Cost of living in Mississippi

Mississippi at a glance

Median rent

$954

Census ACS, B25064, monthly

Median household income

$56,447

Census ACS, B19013, yearly

Median home value

$169,800

Census ACS, B25077

Median property tax bill

$1,215

Census ACS, B25103, yearly, current owners

Mean commute

26 min

Census ACS, DP03, one way

Unemployment

5.8%

Census ACS, DP03

Mississippi's own published state rows, never an average of its counties. Prices overall run 13% below the national average (BEA regional price parity, 2024).

Census ACS 2024 five-year estimates, checked November 2026.

The three most populous counties in Mississippi

These are the most populous places in Mississippi, not a match to you. Set what matters to you on Find your fit and this becomes your three closest matches here. Made-up answers work too. This is a tool, not a survey.

• Hinds County

  Population

  219K

  Rent

  $1,061

  Household income

  $49,402

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,403

  Set as targetPlan

• Harrison County

  Population

  211K

  Rent

  $1,115

  Household income

  $59,479

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,370

  Set as targetPlan

• DeSoto County

  Population

  191K

  Rent

  $1,451

  Household income

  $85,297

  Prop. tax (yearly)

  $1,613

  Set as targetPlan

Mississippi, worth the trip

Admitted to the Union on December 10, 1817, as the 20th state. A French expedition led by Pierre le Moyne d'Iberville established France's claim to the lower Mississippi valley in 1699. Congress created the Mississippi Territory in 1798.

• Vicksburg National Military Park

  The ground where Union forces closed in on Vicksburg, a city guarded by a ring of forts with over 170 cannon.

• Natchez National Historical Park

  Historic sites in Natchez that cover European settlement, slavery, the cotton economy and the civil rights struggle.

• Gulf Islands National Seashore

  White beaches, emerald water, marshes and historical landscapes along the Gulf coast.

History: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Each place links to the page of the agency that looks after it.

Property tax in Mississippi

Current owners in Mississippi pay a median 0.72% of home value a year in property tax. Example: $1,215 a year, the median bill. By county, the median bill runs from $503 in Tallahatchie County to $2,108 in Madison County. These are bills that current owners pay, as the Census measures them. Each county's own figure is in the table below.

Health in Mississippi

Life expectancy

71.9 yrs

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS vital statistics

No health insurance

13.1%

County Health Rankings, from Census SAHIE, people under 65

Poor or fair health

23.2%

County Health Rankings, from CDC BRFSS. Modeled, not counted

Injury deaths per 100K people

106

County Health Rankings, from CDC NCHS, counted deaths

Each is the figure County Health Rankings publishes for Mississippi as a whole, never an average of its counties. Each county's own health readings are on its page.

Natural hazards in Mississippi

Expected yearly loss, statewide

$1.6B

All natural hazards, an average year. Larger states lose more

Building loss rate

$1.96

Per $1,000 of building value, each year. Fair to compare between states

Costliest hazard

Inland flooding

$500M of the expected yearly loss, the largest share of any hazard FEMA assesses

Air quality

—

The EPA publishes air quality by county and metro area, never by state. It is on each county's page

FEMA publishes a risk score for counties and none for states, so none is shown here. Each county's score is on its own page.

New homes permitted in Mississippi

Side by side

Hinds County, MS is the largest county here. Set it beside another place, reading by reading.

The largest counties in Mississippi

By population, from the Census release named below. Each opens its own page.

1. 1Hinds County219K
2. 2Harrison County211K
3. 3DeSoto County191K
4. 4Rankin County159K
5. 5Jackson County145K
6. 6Madison County112K
7. 7Lee County83K
8. 8Forrest County78.3K
9. 9Lauderdale County71.5K
10. 10Jones County66.5K

All 82 counties in Mississippi

Each has its published readings on its own page. Press a column to sort by it. Pick one, or open the map to see them shaded side by side.

Household income, home value and population are on each county's own page, and in this table on a wider screen.

Where these numbers come from

Each reading is the published figure, not an estimate. A dash means the source did not publish one, or published one too uncertain to print.

• State figures: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 20245-year estimates, the state's own row (tables B25064, B19013, B25077, B25103, B01003, DP03).
• County figures: the same survey, each county's own row, as on every county page.
• Price level: Bureau of Economic Analysis, regional price parities, 2024, all items, state-level.
• Health: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, the state's own row. Poor or fair health is a modeled estimate from CDC survey data. The other three are counted or calculated.
• Natural hazards: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025, state table, expected annual loss. This product uses FEMA data but is not endorsed by FEMA.
• Air quality has no state figure: the EPA publishes it by county and metro area only.
• Photographs: Wikimedia Commons and the county photo feed, each credited to its photographer under its own licence, beneath the picture.

What to do with these numbers

Every number here is public. The site adds your side of it: Mississippi next to your own state, by what you value.

• See Mississippi beside your own state

  Find your fit puts it next to where you live and the states next door, by what matters to you. Made-up answers are fine, since this is a tool, not a survey. No account needed.

  Find your fit

• Pick a county here and make it your target

  The three counties above each carry Set as target. From there the Journey lays out the runway and the steps. An account keeps it private and yours across devices.

  See the three counties