Mississippi

Mississippi by the Numbers:
Key Statistical Data and Facts

Key Details

• Mississippi is home to approximately 2,940,057 people. 
• As of 2021, Mississippi has 1,342,831 housing units and a median value of owner-occupied housing units of $133,000. Between 2017 and 2021, the median household income was $49,111. 
• In 2020, 24.8% of Mississippi residents had a bachelor’s degree or higher. 
• The unemployment rate in Mississippi as of April 2023 was 3.4%. 
• Life expectancy in Mississippi at birth was 71.9 years as of 2020 

Mississippi Population Demographics

Mississippi has the 31st-largest geographical area in the US. According to US Census estimates, the Magnolia State is home to approximately 2,940,057 persons (2022). Roughly 6.0% of the state residents were under five years, while 23.5% were under 18 years. Residents older than 65 years constituted 16.8%.

In 2022, Mississippi had a median age of 38.6 years. The old-age dependency ratio stood at 28.2%, while the child dependency ratio was 39.3%. The ratio of males to females was almost even, with 48.7% males and 51.3% females.

Mississippi Housing

According to the US Census

1,342,831 housing

As of 2022 US Census estimates, Mississippi has 1,342,831 housing units.

2.60

From 2017 to 2021, the average number of persons per household was 2.60

68.9%

At the same time, the owner-occupied housing unit rate was 68.9%,

$133,000

While the median value of owner-occupied housing units was $133,000.

$1,218

Between 2017 and 20211, Mississippi's median selected monthly owner cost (with a mortgage) was $1,218

$371

In contrast, the median selected monthly owner costs (with a mortgage) was $371

1,129,611 (84.8%)

As of 2021, the housing occupancy ratio was 1,129,611 (84.8%) occupied housing units to 202,430 (15.2%) vacant housing units.

Most of the housing units in Mississippi comprised one-unit (detached) housing units (70.1%), two-units (2.1%), 3-4 units (3.2%), and 5-9 units (3.9%) housing structures. Mobile homes (14.1%) also constituted a significant mode of housing structure in Mississippi.

49.8%

A closer study of the rental value paid for occupied housing units in Mississippi revealed that renters who paid $500 to $999 made up the most significant proportion, 49.8%.

$1,4999

Following this category were Mississippians who paid $1,000 to $1,4999 in rent for occupied housing units.

17.6%

Residents who spent less than $500 accounted for 17.6% of all residents.

Other occupied housing unit rental values were $1,5000 to $1,999, $2,000 to $2,499, and $2,500 to $2,999, with 4.7%, 1.0%, and 0.1%, respectively.

Mississippi Racial Demographics

Other racial groups include American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders, and residents with two or more races that accounted for 0,6%, 0.1%, and 1.4%, respectively.

Elections in Mississippi

Mississippi has traditionally been a Democratic Party stronghold since 1873. From 1873 to 1991, voters in the state elected Democrats as governor. However, the situation changed in 1991 when the incumbent Democrat, Ray Mabus, lost his reelection bid for a second term, paving the way for the state to elect its first Republican governor since Adelbert Ames in 1873.  

Between 1991 and 2020, Republican candidates have won the gubernatorial elections eight times, while the Democratic Party has not recorded any victory. In 2019, the incumbent Republican Governor, Tate Reeves, defeated his Democratic Party challenger, Jim Hood, by a margin of 5.08% in the closest Mississippi governorship elections since 1999. 

As of May 2023, the Republicans hold a 36-15 majority over the Democrats in the Mississippi State Senate. Only one member of the Senate belongs to a third party. In 2019, elections were conducted for all 52 seats in the Mississippi State Senate. The primary election took place on August 6, 2019, the runoff was held on August 27, and the general election on November 5. 

Mississippi has a GOP trifecta. The Republican Party controls the governor's office as well as both chambers of the state legislature. 

