Pearl River County, MS

County

Add Comparison

2024 Population

57,458

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Median Age

41.6

1.22% 1-year increase

2024 Poverty Rate

16.5%

0.388% 1-year increase

2024 Median Household Income

$58,135

2.83% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$182,300

4.47% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

24,202

2.66% 1-year growth

About

None of the households in Pearl River 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.

99.1% of the residents in Pearl River County, MS are U.S. citizens.

The largest universities in Pearl River County, MS are Pearl River Community College (1,251 degrees awarded in 2023).

In 2024, the median property value in Pearl River County, MS was $182,300, and the homeownership rate was 80.4%.

Most people in Pearl River County, MS drove alone to work, and the average commute time was 35.4 minutes. The average car ownership in Pearl River County, MS was 2 cars per household.

Pearl River County, MS borders St. Tammany Parish, LA, Washington Parish, LA, Forrest County, MS, Hancock County, MS, Harrison County, MS, Lamar County, MS, Marion County, MS, and Stone County, MS.

United States Mississippi Picayune, MS

Population & Diversity

Pearl River County, MS is home to a population of 57.5k people, from which 99.1% are citizens. As of 2024, 1.93% of Pearl River County, MS residents were born outside of the country (1.11k people).

In 2024, there were 6.6 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (45.4k people) in Pearl River County, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 6.89k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.36k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

99.1%

2024 Citizenship

99.3%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 99.1% of Pearl River County, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Pearl River County, MS was 99.3%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been decreasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Pearl River County, MS

White (Non-Hispanic)
45.4k ± 441
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
6.89k ± 271
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.36k ± 303

4.34%

Hispanic Population

2.49k people

4.34% of the people in Pearl River County, MS are hispanic (2.49k people).

The following chart shows the 8 races represented in Pearl River 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

1.93%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

1.11k people

1.55%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

880 people

As of 2024, 1.93% of Pearl River County, MS residents (1.11k 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 Pearl River County, MS was 1.55%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Vietnam
1,484 ± 278
Gulf War (2001-)
847 ± 232
Gulf War (1990s)
547 ± 206

Pearl River County, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Vietnam, 1.75 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Pearl River County, MS employs 24.2k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Pearl River County, MS were Retail Trade (3,885 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,386 people), and Construction (2,213 people), and the highest paying industries were Mining, Quarrying, & Oil & Gas Extraction ($125,714), Utilities ($91,842), and Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($85,259).

Employment

Occupations

24.2k

2024 Value

± 1,388

2.66%

1 Year growth

± 8.11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Pearl River County, MS grew at a rate of 2.66%, from 23.6k employees to 24.2k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Pearl River County, MS, are Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,400 people), Sales & Related Occupations (2,361 people), and Construction & Extraction Occupations (1,781 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Pearl River 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

24.2k

2024 Value

± 1,388

2.66%

1 Year growth

± 8.11%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Pearl River County, MS grew at a rate of 2.66%, from 23.6k employees to 24.2k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Pearl River County, MS, are Retail Trade (3,885 people), Health Care & Social Assistance (3,386 people), and Construction (2,213 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Pearl River County, MS, though some of these residents may live in Pearl River County, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$49,548

Median earning men ± $3,325

$27,557

Median earning women ± $2,395

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining ($85,934), Finance & Insurance, & Real Estate & Rental & Leasing ($84,243), and Public Administration ($81,321).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Construction ($85,137), Public Administration ($53,237), and Wholesale Trade ($39,167).

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

68
Retail Trade
60
Other Services (except Public Administration)
58
Finance and Insurance

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

$73.5k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$67.5k
Retail Trade
$38.7k
Manufacturing

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 Pearl River 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.

Education

In 2023, universities in Pearl River County, MS awarded 1,251 degrees. The student population of Pearl River County, MS in 2023 is skewed towards women, with 1,913 male students and 3,707 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Pearl River County, MS are White (796 and 63.6%), Black or African American (380 and 30.4%), Unknown (44 and 3.52%), and Hispanic or Latino (17 and 1.36%).

The largest universities in Pearl River County, MS by number of degrees awarded are Pearl River Community College (1,251 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Pearl River County, MS are Liberal Arts & Sciences (571 and 45.6%), Registered Nursing (107 and 8.55%), and Licensed Practical & Vocational Nurse Training (81 and 6.47%).

