Mississippi County Demographics

A map of Mississippi County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	21,834	22,861	55.8%	56.2%
Black	13,445	14,251	34.4%	35.0%
Hispanic	1,911	1,771	4.9%	4.4%
Multiracial	1,623	1,392	4.1%	3.4%
Asian	203	242	0.5%	0.6%
Native American/Other	110	168	0.3%	0.4%

Mississippi County, Arkansas has an estimated population of 39,126, a decrease from the 40,685 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 55.8% White, 34.4% Black, 4.9% Hispanic, 4.1% Multiracial, 0.5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American/Other. This demographic dot map shows the population of Mississippi County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Mississippi has become slightly more racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably more diverse than Arkansas overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Mississippi County, that probability was 55.9% in 2020 and 56.6% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Mississippi County is ranked the 18th most populous county in Arkansas, out of 75 counties. Mississippi County was ranked the 18th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Mississippi County's White Population

21,834 residents of Mississippi County, or 55.8% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Mississippi County is considerably lower than in Arkansas overall, where 67.4% of the population is White. Mississippi County ranks 61st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's White population has declined by an estimated 4.5%. White residents' share of Mississippi County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 55.8%.

Mississippi County is less White than neighboring Tipton County (73.8% White), Lauderdale County (58.4% White), Dunklin County (73.5% White), Pemiscot County (65.1% White), and Craighead County (70.8% White).

Mississippi County's Black Population

13,445 residents of Mississippi County, or 34.4% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Mississippi County is significantly higher than in Arkansas overall, where 14.6% of the population is Black. Mississippi County ranks 12th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's Black population has declined by an estimated 5.7%. Black residents' share of Mississippi County's population has decreased from 35.0% to 34.4%.

Mississippi County is more Black than neighboring Tipton County (18.2% Black), Lauderdale County (33.5% Black), Dunklin County (6.9% Black), Pemiscot County (24.4% Black), and Craighead County (16.6% Black).

Mississippi County's Asian Population

203 residents of Mississippi County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Mississippi County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1.6% of the population is Asian. Mississippi County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 16.1%. Asian residents' share of Mississippi County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Mississippi County is more Asian than neighboring Dunklin County (0.3% Asian), and Pemiscot County (0.2% Asian). Mississippi County is less Asian than neighboring Lauderdale County (0.6% Asian), and Craighead County (1.2% Asian).

Mississippi County's Hispanic Population

1,911 residents of Mississippi County, or 4.9% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Mississippi County is slightly lower than in Arkansas overall, where 9% of the population is Hispanic. Mississippi County ranks 32nd statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 7.9%. Hispanic residents' share of Mississippi County's population has increased from 4.4% to 4.9%.

Mississippi County is more Hispanic than neighboring Tipton County (3.1% Hispanic), Lauderdale County (2.8% Hispanic), and Pemiscot County (3.2% Hispanic). Mississippi County is less Hispanic than neighboring Dunklin County (7.7% Hispanic), and Craighead County (6.3% Hispanic).

Mississippi County's Native American/Other Population

110 residents of Mississippi County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Mississippi County is comparable to the share in Arkansas overall, where 1% of the population is Native American/Other. Mississippi County ranks 68th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's Native American/Other population has declined by an estimated 34.5%. Native American/Other residents' share of Mississippi County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Mississippi County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Dunklin County (0.2% Native American/Other). Mississippi County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Tipton County (0.6% Native American/Other), Lauderdale County (0.4% Native American/Other), and Craighead County (0.5% Native American/Other).

Mississippi County's Multiracial Population

1,623 residents of Mississippi County, or 4.1% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Mississippi County is slightly lower than in Arkansas overall, where 6.3% of the population is Multiracial. Mississippi County ranks 57th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 75 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Mississippi County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 16.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Mississippi County's population has increased from 3.4% to 4.1%.

Mississippi County is more Multiracial than neighboring Tipton County (3.8% Multiracial). Mississippi County is less Multiracial than neighboring Lauderdale County (4.3% Multiracial), Dunklin County (11.3% Multiracial), Pemiscot County (6.9% Multiracial), and Craighead County (4.5% Multiracial).

Sources: Most recent population estimates are from the 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. 2020 population counts and map data are from 2020 Census State Redistricting Data. Geographic data are from Census TIGER/Line Shapefiles.