Starkville, MS

Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA)

2024 Population

61,743

US Senator

Roger Wicker

Republican Party

US Senator

Cindy Hyde-Smith

Republican Party

2024 Poverty Rate

23.9%

8.73% 1-year decrease

2024 Median Household Income

$48,750

3.88% 1-year growth

2024 Median Property Value

$208,300

13.1% 1-year growth

2024 Employed Population

27,558

Population & Diversity

Starkville, MS is home to a population of 61.7k people, from which 97.1% are citizens.

As of 2024, 4.19% of Starkville, MS residents were born outside of the country (2.59k people).

In 2024, there were 1.79 times more White (Non-Hispanic) residents (36.1k people) in Starkville, MS than any other race or ethnicity. There were 20.2k Black or African American (Non-Hispanic) and 1.9k Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic) residents, the second and third most common ethnic groups.

Population & Diversity

Citizenship

97.1%

2024 Citizenship

97.1%

2023 Citizenship

As of 2024, 97.1% of Starkville, MS residents were US citizens, which is higher than the national average of 93.2%. In 2023, the percentage of US citizens in Starkville, MS was 97.1%, meaning that the rate of citizenship has been increasing.

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

Diversity

Race and Ethnicity

The 3 largest ethnic groups in Starkville, MS

White (Non-Hispanic)
36.1k ± 242
Black or African American (Non-Hispanic)
20.2k ± 494
Two Races Excluding Other, & Three or More Races (Non-Hispanic)
1.9k ± 503

2.34%

Hispanic Population

1.45k people

2.34% of the people in Starkville, MS are hispanic (1.45k people).

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

Global Diversity

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

Most Common Origin

Mexico
15,967 ± 3,094 people
Honduras
6,221 ± 1,934 people
Guatemala
4,623 ± 1,668 people

In 2024, the most common birthplace for the foreign-born residents of Mississippi was Mexico, the natal country of 15,967 Mississippi residents, followed by Honduras with 6,221 and Guatemala with 4,623.

Foreign-Born Population

4.19%

2024 Foreign-Born Population

2.59k people

4.09%

2023 Foreign-Born Population

2.51k people

As of 2024, 4.19% of Starkville, MS residents (2.59k 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 Starkville, MS was 4.09%, meaning that the rate has been increasing.

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

Military

Veterans

Most Common Service Period

Gulf War (2001-)
1,384 ± 525
Vietnam
408 ± 105
Gulf War (1990s)
346 ± 162

Starkville, MS has a large population of military personnel who served in Gulf War (2001-), 3.39 times greater than any other conflict.

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

Economy

The economy of Starkville, MS employs 27.6k people. In 2024, the largest industries in Starkville, MS were Educational Services (6,631 people), Manufacturing (3,691 people), and Retail Trade (3,627 people), and the highest paying industries were Wholesale Trade ($65,450), Manufacturing ($52,978), and Utilities ($52,141).

Employment

Occupations

27.6k

2024 Value

± 1,628

3.48%

1 Year growth

± 7.94%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Starkville, MS grew at a rate of 3.48%, from 26.6k employees to 27.6k employees.

The most common job groups, by number of people living in Starkville, MS, are Sales & Related Occupations (3,482 people), Education Instruction, & Library Occupations (3,403 people), and Office & Administrative Support Occupations (2,651 people). This chart illustrates the share breakdown of the primary jobs held by residents of Starkville, 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

27.6k

2024 Value

± 1,628

3.48%

1 Year growth

± 7.94%

From 2023 to 2024, employment in Starkville, MS grew at a rate of 3.48%, from 26.6k employees to 27.6k employees.

The most common employment sectors for those who live in Starkville, MS, are Educational Services (6,631 people), Manufacturing (3,691 people), and Retail Trade (3,627 people). This chart shows the share breakdown of the primary industries for residents of Starkville, MS, though some of these residents may live in Starkville, MS and work somewhere else. Census data is tagged to a residential address, not a work address.

Median Earnings by Industry

$43,474

Median earning men ± $2,660

$29,800

Median earning women ± $2,743

The industries with the best median earnings for men in 2024 are Wholesale Trade ($66,400), Public Administration ($60,076), and Manufacturing ($58,769).

The industries with the best median earnings for women in 2024 are Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance ($37,897), Professional, Scientific, & Management, & Administrative & Waste Management Services ($35,013), and Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities ($33,804).

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

101
Retail Trade
90
Other Services (except Public Administration)
61
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.

Payroll by Industry Sector

The industries with the highest total annual payroll

$106k
Health Care and Social Assistance
$73.7k
Retail Trade
$68.7k
Accommodation and Food Services

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

Education

The student population of Starkville, MS in 2024 is skewed towards women, with 11,153 male students and 11,997 female students.