2020 Presidential Election 

Donald Trump won Mississippi’s vote during the 2020 presidential election. The Republican candidate took the state’s six (6) electoral votes after defeating Joe Biden by 756,764 (57.04%) votes to 539,398 (41.06%) votes. Trump’s victory was partly due to winning 81% of the White vote, which constituted 69% of the electorate. 

Joe Biden

Donald Trump

Mississippi Voting Statistics

As of February 2023, there were 1,911,530 active voters in Mississippi.

How Educated is Mississippi

According to the 2021 US Census estimates, 24.8% of Mississippi residents had a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 35.0% nationally.

A breakdown of the state’s educational attainment figures revealed that 29.8% of the population over 25 years had a high school diploma or equivalent. This is followed by 21.8% who had some college experience but no degree and 15.4% with a bachelor’s degree. Others include 10.2% with associate’s degrees and 9.3% with graduate or professional degrees.

An examination of the gender distribution by educational attainment revealed that 34.3% of Mississippi men had a high school diploma or its equivalent, compared to 31.7% of women.

Further inspection of the educational attainment of Mississippi racial groups showed that Asians accounted for the largest group with a bachelor’s degree at 44.2%, followed by the white-only racial group with 28.5%.

Other racial groups include Blacks, Hispanics and Latinos, with 18.2%, 28.6%, and 10.8%, respectively. 

Mississippi Employment Rate

As of April 2023, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated the unemployment rate in Mississippi to be 3.4%. At the same time, the state’s labor force comprised 1,241,700 workers. Of this figure, 50,300 were unemployed. 

An analysis of industries where Mississippi residents 16 years and above worked revealed that most Mississippians work in the educational service, healthcare, and social assistance industry (24.9%). Next to this sector were those working in retail trade (12.2%). Workers in arts, entertainment, recreation, and food services comprised 7.8%, while those in the construction industry constituted 7.6% of the civilian workforce. Other industries include manufacturing, transportation/warehousing/utilities, agriculture/forestry/fishing, and hunting/mining, constituting 9.9%, 4.8%, and 6.0%, respectively.

An examination of usual hours worked by Mississippi workers showed that those who worked for 35 hours or more per week constituted 66.6%, while those who worked for 50 to 52 hours per week made up 56.8%.

Mississippi workers who worked 15 to 34 hours per week were 13.0%.

Average Income in Mississippi

According to a US Census’s five-year analysis (2017-2020), the median household income was $49,111. At the same time, the per capita income, as of 2021, stood at $26,807. The median household incomes for Mississippi homes with one earner, two earners, and three earners were $47,446, $57,148, and $61,205, respectively. The median income by family type in Mississippi showed that married-couple families earned $82,789. Non-family households and families earned an average income of $26,954 and $64,035, respectively.

Families in Mississippi

According to the 2022 National Center for Health Statistics report, the marriage rate in Mississippi was 6.0 marriages per 1,000 marriages. A closer look at Mississippi marriages based on 2021 census figures revealed that Asians had the highest proportion (62.0%) of people that were married and not separated, followed by whites with 54.6%. Hispanics or Latinos accounted for 45.9% of residents that were married and not separated. 

Mississippi Marriage Rates

Regarding racial groups, American Indians and Alaska Natives had the highest divorce rate at 15.9%, followed by whites and blacks or African Americans with 12.0% and 11.0%, respectively.

Mississippi Divorce Rates

As of 2020, Wyoming has a 3.8 divorce rate—the same rate recorded in 2019 and 2018. Lower than the national divorce rate (4.6 per 1000), it marked a decline from the 4.0, 4.2, and 4.1 recorded in 2016, 2015, and 2014. Between 1990 and 2020, Wyoming recorded a steady decrease in divorce rates.

Overall, roughly 12.3% of inhabitants 15 years and over were divorced, while 1.4% were separated. When looking at divorce rates across ages, males between 55 to 64 years had the highest incidences (21.9%), and males between 15 and 19  had the lowest rate (0.1%). The divorce percentage was highest among American Indians or Alaskan natives, peaking at 18.7%. Divorce percentages among whites alone, Hispanics, and people of two or more races were 12.7%, 10.6%, and 13%, respectively.  

