500 #5/5 | 18.9 min #3/5 |
| Alcorn County, MS | 34,289 | $51,100 | $88,076 | 17.5 min |
| Lee County, MS | 83,034 | $68,266 | $162,980 | 18.4 min |
| Itawamba County, MS | 24,036 | $57,203 | $242,646 | 25.1 min |
| Tippah County, MS | 21,523 | $53,704 | $340,816 | 21.3 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Prentiss County, Mississippi.
What is the population of Prentiss County, Mississippi?
About 25,184 people live in Prentiss County, Mississippi, in 9,595 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 37.2, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Prentiss County, Mississippi urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Prentiss County, Mississippi has 60 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Is Prentiss County, Mississippi an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($27,500 against $49,651), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $636 a month takes about 15% 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 Prentiss County, Mississippi?
Unemployment in Prentiss County, Mississippi is only 3.5%, well below the U.S. rate of 5.2%, a sign of a tight labor market where employers compete for workers.
How educated are people in Prentiss County, Mississippi?
16.9% of adults in Prentiss County, Mississippi hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 6), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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