Most students graduating from Universities in Starkville, MS are White (4,366 and 76.7%), Black or African American (772 and 13.6%), Hispanic or Latino (258 and 4.54%), and Two or More Races (117 and 2.06%).

The largest universities in Starkville, MS by number of degrees awarded are Mississippi State University (5,916 and 100%).

The most popular majors in Starkville, MS are General Business Administration & Management (634 and 10.7%), General Psychology (279 and 4.72%), and Kinesiology & Exercise Science (260 and 4.39%).

The median tuition cost for a public four year colleges is $10,052 for in-state students and $27,487 for out-of-state students.

Admissions & Enrollments

Applicants, Admissions & Enrolled

University

Measure

In 2024 in Starkville, MS, the percentage of applicants admitted was 77.6%, while the percentage of admitted who enrolled was 19.8%. The number of students enrolled in 2024 was 23,150 (48.2% men and 51.8% women).

The line chart shows the evolution of the percentage of applicants admitted, admitted who enrolled or the number of students enrolled according to the option selected in the upper button.

Enrollments by Gender and Races

Universities

In 2024 there were 23,150 students enrolled in Starkville, MS, 48.2% men and 51.8% women.

By race, the largest number of students enrolled was concentrated in White with 16,265 records, of which 51.7% were women and 48.3% men.

Completions

Concentrations

Most Common

General Business Administration & Management
383 degrees awarded
General Psychology
266 degrees awarded
Kinesiology & Exercise Science
243 degrees awarded

In 2024, the most common concentation for Bachelors Degree recipients in Starkville, MS was General Business Administration & Management with 383 degrees awarded.

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

Universities

Gender

Race

Mississippi State University

Largest Universities by degrees awarded

5,916 degrees awarded

In 2024, the institution with the largest number of graduating students was Mississippi State University with 5,916 degrees awarded.

Student Diversity

University

In 2024, 2,765 men were awarded degrees from institutions in Starkville, MS, which is 0.877 times less than the 3,151 female students who received degrees in the same year.

In 2024, the most common race/ethnicity group awarded degrees at institutions was White students. These 4,366 degrees mean that there were 5.66 times more degrees awarded to White students then the next closest race/ethnicity group, Black or African American, with 772 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

Universities

Public, 4-year or above ($10,052) is the sector with the highest median state tuition in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($150) is the sector with the highest median state fee in 2024.

Public, 4-year or above ($1,200) 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 Starkville, MS was $208,300 in 2024, which is 0.626 times smaller than the national average of $332,700. Between 2023 and 2024 the median property value increased from $184,200 to $208,300, a 13.1% increase. The homeownership rate in Starkville, MS is 52.4%, which is lower than the national average of 65.2%.

People in Starkville, MS have an average commute time of 21.9 minutes, and they drove alone to work. Car ownership in Starkville, MS is approximately the same as the national average, with an average of 2 cars per household.

Housing

Property

$208,300

Median Property Value 2024

±$16,318

$13,576

Median Property Taxes

±$887

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

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

Rent vs Own

52.4%

Homeownership

2024

66.4%

Homeowners with Mortgage

2024

In 2024, 52.4% of the housing units in Starkville, MS were occupied by their owner. This percentage declined from the previous year's rate of 52.5%.

This chart shows the percentage of owner in Starkville, 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.

$48,750

Median Household Income

± $3,457

25.9k

Number of Households

± 1,496

In 2024, the median household income of the 25.9k households in Starkville, MS grew to $48,750 from the previous year's value of $46,930.

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

0.447

2024 Wage GINI in Mississippi

0.45

2023 Wage GINI in Mississippi

In 2024, the income inequality in Mississippi was 0.447 according to the GINI calculation of the wage distribution. Income inequality had a 0.74% decline from 2023 to 2024, which means that wage distribution grew somewhat more even. The GINI for Mississippi was lower than than the national average of 0.474. 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 (82.9%)
Worked At Home (6.97%)
Carpooled (5.89%)

In 2024, 82.9% of workers in Starkville, MS drove alone to work, followed by those who worked at home (6.97%) and those who carpooled to work (5.89%).

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

21.9 minutes

Average Travel Time

Using averages, employees in Starkville, MS have a shorter commute time (21.9 minutes) than the normal US worker (26.4 minutes). Additionally, 2.19% of the workforce in Starkville, MS have "super commutes" in excess of 90 minutes.

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

Car Ownership

2 cars

Average Number

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

Poverty

Poverty & Diversity

23.9% of the population for whom poverty status is determined in Starkville, MS (13.3k out of 55.8k 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 Males 18 - 24, followed by Females 18 - 24 and then Females 25 - 34.

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

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

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

Keep Exploring