Life Expectancy in Mississippi

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, the life expectancy rate at birth in Mississippi was 71.9 years in 2020. At the same time, the fertility rate of females aged 15 to 44 was 60.7 per 1,000 females, while the teen birth rate was 25.6 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years. The infant mortality rate stood at 8.3 infant deaths per 1,000 live births. 

Other Mississippi birth records showed that the percentage of unmarried mothers, preterm birth rates, and cesarean delivery were 54.8, 14.96, and 38.5 per 1,000 births, respectively.  

The leading cause of death in Mississippi was heart disease, cancer, COVID-19, accidents, among others. 

Mississippi Crime Rates

132

895

434

3,068

According to the Mississippi Crime Statistics portal, 4,529 violent crimes were reported in 2022. These include 132 murders, 895 non-consensual sex offenses, 434 robberies, and 3,068 incidents of aggravated assault. Simultaneously, there were 36,471 reports of property offenses. These include 434 robberies, 5,691 burglaries, 21,522 larcenies (thefts), 4,546 incidents of fraud, 861 cases of embezzlement, 94 extortions/blackmails, 3,147 cases of auto theft, and 176 cases of arson. 

A breakdown of the main locations where robberies occurred revealed that 37.8% of robberies occurred in commercial locations, while 30% occurred in residences/households. In addition, 27.0% of robberies occurred along roads/parking lots/campgrounds.  

A closer inspection of the weapons used revealed that firearms were used in 431 incidents, while 206 cases involved personal weapons, such as hands, fists, feet, and teeth. Motor vehicles/vessels were used in 32 cases, while 31 incidents involved drowning, strangulation, suffocation, and gas. 

According to the Mississippi Crime Statistics website, there were 18,531 reported societal crimes in 2022, resulting in 12,608 arrests. These societal crimes are broken down as follows: 16,114 drug offenses, 1,999 weapon offenses, and one gambling offense. Other documented societal crimes included 11 cases of prostitution, 171 incidents of pornography/obscene items, and 235 cases of animal abuse. 

Mississippi Incarceration Rate

21,616 inmates

As of May 2022, the Mississippi Department of Corrections reported 21,616 inmates in state prisons.

19,741 were male and 1,875 were female

A breakdown of inmates by gender indicated

12,848 (59.44%) were black, and 8.412 (38.92%) were white

Further inspection of the racial composition of inmates showed. Other racial groups include Hispanics, Native Americans, and Asians, accounting for 1.24%, 0.19%, and 0.18%, respectively.

5,022

Further examination of inmate incarceration records based on crime types revealed that 5,022 (23.23%) were imprisoned for drug-related offenses

4,461

While 4,461 (20.64%) were imprisoned for non-violent crimes.

2,873 (13.29%) and 9,260 (42.84%) people

Others include 2,873 (13.29%) and 9,260 (42.84%) people detained for sex and violent offenses, respectively.

Facilities run by Florida had a budget of $4,918,224,703 and a staff of 25,154 workers. In 2019, In Florida's community correctional system, there were 4,280 people on parole and 179,594 people on probation. Additionally, in 2020, Florida had an incarceration rate of 371 per 100,000 persons. The state also had 1,021 per 100,000 persons in probationers and 24 per 100,000 persons in parolees.

Mississippi Bankruptcy Rate

2022

1,657 filings

Reports from the American Bankruptcy Institute revealed that, in 2022, Mississippi had a total of 1,657 filings, including 814 (49%) Chapter 7 filings and Chapter 839 (51%) Chapter 13 filings. Compared to total bankruptcy filings in 2021 (5,997), there was a 1% increase in bankruptcy filings from 2021 to 2022.

Weird Laws in Mississippi