Tunica County, Mississippi Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Tunica 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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C
Health Below averageLess healthy than 70% of counties in Mississippi
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D
Income Well below averageLess wealthy than 78% of counties in Mississippi
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,475 | 2,946,497 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 19.9 | 60.8 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | -1.11% | -0.18% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 36.4 | 36.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 3,800 | 1,145,227 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Tunica County declined by 8.5% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 9,475 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Tunica County is Millennials, aged 29–44, at 22.6% of residents. That is 2.2 points above Mississippi as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 2,083 22.0% -0.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 2,139 22.6% +2.2 pts
- Gen X 45–60 1,592 16.8% -2.6 pts
- Boomers 61–79 1,384 14.6% -3.2 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 52.5% of the people living in Tunica County and men 47.5%.
- Women 52.5% Mississippi 51.5%
- Men 47.5% Mississippi 48.5%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Tunica County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Tunica County has a the economy index of D, which means it is barely prosperous.
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $39,239 | $56,669 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 2.62% | 4.27% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 13.3% | 5.7% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Tunica County is about 31% lower than in Mississippi.
Housing
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $282,316 | $130,069 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $977 | $954 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 39.5% | 70.0% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Tunica County is about 24.1 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $977 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Tunica County spend about 53 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 221 hours, about 9.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 26.6 | 21.5 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 53.1 | 43.0 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 221 | 179 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $6,865 | $5,558 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 1.1% | 5.9% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 2,228 | 6,176 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 306 | 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 Tunica County is 27 minutes, longer 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
Tunica County has a education index of D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 15.0% | 21.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.47 | 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
Tunica County has a health index of C, which means it is somewhat healthy.
| Metric | Tunica County | Mississippi Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 72.8 | 74.7 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 23.4% | 23.5% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.4% | 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).
Tunica County, MS Compared With Nearby Counties
Tunica County, MS is the smallest of the 4 counties compared here, 9,475 residents against a local median of 28,321. Where Tunica County, MS breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting more than 4 times the local median of $58,620 at $282,316.
Median household income tells the same story from another angle: $39,239 against a local median of $68,865, 43% below it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is median household income, and at 43% below the local median it puts Tunica County, MS at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves sit within $113,529 of each other on median home price, a tighter band than the gap between any of them and Tunica County, MS, which makes it a genuine outlier here rather than one end of a wide local spread. Tunica County, MS has the highest median home price of the 4 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunica County, MS | 9,475 | $39,239 #3/4 | $282,316 #1/4 | 26.6 min #3/4 |
| Tate County, MS | 28,321 | $68,865 | $22,500 | 32.8 min |
| DeSoto County, MS | 191,302 | $85,458 | $136,029 | 25.1 min |
| Coahoma County, MS | 20,540 | $37,529 | $58,620 | 13.2 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Tunica County, Mississippi.
How many people live in Tunica County, Mississippi?
About 9,475 people live in Tunica County, Mississippi, in 3,800 households of 2.5 people on average. The median age is 36.4, close to the U.S. median of 37.3.
Is Tunica County, Mississippi mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Tunica County, Mississippi has 20 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is about 23% of the U.S. average of 86.
How affordable is housing in Tunica County, Mississippi?
The median home costs 7.2 times the median household income ($282,316 against $39,239), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $977 a month takes about 30% of the median household's income, right at the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
Is unemployment high in Tunica County, Mississippi?
Unemployment in Tunica County, Mississippi is 13.3%, well above the U.S. rate of 5.2%, so job seekers may face more competition than elsewhere.
What share of adults in Tunica County, Mississippi have a college degree?
15.0% of adults in Tunica County, Mississippi hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 7), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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