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COUNTY

Lee County

Mississippi · 83,731 residents (2025 est.) · 450 sq mi
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The short version

Lee County is home to 83,034 people in Mississippi. The foreign-born share is 2%. The typical home is worth $199,500, having more than doubled since 2000. About 29% of adults have finished a four-year degree. That is roughly 20% ahead of the Mississippi median. Median rent is $957 a month.

At a glance
Lower income
below the US median
US median: $82,259
Mid-age
median age 37.5
US median: 38.9
Less educated
29% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 38%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
83,034
+10%since 2000
from 75,755 in 2000
83,731 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
185 / sq mi
+4%since 2009
from 178 / sq mi in 2009
US average: 281
Median age
37.5
+8%since 2000
from 34.6 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
450 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
64K70K75K81K87K19902000201020202024Lee County
202483K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 56.3%(5,223)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 96.5%(5,436)
US avg: 6%
10 to 147.6%(6,300)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 196.8%(5,605)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 246.1%(5,037)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 3413.2%(10,939)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4412.8%(10,617)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5412.6%(10,430)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.4%(10,317)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 749.4%(7,775)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845%(4,144)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.5%(1,211)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$67,863
+3%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $36,165 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$34,728
+83%since 2000
from $18,956 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
46.1%
+24.6 ptssince 2009
from 21.5% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
14.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2000
from 13.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.462
−4%since 2010
from 0.481 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Retail trade21.3%
US avg: 9.9%
Information11.8%
US avg: 10.8%
Finance & insurance5.8%
US avg: 5.9%
Other services5.6%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade5.2%
US avg: 6.9%
Professional, scientific, technical5.2%
US avg: 5.1%
Public administration4.8%
US avg: 4.8%
Arts, entertainment, food1.4%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.3%
US avg: 2.2%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing1.3%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction1.2%
US avg: 1.2%
Education & health services0.6%
US avg: 0.9%
Manufacturing0.1%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$199,500
+38%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $79,100 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$957
+19%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $441 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
70.8%
+1.6 ptssince 2000
from 69.2% in 2000
29.2% rent
Vacancy rate
13.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2009
from 11.5% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.51 people
−6%since 2009
from 2.66 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
15.4%
−7.1 ptssince 2009
from 22.4% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
48.2%
+1.6 ptssince 2009
from 46.6% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
2.9
+6%since 2009
from 2.8 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
79
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic73.1%(55,367)
Black24.4%(18,495)
Hispanic / Latino1.2%(882)
Asian0.5%(393)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic62.5%(51,855)
Black29.9%(24,831)
Hispanic / Latino3.5%(2,933)
Asian1%(823)
Other3.1%(2,592)
Diversity Score
65
+20%since 2009
from 54 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
39
+6%since 2020
from 37 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Mexican2.9%(2,421)
Guatemalan0.1%(64)
Cuban0.1%(52)
Panamanian0.1%(43)
Dominican0%(41)
Spaniard0%(22)
Honduran0%(21)
Asian origin
Pakistani0.2%(169)
Korean0.2%(158)
Asian Indian0.2%(150)
Vietnamese0.1%(104)
Chinese0.1%(95)
Thai0.1%(71)
Japanese0.1%(53)
Filipino0%(10)
Pacific Islander origin
Samoan0%(6)
Ancestry
English12.5%(10,376)
Irish8.4%(6,991)
American7.8%(6,484)
German4.8%(3,988)
Scottish1.7%(1,424)
Scotch-Irish1.5%(1,256)
Italian1.1%(914)
French0.9%(730)
West Indian0.4%(296)
Jamaican0.3%(234)
Dutch0.2%(202)
+ 24 more ancestry groups with data
Arab0.2%(186)
Welsh0.2%(184)
Nigerian0.2%(164)
Polish0.2%(159)
British0.2%(155)
Greek0.2%(152)
Russian0.1%(112)
Swedish0.1%(110)
Hungarian0.1%(68)
Norwegian0.1%(63)
Danish0.1%(50)
Latvian0.1%(47)
Armenian0.1%(46)
Croatian0%(40)
Lebanese0%(28)
Brazilian0%(26)
Ukrainian0%(22)
Swiss0%(9)
Czech0%(7)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
28.6%
+10.5 ptssince 2000
from 18.1% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
87.6%
+12.9 ptssince 2000
from 74.7% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
10.7%
+4.8 ptssince 2000
from 5.9% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
20.8 min
+73%since 2000
from 12.0 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
86.0%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 86.1% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
7.1%
−3.2 ptssince 2009
from 10.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
0.2%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.2% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
5.4%
+3.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.7% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
0.5%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
0.1%
Unchangedsince 2009
from 0.1% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
6.0%
−0.9 ptssince 2009
from 6.9% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.1%
−1.4 ptssince 2011
from 6.5% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
62.3%
−0.6 ptssince 2011
from 62.9% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
74.4%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 72.5% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
11.4%
−0.7 ptssince 2009
from 12.1% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
37.6%
+8.9 ptssince 2009
from 28.8% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
47.6%
−0.4 ptssince 2009
from 48.1% in 2009
Female
52.4%
+0.4 ptssince 2009
from 51.9% in 2009
Foreign born
2.4%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.5% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.4%
−3.9 ptssince 2009
from 9.3% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
14.0%
−1.0 ptssince 2012
from 15.0% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
10.9%
−3.6 ptssince 2013
from 14.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
85.4%
+16.3 ptssince 2017
from 69.1% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
92.7%
+6.8 ptssince 2020
from 85.9% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
92.5%
+3.2 ptssince 2020
from 89.3% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
95.7%
−0.2 ptssince 2016
from 95.9% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
2.5%
−0.3 ptssince 2016
from 2.8% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married32.7%(10,118)
Married54.2%(16,766)
Widowed2.3%(698)
Divorced10.9%(3,377)
Women 15+
Never married26.4%(9,263)
Married51.1%(17,935)
Widowed9.2%(3,230)
Divorced13.4%(4,688)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
10.9%
−3.6 ptssince 2013
from 14.5% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
52.9%
−2.7 ptssince 2020
from 55.6% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
15.4%
+4.7 ptssince 2020
from 10.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
18.3%
+0.5 ptssince 2020
from 17.8% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
19.3%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 17.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
1.7%
+0.2 ptssince 2020
from 1.5% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
66.3%
−0.4 ptssince 2020
from 66.7% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.1%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 32.4% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)25.8%(868)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)15.9%(536)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era32.2%(1,084)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War2.4%(81)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.4%(15)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 3,362 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Drill deeper

