Covington County, MS

County

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2024 Population

18,148

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

37.3

1.06% 1-year decrease

2024 Poverty Rate

19.8%

11.5% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$45,051

4.15% 1-year decline

2024 Median Property Value

$105,100

6.7% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

7,275

4.2% 1-year decline

About

None of the households in Covington County, MS reported speaking a non-English language at home as their primary shared language. This does not consider the potential multi-lingual nature of households, but only the primary self-reported language spoken by all members of the household.

99% of the residents in Covington County, MS are U.S. citizens.

In 2024, the median property value in Covington County, MS was $105,100, and the homeownership rate was 77.5%.

Most people in Covington County, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 23.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Covington County, MS was 2 cars per household.

Covington County, MS borders Forrest County, MS, Jefferson Davis County, MS, Jones County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Simpson County, MS, and Smith County, MS.

United States Mississippi

Population & Diversity

Covington County, MS is home to a population of 18.1k people, from which 99% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.14% of Covington County, MS residents were born outside of the country (206 people).

In 2024, there were 1.71 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (10.8k people) in Covington County, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.31k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 399 Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99%

2024 Citizenship

99.7%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99% of Covington County, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Covington County, MS was 99.7%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

The following chart shows US citizenship percentages in Covington County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Covington County, MS

White (Non-Hispanic)
10.8k ± 79
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
6.31k ± 303
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
399 ± 232

2.6%

Hispanic Population

471 people

2.6% of the people in Covington County, MS are hispanic (471 people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Covington County, MS as a share of the total population.

Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the County level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.

Most Common Origin

Mexico
17,149 ± 3,206 people
Honduras
5,066 ± 1,746 people
India
4,341 ± 1,616 people

In 2023, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 17,149 Mississippi residents, followed by Honduras with 5,066 and India with 4,341.

Foreign-Born Population

1.14%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

206 people

1.34%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

245 people

As of 2024, 1.14% of Covington County, MS residents (206 people) were born outside of the United States, which is approximately the same as the national average of 14%. In 2023, the percentage of foreign-born citizens in Covington County, MS was 1.34%, meaning that the rate has been decreasing.

The following chart shows the percentage of foreign-born residents in Covington County, MS compared to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
327 ± 159
Gulf War (1990s)
150 ± 86
Gulf War (2001-)
79 ± 65

Covington County, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 2.18 times greater than any other conflict.

The chart shows the distribution of veterans by conflict in Covington County, MS.

Economy

The economy of Covington County, MS employs 7.28k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Covington County, MS were Health Care & Social Assistance (1,448 people), Manufacturing (1,387 people), and Retail Trade (919 people), and the highest paying industries were Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($151,354), Transportation & Warehousing ($70,478), and Information ($67,083).

Employment

Occupations

7.28k

2024 Value

± 796

−4.2%

1 Year decline

± 17.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Covington County, MS declined at a rate of −4.2%, from 7.59k employees to 7.28k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Covington County, MS, are Production Occupations (928 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (902 people), and Sales & Related Occupations (737 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Covington County, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

This chart shows weekly unemployment insurance claims in Mississippi (not-seasonally adjusted) compared with the four states with the most similar impact.

The most recent data point uses Advance State Claims data, which can be revised in subsequent weeks.

Industries

Employment by Industries

7.28k

2024 Value

± 796

−4.2%

1 Year decline

± 17.1%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Covington County, MS declined at a rate of −4.2%, from 7.59k employees to 7.28k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Covington County, MS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (1,448 people), Manufacturing (1,387 people), and Retail Trade (919 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Covington County, MS, though some of these residents may live in Covington County, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$45,154

Median earning men ± $12,001

$32,155

Median earning women ± $4,593

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($72,526), Public Administration ($67,847), and Information ($65,625).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Information ($80,700), Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($56,827), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($52,188).

Employment by Industry Sector

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Y-Axis

1.38%

Year-over-year growth

Employment change between February 2022 and February 2023

As of February 2023, there are 1.17M people employed in Mississippi. This represents a 1.38% increase in employment when compared to February 2022.

Right after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, during April 2020, a general dip can be seen across industry sectors, resulting in an overall decline in employment by 12.5%.

The following chart shows monthly employment numbers for each industry sector in Mississippi.

Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments

44
Retail Trade
29
Other Services (except Public Administration)
22
Construction

The visualization shows the distribution of establishments by industry and by size according to the number of employees.

The visualization shows the number of establishments and its share across establishment sizes.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$62.7k
Manufacturing
$31.4k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$20.2k
Retail Trade

The chart shows the total annual payroll and the average annual payroll by industry.

Civics

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing the state of Mississippi. In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house, and members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms.

Presidential Elections

Presidential Popular Vote Over Time

Voting results are not available for Covington County, MS. Showing the available data for Mississippi.

2024 Election Results

Donald J. Trump (60.9%)
Republican Party
Kamala Harris (38%)
Democratic Party
Robert Kennedy (0.439%)
Independent Party

In the 2024 presidential election, the popular vote in Mississippi went to Donald J. Trump with 60.9% of the vote. The runner-up was Kamala Harris (38%), followed by Robert Kennedy (0.439%).