Admissions & Enrollments

Enrollments by Gender and Races

In 2023 there were 5,620 students enrolled in Pearl River County, MS, 34% men and 66% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 3,461 records, of which 64.3% were women and 35.7% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

Liberal Arts & Sciences
571 degrees awarded
Registered Nursing
107 degrees awarded
Other Health & Medical Administrative Services
31 degrees awarded

In 2023, the most common concentation for Associates Degree recipients in Pearl River County, MS was Liberal Arts & Sciences with 571 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Pearl River Community College

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

1,251 degrees awarded

In 2023, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Pearl River Community College with 1,251 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

In 2023, 429 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Pearl River County, MS, which is 0.522 times less than the 822 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2023, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 796 degrees mean that there were 2.09 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 380 degrees awarded.

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.

Tuition

Average Net Price by Sector

Public, 2-year ($3,400) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($250) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2023.

Public, 2-year ($1,300) is the sector with the highest average net price of books and supplies.

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

Housing & Living

The median property value in Pearl River County, MS was $182,300 in 2024, which is 0.548 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $174,500 to $182,300, a 4.47% increase. The homeownership rate in Pearl River County, MS is 80.4%, which is higher than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Pearl River County, MS have an average commute time of 35.4 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Pearl River County, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

In 2025, 12% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Pearl River County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.83%.

Housing

Property

$182,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$11,291

$17,589

Median Property Taxes

±$1,154

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 Pearl River County, MS the largest share of households pay taxes in the < $800 range.

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

Rent vs Own

80.4%

Homeownership

2024

65.1%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 80.4% of the housing units in Pearl River County, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 82.9%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Pearl River 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.

$58,135

Median Household Income

± $5,163

21.9k

Number of Households

± 1,245

In 2024, the median household income of the 21.9k households in Pearl River County, MS grew to $58,135 from the previous year's value of $56,535.

The following chart displays the households in Pearl River 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 $75k - $100k range.

Wage Distribution

The closest comparable wage GINI for Pearl River 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 (76.9%)
Carpooled (10.7%)
Worked At Home (8.77%)

In 2024, 76.9% of workers in Pearl River County, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who carpooled to work (10.7%) and those who worked at home (8.77%).

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.

Commute Time

35.4 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Pearl River County, MS have a longer commute time (35.4 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 7.52% of the workforce in Pearl River County, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

The chart below shows how the median household income in Pearl River 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 Pearl River County, MS distributed between a series of car ownership buckets compared to the national averages for each bucket. The largest share of households in Pearl River County, MS have 2 cars.

Poverty

Severe Housing Problems

In 2025, 12% of the population was living with severe housing problems in Pearl River County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 5.83%.

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

Poverty & Diversity

16.5% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Pearl River County, MS (9.27k out of 56.2k 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 55 - 64, followed by Females 25 - 34 and then Males 55 - 64.

The most common racial or ethnic group living below the poverty line in Pearl River County, MS is White, followed by Black 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, 23.4% of the children was living in poverty in Pearl River County, MS. From 2014 to 2025, the indicator declined 13.3%.

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.

Security

Crimes & Accidents

Indicator

In 2016, the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population was 163 in Pearl River County, MS. From 2014 to 2016, the indicator declined 7.49 per 100,000 population.

The graph shows the trend in the number of reported violent crimes offenses per 100,000 population.

Health

87.1% of the population of Pearl River County, MS has health coverage, with 33.8% on employee plans, 19.8% on Medicaid, 14.5% on Medicare, 16.8% on non-group plans, and 2.13% on military or VA plans.

Primary care physicians in Pearl River County, MS see 4,036 patients per year on average, which represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,036 patients). Compare this to dentists who see 4405 patients per year, and mental health providers who see 1610 patients per year.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

Coverage

Patient to Clinician Ratios

4,036 to 1

Patient to Primary Care Physician Ratio in Pearl River County, MS

Primary care physicians in Pearl River County, MS see an average of 4,036 patients per year. This represents a 0% change from the previous year (4,036 patients).

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

Health Care Diversity

In 2024, insured persons according to age ranges were distributed in 24.4% under 18 years, 18.5% between 18 and 34 years, 37.9% between 35 and 64 years, and 19.3% over 64 years.

By gender, of the total number of insured persons, 49.3% were men and 50.7% were women.

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

Uninsured People

12.9%

Uninsured

33.8%

Employer Coverage

19.8%

Medicaid

14.5%

Medicare

16.8%

Non-Group

2.13%

Military or VA

Between 2023 and 2024, the percent of uninsured citizens in Pearl River County, MS declined by 1.34% from 13.1% to 12.9%.

The following chart shows how the percent of uninsured individuals in Pearl River 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 94.5 in Pearl River County, MS.

The graphic shows the trend of the indicator in Pearl River 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 40.3% in Pearl River County, MS.

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