Meridian, MS

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

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2024 Population
86,818
US Senator
Roger Wicker
Republican Party
US Senator
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Republican Party
2024 Median Age
40.2
0.5% 1-year increase
2024 Poverty Rate
24.7%
2.98% 1-year increase
2024 Median Household Income
$49,822
1.35% 1-year growth
2024 Median Property Value
$128,100
5.43% 1-year growth
2024 Employed Population
35,105
0.0541% 1-year decline

About

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.

99.2% of the residents in Meridian, MS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Meridian, MS are Meridian Community College (819 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Meridian, MS was $128,100, and the homeownership rate was 68.1%.

Most people in Meridian, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 25.7 minutes. The average car ownership in Meridian, MS was 2 cars per household.

Meridian, MS borders Laurel, MS.

United StatesMississippi

Population & Diversity

Meridian, MS is home to a population of 86.8k people, from which 99.2% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.58% of Meridian, MS residents were born outside of the country (1.37k people).

In 2024, there were 1.34 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.6k people) in Meridian, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 33.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.19k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.2%
2024 Citizenship
99.2%
2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.2% of Meridian, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Meridian, MS was 99.2%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

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Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Meridian, MS
  1. White (Non-Hispanic)
    45.6k ± 241
  2. Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
    33.9k ± 820
  3. Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
    3.19k ± 670
2.29%
Hispanic Population
1.99k people

In 2024, there were 1.34 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.6k people) in Meridian, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 33.9k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 3.19k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

2.29% of the people in Meridian, MS are hispanic (1.99k people).

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

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Global Diversity

The PUMS dataset is not available at the MSA level, so we are showing data for Mississippi.
Most Common Origin
  1. Mexico
    17,149 ± 3,206 people
  2. Honduras
    5,066 ± 1,746 people
  3. 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.

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Foreign-Born Population

1.58%
2024 Foreign-Born Population
1.37k people
1.51%
2023 Foreign-Born Population
1.32k people

As of 2024, 1.58% of Meridian, MS residents (1.37k 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 Meridian, MS was 1.51%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

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Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period
  1. Gulf War (2001-)
    1,572 ± 323
  2. Vietnam
    1,211 ± 264
  3. Gulf War (1990s)
    917 ± 235

Meridian, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 1.3 times greater than any other conflict.

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

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Economy

The economy of Meridian, MS employs 35.1k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Meridian, MS were Health Care & Social Assistance (6,932 people), Educational Services (4,070 people), and Manufacturing (3,966 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($98,958), Utilities ($60,481), and Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services ($57,325).

Employment

Occupations

35.1k
2024 Value
± 1,557
−0.0541%
1 Year decline
± 6.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Meridian, MS declined at a rate of −0.0541%, from 35.1k employees to 35.1k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Meridian, MS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (3,975 people), Sales & Related Occupations (3,484 people), and Management Occupations (2,818 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Meridian, MS.

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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.

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Industries

Employment by Industries

35.1k
2024 Value
± 1,557
−0.0541%
1 Year decline
± 6.26%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Meridian, MS declined at a rate of −0.0541%, from 35.1k employees to 35.1k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Meridian, MS, are Health Care & Social Assistance (6,932 people), Educational Services (4,070 people), and Manufacturing (3,966 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.

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Median Earnings by Industry

$47,105
Median earning men ± $2,026
$31,709
Median earning women ± $2,024

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($79,531), Wholesale Trade ($63,017), and Public Administration ($59,609).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($53,167), Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($43,101), and Manufacturing ($40,722).

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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.

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Establishments by Size

The industries with the most establishments
  1. 165
    Other Services (except Public Administration)
  2. 156
    Retail Trade
  3. 123
    Retail Trade

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.

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Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll
  1. $323k
    Health Care and Social Assistance
  2. $135k
    Retail Trade
  3. $122k
    Manufacturing

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

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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

Voting results are not available for Meridian, MS. Showing the available data for Mississippi.
2024 Election Results
  1. Donald J. Trump (60.9%)
    Republican Party
  2. Kamala Harris (38%)
    Democratic Party
  3. 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.