The following chart shows the popular vote results in Mississippi for each registered party from 1976 to 2024.

Senator Elections

US Senators from Mississippi

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.

Roger Wicker

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on December 31, 2007
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Trent Lott.

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Senator from Mississippi

Assumed office on April 9, 2018
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Thad Cochran.

Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith are the senators currently representing Mississippi.

In the United States, senators are elected to 6-year terms with the terms for individual senators staggered.

The following chart shows elected senators in Mississippi over time, excluding special elections, colored by their political party.

Housing & Living

The median property value in Covington County, MS was $105,100 in 2024, which is 0.316 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $98,500 to $105,100, a 6.7% increase. The homeownership rate in Covington County, MS is 77.5%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Covington County, MS have an average commute time of 23.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Covington County, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 15.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Covington County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.673%.

Housing

Property

$105,100

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,822

$5,677

Median Property Taxes

±$628

The following chart display owner-occupied housing units distributed between a series of property tax buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. In Covington County, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

The chart underneath the paragraph shows the property taxes in Covington County, MS compared to it's parent and neighbor geographies.

Rent vs Own

77.5%

Homeownership

2024

60.3%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 77.5% of the housing units in Covington County, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 76%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Covington County, MS compared it's parent and neighboring geographies.

Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.

$45,051

Median Household Income

± $7,205

7.32k

Number of Households

± 777

In 2024, the median household income of the 7.32k households in Covington County, MS declined from $45,051 from the previous year's value of $47,001.

The following chart displays the households in Covington County, MS distributed between a series of income buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households have an income in the < $10k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Covington County, MS is from Mississippi.

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.452

2022 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2023, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.45 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.442% decline from 2022 to 2023, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.476. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly in Mississippi in comparison to the national average.

This chart shows the number of workers in Mississippi across various wage buckets compared to the national average.

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024

Drove Alone (84.2%)
Worked At Home (5.76%)
Carpooled (4.96%)

In 2024, 84.2% of workers in Covington County, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (5.76%) and those who carpooled to work (4.96%).

The following chart shows the number of households using each mode of transportation over time, using a logarithmic scale on the y-axis to help better show variations in the smaller means of commuting.

Commute Time

23.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Covington County, MS have a shorter commute time (23.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 0.814% of the workforce in Covington County, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Covington County, MS compares to that of it's neighboring and parent geographies.

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

The following chart displays the households in Covington County, MS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Covington County, MS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 15.4% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Covington County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator grew 0.673%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the population living with severe housing problems.

Poverty & Diversity

19.8% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Covington County, MS (3.53k out of 17.8k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.5%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 65 - 74, followed by Females 35 - 44 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Covington County, MS is Black, followed by White and Two Or More.

The Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who classifies as impoverished. If a family's total income is less than the family's threshold than that family and every individual in it is considered to be living in poverty.

Children in Poverty

In 2025, 29.8% of the children was living in poverty in Covington County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 6.6%.

The graph shows the trend of the percentage of the children living in poverty.

Social Needs

Data only available at the state level.

Most prevalent states

California
35,798 individuals
New York
5,087 individuals
Florida
4,915 individuals

In 2017, California had the highest estimated number of chronically homeless individuals in the nation, at 35,798. New York has the second highest (5,087), followed by Florida (4,915).

The following map shows the estimated number of chronically homeless individuals by state over multiple years.

Health

90.4% of the population of Covington County, MS has health coverage, with 45.4% on employee plans, 22.7% on Medicaid, 11.8% on Medicare, 9.86% on non-group plans, and 0.56% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Covington County, MS see 2,285 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,285 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 3016 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 821 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52% were men and 48% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

2,285 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Covington County, MS

Primary care physicians in Covington County, MS see an average of 2,285 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (2,285 patients).

The following chart shows how the number of patients seen by primary care physicians has been changing over time in Covington County, MS in comparison to its neighboring geographies.

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.7% under 18 years, 21.2% between 18 and 34 years, 36.5% between 35 and 64 years, and 16.7% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 52% were men and 48% were women.

The following chart shows the number of people with health coverage by gender.

Uninsured People

9.59%

Uninsured

45.4%

Employer Coverage

22.7%

Medicaid

11.8%

Medicare

9.86%

Non-Group

0.56%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Covington County, MS declined by 14.4% from 11.2% to 9.59%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Covington County, MS changed over time compared with the percent of individuals enrolled in various types of health insurance.

Health Indicators

Health Outcomes

Indicator

In 2025, the number of deaths among residents under age 18 per 100,000 population was 91.4 in Covington County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Covington County, MS.

Health Behaviors

Indicator

In 2025, the percentage of the adult population (age 18 and older) that reports a body mass index (BMI) greater than or equal to 30 kg/m2 (age-adjusted) was 41.4% in Covington County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Covington County, MS.