Places similar to Lee County

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Pop 88,122
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Pop 87,599
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Pop 83,904
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Pop 91,591
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Head to head

Compare Lee County to nearby counties

LEE COUNTY VS
Itawamba County
Income$55,546−18%
Home value$142,400−29%
Population24,152−71%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEE COUNTY VS
Pontotoc County
Income$51,484−24%
Home value$157,100−21%
Population32,096−62%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEE COUNTY VS
Union County
Income$55,505−18%
Home value$163,400−18%
Population28,459−66%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
LEE COUNTY VS
Prentiss County
Income$49,724−27%
Home value$122,500−39%
Population25,284−70%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Lee County, Mississippi?

Lee County, Mississippi has about 83,034 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Lee County, Mississippi?

The typical household in Lee County, Mississippi earns about $67,863 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Lee County, Mississippi expensive?

In Lee County, Mississippi, the median home is worth about $199,500, and the typical rent is about $957 a month.

How educated are people in Lee County, Mississippi?

About 28.6% of adults age 25 and over in Lee County, Mississippi hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Lee County, Mississippi?

About 14.6% of people in Lee County, Mississippi live below the federal poverty line.

Has Lee County, Mississippi grown since 1990?

Yes, Lee County, Mississippi has grown since 1990. The population has added about 17,453 residents, a change of about 27 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →