Populations in These 6 Mississippi Counties Are Plummeting

Mississippi is ranked 34^th in terms of overall population in the United States. This 2020 U.S. Census revealed that the state was home to 2,961,288 people. Recent estimates show that the population in this state is dropping. The 2022 population estimate was 2,940,057, a loss of 21,000 residents in two years! Discover the Mississippi counties that have lost the most people over the last two years and find out why they may be leaving.

The information for this article is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s county population estimates from April 2020 to July 2022.

6. Bolivar County

Bolivar County is in western Mississippi. This county shares a border with Arkansas along the Mississippi River. Cleveland is the largest city in this county with a population of about 11,000 people.

Bolivar County was home to 30,973 people in 2020. The population in this county dropped to 29,370 people by July 2022. This represents a loss of 1,603 people. On its own, that population drop is not that significant.

However, the fact that the residents who departed this region represented 5.2% of the population is important. Although the sheer number of people leaving this area is small, this is one of the Mississippi counties that saw the greatest losses in terms of the percentage of its population.

5. Leflore County

Leflore County is also in western Mississippi, and it is near Bolivar County. Greenwood is the largest city in this region, and its population is 14,037 people. The Little Tallahatchie River and the Yalobusha River are prominent bodies of water in this area.

The 2020 Census showed that Leflore County was home to 28,348 people. By 2022, that number had shrunk to 26,570 people. The population loss in this county was even larger in terms of percentage than in Bolivar County. Roughly 6.3% of the region’s residents left this area, a total of 1,778 people. Again, this is not a large number of people relative to the entire state’s population, but it’s a tremendous loss for the county.

4. Warren County

Warren County is yet another western county in the state. This region borders Louisiana along the Mississippi River. The largest city in this area is Vicksburg, an area with a population of 20,904 people.

Warren County is another one of the Mississippi counties where the population is plummeting. The last census revealed a population of 44,721 people living in this part of the state. By 2022, the population in this region had fallen to 42,649 people. The total population loss in this region was 4.6% or 2,072 people.  

3. Lauderdale County

Lauderdale County is in the eastern part of Mississippi, along the border with Alabama. The largest city in this region is Meridian, a city with about 34,424 residents. The city is notable because it has several major highways running through it.  

The population in Lauderdale County in 2020 was 72,983 people, making it one of the more populous places in the state. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the population of this area was just 70,904 people in 2022. A total of 2,079 people left this part of the state in just two years, a modest drop of 2.8%.

2. Washington County

Washington County is another western county in Mississippi. This county has a border with Arkansas on the Mississippi River. Greenville is the largest city in this area, and its population is about 29,000.  

In 2020, Washington County’s population was 44,918. Over the next two years, this part of the state lost many people. In 2022, the population in this portion of the state reached an estimated 42,514. The area lost 2,404 people in just two years, equal to 5.4% of the county’s population.

This county’s population contraction is another example of a place where the number of residents that left is low, but the percentage of the population that left was very large.

1. Hinds County

Hinds County is the most populous county in the entire state. Unfortunately, it’s also the leader among Mississippi counties that saw a sharp population decline.

Hinds County is in western Mississippi, and it is known for containing much of the Jackson metro area. Jackson is a fairly large city with a population of 153,701 residents.

This part of the state had a population of 227,750 in 2020. Yet, the estimated population in 2022 was 217,730 people. Hinds County lost 10,020 people, 4.4% of the area’s total population.

Now that we’ve looked at the Mississippi counties with falling populations, we must consider why people are leaving these areas. Part of the reason that these areas have falling populations is the state’s economic conditions. People are leaving this state because they cannot find high-paying jobs.

Another cause of the population shift stems from the younger generations’ desire to find good educational opportunities. College-aged students are leaving the state to pursue an education at various universities that can prepare them for the workforce.  

Many other issues are driving people away from this state as well. Low pay, poor infrastructure, and a lower overall quality of life are just some factors that are driving people away from the Magnolia State.  

Summary of the Mississippi Counties with Falling Populations

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