Winston County Demographics

A map of Winston County's Population by Race

Race	2024 Pop	2020 Pop	2024 %	2020 %
White	8,662	8,856	49.4%	50.0%
Black	8,260	8,078	47.1%	45.6%
Multiracial	301	333	1.7%	1.9%
Native American/Other	190	182	1.1%	1.0%
Hispanic	105	226	0.6%	1.3%
Asian	18	39	0.1%	0.2%

Winston County, Mississippi has an estimated population of 17,536, a slight decrease from the 17,714 recorded in the 2020 Census. The population is 49.4% White, 47.1% Black, 1.7% Multiracial, 1.1% Native American/Other, 0.6% Hispanic, and 0.1% Asian. This demographic dot map shows the population of Winston County, with one dot drawn for each person counted by the Census, color-coded by race.

Winston has become slightly less racially diverse since the 2020 Census. It is 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 Winston County, that probability was 54.1% in 2020 and 53.4% in the most recent ACS estimates.

Winston County is ranked the 51st most populous county in Mississippi, out of 82 counties. Winston County was ranked the 52nd most populous county in the 2020 Census.

Winston County's White Population

8,662 residents of Winston County, or 49.4% of the population, identify as White. The share of White residents in Winston County is lower than in Mississippi overall, where 55.2% of the population is White. Winston County ranks 51st statewide in terms of White residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's White population has declined by an estimated 2.2%. White residents' share of Winston County's population has decreased from 50.0% to 49.4%.

Winston County is more White than neighboring Noxubee County (25.5% White), and Kemper County (33.2% White). Winston County is less White than neighboring Choctaw County (67% White), Neshoba County (57.4% White), and Oktibbeha County (54.7% White).

Winston County's Black Population

8,260 residents of Winston County, or 47.1% of the population, identify as Black. The share of Black residents in Winston County is considerably higher than in Mississippi overall, where 36.3% of the population is Black. Winston County ranks 28th statewide in terms of Black residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's Black population has grown by an estimated 2.3%. Black residents' share of Winston County's population has increased from 45.6% to 47.1%.

Winston County is more Black than neighboring Choctaw County (27.8% Black), Neshoba County (21.2% Black), and Oktibbeha County (35.4% Black). Winston County is less Black than neighboring Noxubee County (73.6% Black), and Kemper County (59.4% Black).

Winston County's Asian Population

18 residents of Winston County, or 0.1% of the population, identify as Asian. The share of Asian residents in Winston County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 1% of the population is Asian. Winston County ranks 54th statewide in terms of Asian residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's Asian population has declined by an estimated 53.8%. Asian residents' share of Winston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 0.1%.

Winston County is more Asian than neighboring Kemper County (0% Asian). Winston County is less Asian than neighboring Choctaw County (0.9% Asian), Neshoba County (0.7% Asian), and Oktibbeha County (3.2% Asian).

Winston County's Hispanic Population

105 residents of Winston County, or 0.6% of the population, identify as Hispanic. The share of Hispanic residents in Winston County is slightly lower than in Mississippi overall, where 3.7% of the population is Hispanic. Winston County ranks 66th statewide in terms of Hispanic residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's Hispanic population has declined by an estimated 53.5%. Hispanic residents' share of Winston County's population has decreased from 1.3% to 0.6%.

Winston County is more Hispanic than neighboring Noxubee County (0.4% Hispanic). Winston County is less Hispanic than neighboring Choctaw County (1.9% Hispanic), Neshoba County (0.8% Hispanic), Oktibbeha County (2.4% Hispanic), and Kemper County (1.2% Hispanic).

Winston County's Native American/Other Population

190 residents of Winston County, or 1.1% of the population, identify as American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Other. The share of Native American/Other residents in Winston County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 0.8% of the population is Native American/Other. Winston County ranks 5th statewide in terms of Native American/Other residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's Native American/Other population has grown by an estimated 4.4%. Native American/Other residents' share of Winston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.1%.

Winston County is more Native American/Other than neighboring Choctaw County (0.4% Native American/Other), Oktibbeha County (0.3% Native American/Other), and Noxubee County (0.2% Native American/Other). Winston County is less Native American/Other than neighboring Neshoba County (16.9% Native American/Other), and Kemper County (2.7% Native American/Other).

Winston County's Multiracial Population

301 residents of Winston County, or 1.7% of the population, identify as Multiracial. The share of Multiracial residents in Winston County is comparable to the share in Mississippi overall, where 3% of the population is Multiracial. Winston County ranks 62nd statewide in terms of Multiracial residents as a share of the population, out of 82 counties.

Since the 2020 Census, Winston County's Multiracial population has declined by an estimated 9.6%. Multiracial residents' share of Winston County's population has remained roughly unchanged at 1.7%.

Winston County is more Multiracial than neighboring Noxubee County (0.4% Multiracial). Winston County is less Multiracial than neighboring Choctaw County (2% Multiracial), Neshoba County (3% Multiracial), Oktibbeha County (4% Multiracial), and Kemper County (3.4% 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.