Pearl River County Demographics

A map of Pearl River County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	45,437	44,101	79.1%	78.5%
Black	6,888	6,666	12.0%	11.9%
Hispanic	2,493	2,284	4.3%	4.1%
Multiracial	1,992	2,398	3.5%	4.3%
Native American/Other	449	421	0.8%	0.7%
Asian	199	275	0.3%	0.5%

Pearl River County, Mississippi has an estimated population of 57,458, a slight increase from the 56,145 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.1% White, 12.0% Black, 4.3% Hispanic, 3.5% Multiracial, 0.8% Native American/Other, and 0.3% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Pearl River County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Pearl River has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is considerably less diverse than Mississippi overall. Demographers use a diversity index to measure the probability that two randomly selected individuals belong to different racial or ethnic groups. In Pearl River County, that probability was 36.5% in 2020 and 35.7% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Pearl River County is ranked the 14th most populous county in Mississippi, out of 82 counties. Pearl River County was ranked the 13th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Pearl River County's White Population

45,437 residents of Pearl River County, or 79.1% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Pearl River County is significantly higher than in Mississippi overall, where 55.2% of the population is White. Pearl River County ranks 7th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's White population has grown by an estimated 3.0%. White residents' share of Pearl River County's population has increased from 78.5% to 79.1%.

Pearl River County is more White than neighboring Lamar County (70.6% White), Washington County (62.5% White), Stone County (75.2% White), and St. Tammany County (72.4% White). Pearl River County is less White than neighboring Hancock County (83.4% White).

Pearl River County's Black Population

6,888 residents of Pearl River County, or 12.0% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Pearl River County is significantly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 36.3% of the population is Black. Pearl River County ranks 78th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's Black population has grown by an estimated 3.3%. Black residents' share of Pearl River County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 12.0%.

Pearl River County is more Black than neighboring Hancock County (7.1% Black). Pearl River County is less Black than neighboring Lamar County (21.7% Black), Washington County (26.8% Black), and Stone County (17.1% Black).

Pearl River County's Asian Population

199 residents of Pearl River County, or 0.3% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Pearl River County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 1% of the population is Asian. Pearl River County ranks 24th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 27.6%. Asian residents' share of Pearl River County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.3%.

Pearl River County is more Asian than neighboring Washington County (0.1% Asian). Pearl River County is less Asian than neighboring Hancock County (1% Asian), Lamar County (0.9% Asian), Stone County (0.5% Asian), and St. Tammany County (1.3% Asian).

Pearl River County's Hispanic Population

2,493 residents of Pearl River County, or 4.3% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Pearl River County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3.7% of the population is Hispanic. Pearl River County ranks 15th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's Hispanic population has grown by an estimated 9.2%. Hispanic residents' share of Pearl River County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 4.3%.

Pearl River County is more Hispanic than neighboring Hancock County (4.2% Hispanic), Lamar County (3.7% Hispanic), Washington County (3.3% Hispanic), and Stone County (2.6% Hispanic). Pearl River County is less Hispanic than neighboring St. Tammany County (8.2% Hispanic).

Pearl River County's Native American/Other Population

449 residents of Pearl River County, or 0.8% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Pearl River County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Pearl River County ranks 10th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 6.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Pearl River County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.8%.

Pearl River County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Lamar County (0.5% Native American/Other), and Stone County (0.3% Native American/Other). Pearl River County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Hancock County (1% Native American/Other), Washington County (1.1% Native American/Other), and St. Tammany County (1.4% Native American/Other).

Pearl River County's Multiracial Population

1,992 residents of Pearl River County, or 3.5% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Pearl River County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3% of the population is Multiracial. Pearl River County ranks 4th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Pearl River County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 16.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Pearl River County's population has decreased from 4.3% to 3.5%.

Pearl River County is more Multiracial than neighboring Hancock County (3.3% Multiracial), and Lamar County (2.6% Multiracial). Pearl River County is less Multiracial than neighboring Washington County (6.1% Multiracial), Stone County (4.3% Multiracial), and St. Tammany County (4.6% 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.