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Senator Elections

US Senators from Mississippi

Senatorial voting results are only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.
Roger Wicker
Senator from Mississippi1
Assumed office on December 31, 2007
Appointed to the seat following the resignation of Trent Lott.
Cindy Hyde-Smith
Senator from Mississippi2
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.

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Education

In 2023, universities in Meridian, MS awarded 819 degrees. The student population of Meridian, MS in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 814 male students and 1,742 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Meridian, MS are Black or African American (376 and 45.9%), White (326 and 39.8%), Unknown (63 and 7.69%), and Hispanic or Latino (24 and 2.93%).

The largest universities in Meridian, MS by number of degrees awarded are Meridian Community College (819 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Meridian, MS are Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities (218 and 26.6%), Registered Nursing (105 and 12.8%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (59 and 7.2%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 2,556 students enrolled in Meridian, MS, 31.8% men and 68.2% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 1,179 records, of which 63.6% were women and 36.4% men.

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Completions

Concentrations

Most Common
  1. Registered Nursing
    105 degrees awarded
  2. Physical Therapy Technician
    12 degrees awarded
  3. Other Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, & Humanities
    218 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Meridian, MS was Registered Nursing with 105 degrees awarded.

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

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Universities

Gender
Race
Meridian Community College
Largest Universities by degrees awarded
819 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Meridian Community College with 819 degrees awarded.

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Student Diversity

In 2023, 319 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Meridian, MS, which is 0.638 times less than the 500 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was Black or African American students. These 376 degrees mean that there were 1.15 times more degrees awarded to Black or African American students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, White, with 326 degrees awarded.

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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.

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Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,658) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($274) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($2,000) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

The graph shows the average net price by sector and year.

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Housing & Living

The median property value in Meridian, MS was $128,100 in 2024, which is 0.385 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $121,500 to $128,100, a 5.43% increase. The homeownership rate in Meridian, MS is 68.1%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Meridian, MS have an average commute time of 25.7 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.

Housing

Property

$128,100
Median Property Value 2024
±$11,220
$23,581
Median Property Taxes
±$1,173

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 Meridian, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

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Rent vs Own

68.1%
Homeownership
2024
64.2%
Homeowners with Mortgage
2024

In 2024, 68.1% of the housing units in Meridian, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage grew from the previous year's rate of 67%.

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

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Equity

Household Income

Please note that the buckets used in this visualization were not evenly distributed by ACS when publishing the data.
$49,822
Median Household Income
± $2,907
34.7k
Number of Households
± 1,554

In 2024, the median household income of the 34.7k households in Meridian, MS grew to $49,822 from the previous year's value of $49,156.

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.

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Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Meridian, 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.

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Transportation

Commuter Transportation

Most Common Commute in 2024
  1. Drove Alone (80.2%)
  2. Carpooled (10.1%)
  3. Worked At Home (4.77%)

In 2024, 80.2% of workers in Meridian, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.1%) and those who worked at home (4.77%).

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.

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Commute Time

25.7 minutes
Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Meridian, MS have a shorter commute time (25.7 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 4.26% 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.

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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.

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Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

24.7% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Meridian, MS (20.7k out of 83.8k 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 35 - 44, followed by Males 6 - 11 and then Females 25 - 34.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Meridian, 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.

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Health

89.7% of the population of Meridian, MS has health coverage, with 36.3% on employee plans, 21.7% on Medicaid, 12.4% on Medicare, 16.6% on non-group plans, and 2.76% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Mississippi see 1,875 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,875 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 1939 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 436 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

Data is only available at the state level. Showing data for Mississippi.
1,875 to 1
Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Mississippi

Primary care physicians in Mississippi see an average of 1,875 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (1,875 patients).

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

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Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 25.3% under 18 years, 18.7% between 18 and 34 years, 36.8% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.2% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 47% were men and 53% were women.

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

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Uninsured People

10.3%
Uninsured
36.3%
Employer Coverage
21.7%
Medicaid
12.4%
Medicare
16.6%
Non-Group
2.76%
Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Meridian, MS declined by 3.26% from 10.6% to 10.3%.

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.

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