Mississippi ranks 34th in terms of total population in the United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, the state has a population of 2,961,288. According to recent estimates, the state’s population is decreasing. The population forecast for 2022 was 2,940,057, a decrease of 21,000 persons in two years.
Discover which Mississippi counties have lost the most people in the previous two years, and why they may be going.
The data for this article comes from the United States Census Bureau’s county population estimates for April 2020 to July 2022.
Bolivar County
Bolivar County is in western Mississippi. This county has a boundary with Arkansas on the Mississippi River. Cleveland is the county’s largest city, with a population of approximately 11,000 people.
Bolivar County had a population of 30,973 in 2020. By July 2022, the county’s population had plummeted to 29,370. This translates to a loss of 1,603 individuals. On its own, the population decline is not particularly important.
However, the fact that inhabitants who left this region constituted 5.2% of the population is significant. Although the number of individuals departing is tiny, this is one of the Mississippi counties with the highest percentage of population loss.
Leflore County
Leflore County is located in western Mississippi, near Bolivar County. Greenwood is the largest city in the region, with a population of 14,037 people. The Little Tallahatchie River and the Yalobusha River are two major bodies of water in this area.
The 2020 Census revealed that Leflore County was home to 28,348 people. By 2022, the headcount had dropped to 26,570 individuals. This county experienced a higher proportion of population loss than Bolivar County.
This region lost around 6.3% of its residents or 1,778 people. Again, this is a small figure in comparison to the state’s total population, but it is a significant loss for the county.
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Warren County
Warren County is another western county in the state. This region shares a boundary with Louisiana along the Mississippi River. Vicksburg is the largest city in this area, with a population of 20,904.
Warren County, like many other Mississippi counties, is experiencing population loss. According to the most recent census, this part of the state is home to 44,721 people. By 2022, the population of this region had decreased to 42,649 individuals. The total population decrease in this region was 4.6%, or 2,072 individuals.
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Lauderdale County
Lauderdale County is located in eastern Mississippi, bordering Alabama. Meridian is the region’s largest city, with a population of approximately 34,424 people. The city is renowned for having multiple major highways passing through it.
Lauderdale County’s population in 2020 was 72,983, making it one of the most populous areas in the state. The United States Census Bureau anticipated that the population of this area will be 70,904 in 2022. In just two years, 2,079 people left this portion of the state, representing a moderate 2.8% reduction.
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Washington County
Washington County is another western Mississippi county. This county shares a border with Arkansas on the Mississippi. Greenville is the largest city in the area, with a population of over 29,000.
In 2020, Washington County had a population of 44,918. Over the next two years, this area of the state lost a lot of inhabitants. This area of the state is expected to have a population of 42,514 by 2022. The area lost 2,404 inhabitants in just two years, accounting for 5.4% of the county’s population.
This county’s population shrinkage is another example of a situation in which the number of residents that left was modest, but the percentage of the population that departed was relatively high.
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Hinds County
Hinds County has the highest population in the entire state. Unfortunately, it is also the Mississippi county with the highest population drop.
Hinds County is located in western Mississippi and is recognized for holding a large portion of the Jackson metropolitan area. Jackson is a relatively large city, with a population of 153,701.
This region of the state had a population of 227,750 in 2020. However, the predicted population for 2022 was 217,730 persons. Hinds County lost 10,020 individuals, or 4.4% of its total population.
Reasons for Declining Population
Now that we’ve looked at Mississippi counties with declining populations, we must evaluate why people are leaving them. The state’s economic problems contribute to the declining population in these locations. People are fleeing the state because they are unable to locate high-paying jobs.
Another factor driving the demographic shift is the desire of younger generations to pursue decent educational options. College-aged students are leaving the state to further their studies at various universities that will prepare them for the workforce.
Many additional factors are causing people to leave this state as well. Low salaries, inadequate infrastructure, and a lower overall quality of life are just a few of the reasons people are leaving the Magnolia State.