Last updated on March 29th, 2024 at 10:16 am

Mississippi has the lowest cost of living in the United States, with a score of 83.3 on the cost of living index. At 33.7% below the national average, it has the lowest average housing costs in the nation.

Figures from the last nationwide US Census represented a 4.3% increase from the numbers declared in the 2000 Census. It is now estimated that the population has only grown modestly since then and is now just 2.99 million. The number of people living in Mississippi may soon surpass 3 million if similar increases continue to occur.

The population was recorded as 2,967,297 at the time of the Census. Mississippi’s current population growth rate of 0.30% is relatively slow compared to other states and it ranks 40th in the nation.

On November 3, 2020, Mississippi residents voted on a new state flag, the Magnolia State Flag. Mississippi’s new state flag replaced the old one that featured the Confederate flag.

Population Density and Mississippi Area

Mississippi, situated in the southeast U.S., is the 32nd largest state in the country with an area that covers 48,430 square miles. Its population size is consistent with its population figures, and it is the 31st most populous state. The population density of the United States ranks 32nd.

The population of Mississippi is very widely spread with a density of just 63.2 people per square mile, which ranks 32nd in the country. People have been leaving the United States’ rural areas and concentrating in urban areas for many generations, with only 1 in 5 people in the country classified as rural. However, Mississippi’s rural population is still the 4th largest in the country, at 51.2%.

The only city in the state with over 100,000 is Jackson. There are only two other cities that have a population of at least 50,000: Hattiesburg and Gulfport. Hinds County, with a population of 239,479, is the most populated county, followed by Harrison County, with 205,027 residents, and DeSoto County, with 178,751 residents. Both Harrison and DeSoto counties have a substantial growth rate; Harrison has a growth rate of 9.2%, while DeSoto has a growth rate of 9.5%.

Religion Statistics and Mississippi Gender

Approximately 36.7 years is the median age of the Mississippi population. The state’s gender ratio is 51.5% female and 48.5% male.

83% of the population in the state affiliates with a Christian-based faith, 2% with a non-Christian faith, and 14% have no religious affiliation.

Mississippi Demographics

The racial composition of Mississippi, according to the most recent ACS, was:

1. White: 58.00%
2. Two or more races: 1.68%
3. Other race: 1.14%
4. Asian: 1.00%
5. Native American: 0.47%
6. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.04%

Population Growth of Mississippi

The population of Mississippi had grown to 1.5 million by the start of the 20th century and has continued to grow, though at a slower rate, in the modern era. The population of Mississippi was close to 3 million in 2016. This is due to the continuous expansion throughout the latter half of the 20th century, starting from when the population hit 2 million in 1930.