Prentiss County Demographics

A map of Prentiss County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	20,017	20,166	79.5%	80.6%
Black	3,228	3,547	12.8%	14.2%
Multiracial	1,119	691	4.4%	2.8%
Hispanic	382	405	1.5%	1.6%
Native American/Other	304	114	1.2%	0.5%
Asian	134	85	0.5%	0.3%

Prentiss County, Mississippi has an estimated population of 25,184, a less than 1% change from the 25,008 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 79.5% White, 12.8% Black, 4.4% Multiracial, 1.5% Hispanic, 1.2% Native American/Other, and 0.5% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Prentiss County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Prentiss has become more 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 Prentiss County, that probability was 32.9% in 2020 and 34.9% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Prentiss County is ranked the 35th most populous county in Mississippi, out of 82 counties. Prentiss County was ranked the 37th most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Prentiss County's White Population

20,017 residents of Prentiss County, or 79.5% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Prentiss County is significantly higher than in Mississippi overall, where 55.2% of the population is White. Prentiss County ranks 5th statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's White population has remained roughly the same. White residents' share of Prentiss County's population has decreased from 80.6% to 79.5%.

Prentiss County is more White than neighboring Lee County (62.5% White), and Tippah County (75.9% White). Prentiss County is less White than neighboring Alcorn County (79.7% White), Tishomingo County (90.4% White), and Itawamba County (88.2% White).

Prentiss County's Black Population

3,228 residents of Prentiss County, or 12.8% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Prentiss County is significantly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 36.3% of the population is Black. Prentiss County ranks 75th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's Black population has declined by an estimated 9.0%. Black residents' share of Prentiss County's population has decreased from 14.2% to 12.8%.

Prentiss County is more Black than neighboring Alcorn County (10.2% Black), Tishomingo County (1.2% Black), and Itawamba County (5.2% Black). Prentiss County is less Black than neighboring Lee County (29.9% Black), and Tippah County (14% Black).

Prentiss County's Asian Population

134 residents of Prentiss County, or 0.5% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Prentiss County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 1% of the population is Asian. Prentiss County ranks 40th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's Asian population has grown by an estimated 57.6%. Asian residents' share of Prentiss County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.5%.

Prentiss County is more Asian than neighboring Tippah County (0.2% Asian). Prentiss County is less Asian than neighboring Tishomingo County (0.6% Asian), and Lee County (1% Asian).

Prentiss County's Hispanic Population

382 residents of Prentiss County, or 1.5% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Prentiss County is slightly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 3.7% of the population is Hispanic. Prentiss County ranks 49th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 5.7%. Hispanic residents' share of Prentiss County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.5%.

Prentiss County is less Hispanic than neighboring Alcorn County (3.8% Hispanic), Tishomingo County (3.2% Hispanic), Lee County (3.5% Hispanic), Itawamba County (1.9% Hispanic), and Tippah County (5.3% Hispanic).

Prentiss County's Native American/Other Population

304 residents of Prentiss County, or 1.2% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Prentiss County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Prentiss County ranks 27th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 166.7%. Native American/Other residents' share of Prentiss County's population has increased from 0.5% to 1.2%.

Prentiss County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Alcorn County (0.3% Native American/Other), Tishomingo County (0.9% Native American/Other), Lee County (0.7% Native American/Other), Itawamba County (0.6% Native American/Other), and Tippah County (0.4% Native American/Other).

Prentiss County's Multiracial Population

1,119 residents of Prentiss County, or 4.4% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Prentiss County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3% of the population is Multiracial. Prentiss County ranks 18th statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Prentiss County's Multiracial population has grown by an estimated 61.9%. Multiracial residents' share of Prentiss County's population has increased from 2.8% to 4.4%.

Prentiss County is more Multiracial than neighboring Tishomingo County (3.7% Multiracial), Lee County (2.4% Multiracial), Itawamba County (3.8% Multiracial), and Tippah County (4.3% Multiracial). Prentiss County is less Multiracial than neighboring Alcorn County (5.5% 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.