How many people live in ?

Updated annually
In 2025, there were 2.95 million people living in Mississippi. That makes Mississippi the 35th-most populous state, home to 0.86% of people living in the US.

2.95M

population of Mississippi (2025)

0.86%

Mississippi share of the US population (2025)
The population of Mississippi was about 1.9 times higher than it was in 1900. Between 2024 and 2025, the population of Mississippi grew by about 4,000 people.

About 2.95 million people lived in Mississippi in 2025. That's about 1.9 times more than in 1900.

Annual population estimates

What are Mississippi's age demographics?

About 528,800 Mississippi residents were aged 65 and older in 2024. That represents 18% of the state’s population compared with 18% in the US overall.
Another 674,600 Mississippi residents, or 23% of the state’s population, were aged under 18. For comparison, children account for 21.6% of the US population.

A lower share of Mississippi's population is 65 and older than the US overall.

Population share by age group (2024)

What are Mississippi's racial and ethnic demographics?

A state’s population may have racial and ethnic differences compared with the US overall. These figures reflect how people identified their race alone (not in combination with other races), and separate Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, following Census Bureau reporting standards.
[Non-Hispanic Black or African American] residents make up [37.2%] of [Mississippi’s] population, higher than the national share of [12.6%].
In contrast, Mississippi’s Hispanic population accounted for 4.1%, below the 20% share nationwide. The non-Hispanic Asian population makes up 1.3% of the state, compared with 6.5% nationally.

A higher share of Mississippi's population is non-Hispanic Black or African American than the US overall.

Population share by race and ethnicity (2024)

What are Mississippi's most populous counties?

In 2024, thirteen out of 82 counties accounted for over half of Mississippi’s population:
  • Harrison County, 213,700 (7.2% of the population)
  • Hinds County, 212,000 (7.2%)
  • DeSoto County, 195,900 (6.6%)
  • Rankin County, 160,600 (5.4%)
  • Jackson County, 147,000 (5%)
  • Madison County, 114,200 (3.9%)
  • Lee County, 83,000 (2.8%)
  • Forrest County, 78,400 (2.7%)
  • Lauderdale County, 70,600 (2.4%)
  • Lamar County, 66,700 (2.3%)
  • Jones County, 65,800 (2.2%)
  • Lafayette County, 59,800 (2%)
  • Pearl River County, 59,000 (2%)

In 2024, Harrison County was the most populous county in Mississippi.

Population estimates

What are Mississippi's most populous cities?

The largest city in Mississippi is Jackson with about 141,400 residents in 2024.

Cities and counties in Mississippi ranked by population

Cities and counties in Mississippi ranked by population
1.

Jackson 

141,449
2.

Gulfport 

74,621
3.

Southaven 

57,493
4.

Hattiesburg 

48,522
5.

Biloxi 

48,144
6.

Olive Branch

47,365
7.

Tupelo 

37,775
8.

Meridian 

33,549
9.

Pearl 

28,458
10.

Madison 

28,210

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Methodology

USAFacts standardizes data, in areas such as time and demographics, to make it easier to understand and compare.

The analysis was generated with the help of AI and reviewed by USAFacts for accuracy.

Page sources

USAFacts endeavors to share the most up-to-date information available. We sourced the data on this page directly from government agencies; however, the intervals at which agencies publish updated data vary.