What is the poverty rate in Mississippi?
Refreshed monthly
The poverty rate was about 17.8% of Mississippi’s population as of 2024. The poverty rate is the percentage of people whose household income falls below the poverty threshold set by the government. It measures the percentage of people in households that don’t earn enough to pay for basic needs like food, housing, and healthcare. In 2024, 507,719 people in Mississippi were considered in poverty.
17.8%
of the population (2024)
508K
people living under the poverty line (2024)
The state's poverty rate was 17.8% in 2024, the lowest based on data from the American Community Survey dating back to 2010. It was 0.2 percentage points lower than the previous year. Mississippi's poverty rate hit a peak in 2012 of 24.2%.
In 2024, 17.8% of Mississippi's population were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate, 2010–2024
While the poverty rate shows the overall trend, the total number matters because many aid programs and funding decisions are based on how many people are in poverty, not just the percentage. In 2024, 507,719 people living in Mississippi were in poverty — down 27.3% from the 2012 peak of 698,252.
In 2024, 507,700 people in Mississippi were in poverty.
People living under poverty line, 2010–2024
Poverty doesn’t affect all groups equally. Rates vary widely by demographic group, family type and location.
What is the child poverty rate in Mississippi?
From 2014 to 2024, the poverty rate for children under 18 in Mississippi decreased from 29.4% to 25.2%. During the same period, the poverty rate for adults under 65 years decreased from 20.3% to 15.9%. For those older than 65, the poverty rate increased from 13.2% to 14.4%.
In 2024, 25.2% of children in Mississippi were living under the poverty line.
Poverty rate by age group, 2014–2024
How does poverty differ by race in Mississippi?
Among racial or ethnic groups in Mississippi during 2024, five had a higher poverty rate than the state’s overall rate: American Indian and Alaska Native, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), some other race, and two or more races.
Three had a lower than average poverty rate: Asian; Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander; and White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
Over the previous ten years, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population shifted the most, increasing from 20.4% in 2014 to 33.1% in 2024.
In Mississippi, the poverty rate for the American Indian and Alaska Native population increased from 20.4% in 2014 to 33.1% in 2024.
Poverty rate by race or ethnicity, 2014–2024
What counties in Mississippi have the highest and lowest poverty rates?
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Mississippi counties ranged from 10% in Rankin County to 38% in Holmes County. The poverty rate in the state’s largest county — Hinds County — was 21.6%.
In 2019-2023, the poverty rate among Mississippi counties ranged from 10.0% to 38.0%.
Poverty rate
Poverty rate, by county (2023)
| 1. | Holmes County | 38.0% |
| 2. | Coahoma County | 36.3% |
| 3. | Tunica County | 33.8% |
| 4. | Bolivar County | 33.7% |
| 5. | Quitman County | 33.5% |
| 6. | Leflore County | 31.9% |
| 7. | Sharkey County | 31.8% |
| 8. | Yazoo County | 31.4% |
| 9. | Winston County | 30.4% |
| 10. | Sunflower County | 29.9% |
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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.
