Meridian, MS

Census Place

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2023 Population

34,466

1.5% 1-year decline

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2023 Poverty Rate

31.9%

1.55% 1-year decrease

2023 Median Household Income

$34,657

5.67% 1-year growth

2023 Employed Population

13,676

3.4% 1-year growth

About

N/A

None of the households in Meridian, 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.

98.8% of the residents in Meridian, MS are U.S. citizens.

Most people in Meridian, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 18.8 minutes. The average car ownership in Meridian, MS was 2 cars per household.

United States Mississippi Lauderdale County, MS Meridian, MS East Central Region--Clarke, Lauderdale & Newton Counties--Meridian City PUMA, MS

Population & Diversity

Meridian, MS is home to a population of 34.5k people, from which 98.8% are citizens. As of N/A, N/A% of Meridian, MS residents were born outside of the country (N/A people).

In N/A, there were N/A times more N/A residents (N/A people) in Meridian, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were N/A N/A and N/A N/A residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

98.8%

2023 Citizenship

99%

2022 Citizenship

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
629 ± 225
Vietnam
571 ± 159
Gulf War (1990s)
411 ± 180

Meridian, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.1 times greater than any other conflict.

Economy

The economy of Meridian, MS employs 13.7k people. The largest industries in Meridian, MS are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,459 people), Accommodation & Food Services (1,649 people), and Manufacturing (1,539 people), and the highest paying industries are Public Administration ($65,313), Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($55,462), and Information ($55,069).

Males in Mississippi have an average income that is 1.39 times higher than the average income of females, which is $46,477. The income inequality in Mississippi (measured using the Gini index) is N/A, which is N/A than the national average.

Employment

Occupations

13.7k

2023 Value

± 1,001

3.4%

1 Year growth

± 9.96%

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Meridian, MS, are Sales & Related Occupations (1,656 people), Office & Administrative Support Occupations (1,612 people), and Management Occupations (1,153 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Meridian, MS.

Unemployment Insurance Claims

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

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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

13.7k

2023 Value

± 1,001

3.4%

1 Year growth

± 9.96%

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Meridian, MS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (2,459 people), Accommodation & Food Services (1,649 people), and Manufacturing (1,539 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Meridian, MS, though some of these residents may live in Meridian, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$39,907

Median earning men ± $5,197

$24,945

Median earning women ± $1,763

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2023 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($79,680), Wholesale Trade ($78,571), and Public Administration ($77,222).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2023 are Construction ($45,893), Wholesale Trade ($42,885), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($35,459).

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.

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 Meridian, 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.

US Representative Elections

US Representatives from Mississippi

Mississippi is currently represented by 4 members in the U.S. house.

Members of the House of Representives are elected to 2-year terms, and the following chart shows the how the members for Mississippi have changed over time starting in 2008.

Education

In 2022, universities in Meridian, MS awarded 744 degrees. The student population of Meridian, MS in 2022 is skewed towards women, with 847 male students and 1,774 female students.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
221 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
111 degrees awarded
Physical Therapy Technician
11 degrees awarded

In 2022, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Meridian, MS was Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities with 221 degrees awarded.

This visualization illustrates the percentage of students graduating with a Associates Degree from schools in Meridian, MS according to their major.

Awarded Degrees over Time

The graph shows the evolution of awarded degrees by degrees. Under the paragraphs, the average number of awarded degrees by university in each degree is shown.

Working Population

Educational Pyramid

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

Measure

In 2022, NaNM% of men over 25 years of age had not completed any academic degree (no schooling), while NaNM% of women were in the same situation.

This visualization shows the gender distribution of the population according to the academic level reached.

Educational Attainment

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for N/A.

The most common educational levels obtained by the working population in false were N/A.

This visualization illustrates the percentage distribution of the population according to the highest educational level reached. You can filter the data by race by using the selector above.

Housing & Living

People in Meridian, MS have an average commute time of 18.8 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Meridian, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Equity

Income by Location

Use the dropdown to filter by race/ethnicity.

The following map shows all of the places in Meridian, MS colored by their Median Household Income (N/A).

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Household Income

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

$34,657

Median Household Income

± $4,070

N/A

Number of Households

± 0

The following chart displays the households in Meridian, 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 Meridian, MS is from Meridian, MS.

N/A Wage GINI in N/A

In N/A, the income inequality in N/A was N/A according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a N/A N/A from N/A to N/A, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat N/A even. The GINI for N/A was N/A than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed N/A evenly in N/A in comparison to the national average.

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

Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2023

Drove Alone (80.5%)
Carpooled (10.4%)
Worked At Home (4.13%)

In 2023, 80.5% of workers in Meridian, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.4%) and those who worked at home (4.13%).

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

18.8 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Meridian, MS have a shorter commute time (18.8 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.6 minutes). Additionally, 2.1% of the workforce in Meridian, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

31.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Meridian, MS (10.6k out of 33.3k people) live below the poverty line, a number that is higher than the national average of 12.4%. The largest demographic living in poverty are Females 35 - 44, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Females 6 - 11.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Meridian, MS is Black, followed by White and Asian.

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.

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.

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

Uninsured People

N/A%

Uninsured

N/A%

Employer Coverage

N/A%

Medicaid

N/A%

Medicare

N/A%

Non-Group

N/A%

Military or VA

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

Keep Exploring

Mississippi

State

Lauderdale County, MS