Starkville, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Starkville, 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.
-
B
Health Around average
-
F
Income Well below average
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 20,975 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 751.5 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.50% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 26.0 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 9,043 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Starkville grew by 16.3% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 20,975 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Starkville is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 43.4% of residents. That is 21.3 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 9,114 43.4% +21.3 pts
- Millennials 29–44 3,783 18.0% -2.3 pts
- Gen X 45–60 2,666 12.7% -6.7 pts
- Boomers 61–79 2,097 10.0% -7.8 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 50.0% of the people living in Starkville and men 50.0%.
- Women 50.0% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 50.0% Mississippi 48.5%
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Economy
Starkville has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $40,202 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.76% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.7% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Starkville is about 29% lower than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $37,217 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $882 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 34.9% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Starkville is about 3.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $882 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Starkville spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 130 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 15.7 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 31.3 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 130 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,045 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 7.9% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 3,703 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,926 | 914 | 1,355 |
The average commute time in Starkville 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
Starkville has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 32.0% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.04 | 2.49 | 2.53 |
Health
Starkville has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Starkville | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 76.6 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 18.1% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 16.8% | 22.1% | 19.0% |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Starkville, Mississippi.
How many people live in Starkville, Mississippi?
About 20,975 people live in Starkville, Mississippi, in 9,043 households of 2.0 people on average. The median age is 26.0, so residents are younger than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Starkville, Mississippi mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Starkville, Mississippi has 751 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 8.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Starkville, Mississippi?
The median home costs 0.9 times the median household income ($37,217 against $40,202), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $882 a month takes about 26% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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