Sunflower County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Sunflower 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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D
Health Well below averageLess healthy than 74% of counties in Mississippi
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F
Income Well below averageAmong the 3 least wealthy counties in Mississippi
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F
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Sunflower County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 24,333 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 34.4 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.47% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 37.6 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 8,034 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Sunflower County declined by 20.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 24,333 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Sunflower County is Gen Z, aged 13–28, at 24.9% of residents. That is 2.7 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 6,054 24.9% +2.7 pts
- Millennials 29–44 5,383 22.1% +1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 4,793 19.7% +0.3 pts
- Boomers 61–79 3,395 14.0% -3.8 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 47.3% of the people living in Sunflower County and men 52.7%.
- Women 47.3% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 52.7% Mississippi 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Sunflower County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Sunflower County has a the economy index of F, which means it scores poorly in the economy.
| Metric | Sunflower County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,946 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 4.79% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 11.2% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Sunflower County is about 30% lower than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Sunflower County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $22,352 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $693 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 54.9% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Sunflower County is about 2.7 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $693 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Sunflower County spend about 31 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 131 hours, about 5.4 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Sunflower County | 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) | 131 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $4,048 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 5.6% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,905 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 526 | 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 Sunflower 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
Sunflower County has a education index of F, which means it scores poorly in education.
| Metric | Sunflower County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.6% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.64 | 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
Sunflower County has a health index of D, which means it is barely healthy.
| Metric | Sunflower County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 73.6 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 26.2% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 24.6% | 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).
Sunflower County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
Sunflower County, MS is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 24,333 residents against a local median of 29,520. Sunflower County, MS's median home price, at $22,352, runs 50% below the $45,000 typical of the counties around it.
The counties themselves spread $316,682 on median home price, so Sunflower County, MS sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Sunflower County, MS has the 4th highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower County, MS | 24,333 | $39,946 #2/4 | $22,352 #4/4 | 15.7 min #2/4 |
| Leflore County, MS | 27,141 | $35,350 | $45,000 | 15.2 min |
| Bolivar County, MS | 29,520 | $39,667 | $343,877 | 15.9 min |
| Washington County, MS | 42,708 | $41,953 | $27,195 | 16.1 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Sunflower County, Mississippi.
What is the population of Sunflower County, Mississippi?
About 24,333 people live in Sunflower County, Mississippi, in 8,034 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 37.6, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Sunflower County, Mississippi mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Sunflower County, Mississippi has 34 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 40% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Sunflower County, Mississippi?
The median home costs 0.6 times the median household income ($22,352 against $39,946), compared with 3.1 times nationally. That is within the traditional rule of thumb of about 3 times income. Median rent of $693 a month takes about 21% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How strong is the job market in Sunflower County, Mississippi?
Unemployment in Sunflower County, Mississippi is 11.2%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
How common is a college degree in Sunflower County, Mississippi?
15.6% of adults in Sunflower 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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