Lafayette County, Mississippi

MS · FIPS 28071 Republican

Located in Mississippi, Lafayette County has a population of 58,327 residents and a median age of 30.7 years, making it the #914 most populous county out of 3,222 nationwide. In terms of economic indicators, the county has a poverty rate of 18.5%. The median home value is $315,400, and the median household income is $67,185, which is 11% below the national median.

58,327
Population
#914 of 3,222
$67,185
Median Income
-10.6% #1,416 of 3,222
30.7 years
Median Age
-21.1% #3,165 of 3,222
18.5%
Poverty Rate
+47.2% #2,525 of 3,222

Demographics

Lafayette County has a population of 58,327, making it the #914 most populous county in the US. The median age is 30.7 years, which is 21.1% below the national median.

Population Trend

Rankings →

Year-over-Year Population Growth

Age & Sex Distribution

Race & Ethnicity

Nativity

96.7%
Native Born
3.3%
Foreign Born

Geographic Mobility (Past Year)

Economy

The median household income in Lafayette County is $67,185, ranking #1,416 out of 3,222 counties — 10.6% below the national median. The poverty rate is 18.5% and unemployment stands at 2.1%.

Income#1,416
$67,185
-10.6%
vs nation
56th percentile
Per Capita#1,359
$36,403
-11.8%
vs nation
58th percentile
Poverty#2,525
18.5%
+47.2%
vs nation
22th percentile
Unemployment#310
2.1%
-60.2%
vs nation
90th percentile

Income Distribution

Industry of Employment

Occupation

Housing

The median home value in Lafayette County is $315,400 (+11.9% vs national). Renters pay a median of $1,085/mo and the homeownership rate is 63.8%.

Home Value#550
$315,400
+11.9%
vs nation
83th percentile
Rent#755
$1,085
-6.7%
vs nation
77th percentile
Homeownership#2,815
63.8%
-1.0%
vs nation
13th percentile

Household Type

Education

In Lafayette County, 46.5% of adults age 25+ hold a bachelor's degree or higher, which is 38.0% above the national average, ranking #144 out of 3,222 counties.

Bachelor's Degree or Higher
46.5% +38.0% vs nation
Rank #144 of 3,222
96th percentile

Bachelor's Degree or Higher Trend

Rankings →

Health & Wellbeing

Life expectancy in Lafayette County is 76.0 years. 19.1% of adults report poor or fair health and 13.9% lack health insurance. Data from County Health Rankings (2025).

Life Expectancy#1,285
76.0
+1.1%
vs nation
58th percentile
Poor/Fair Health#1,625
19.1%
-2.4%
vs nation
48th percentile
Diabetes#2,033
11.8%
+6.0%
vs nation
35th percentile
Insufficient Sleep#1,124
35.8%
-4.0%
vs nation
64th percentile
Poor Mental Health Days#663
5.2
-8.5%
vs nation
79th percentile
Poor Physical Health Days#422
3.7
-16.8%
vs nation
87th percentile
Uninsured Rate#2,508
13.9%
+33.2%
vs nation
20th percentile
Physical Inactivity#1,573
26.0%
-1.4%
vs nation
50th percentile
Food Insecurity#2,096
15.8%
+9.7%
vs nation
33th percentile

Substance Use

14.9% of adults in Lafayette County smoke , 40.0% are obese , and 17.6% report excessive drinking. The drug overdose death rate is 15.4 per 100,000.

Adult Smoking#622
14.9%
-17.0%
vs nation
80th percentile
Adult Obesity#2,061
40.0%
+5.5%
vs nation
35th percentile
Excessive Drinking#726
17.6%
-11.4%
vs nation
77th percentile
Drug Overdose Deaths#272
15.4
-52.4%
vs nation
87th percentile

Safety

The homicide rate in Lafayette County is 5.2 per 100,000 and the suicide rate is 11.7 per 100,000. Motor vehicle deaths occur at a rate of 17.9 per 100,000.

Homicide Rate#647
5.2
-35.3%
vs nation
58th percentile
Suicide Rate#256
11.7
-40.5%
vs nation
90th percentile
Firearm Fatalities#501
11.2
-37.6%
vs nation
80th percentile
Motor Vehicle Deaths#1,342
17.9
-11.7%
vs nation
52th percentile

Families & Children

14.7% of children in Lafayette County live in poverty and the infant mortality rate is 8.6 per 1,000 live births. The teen birth rate is 9.5 per 1,000 females age 15–19.

Infant Mortality#1,128
8.6
+27.1%
vs nation
17th percentile
Teen Birth Rate#384
9.5
-56.5%
vs nation
87th percentile
Child Poverty#1,059
14.7%
-22.6%
vs nation
66th percentile

Civic & Transportation

Voter turnout in Lafayette County is 54.7%. The mean commute time is 24.2 min, which is 12.4% below the national average.

Voter Turnout
54.7% NaN% vs nation
Rank #NaN of NaN
th percentile

Voter Turnout Trend

Mean Commute Time
24.2 min −12.4% vs nation
Rank #2,112 of 3,222
34th percentile

Mean Commute Time Trend

Rankings →

Elections

In the 2024 presidential election, Lafayette County voted Republican with a margin of 21.7%. The vote was 38.3% Dem / 60% Rep. Compared to 2020, the margin shifted 9.5 toward Republicans .

2024 REP +21.7%
38.3% 60%
Dem 23,409 votes Rep
2020 REP +12.2%
42.9% 55.1%
Dem 23,481 votes Rep
2016 REP +14.8%
40.6% 55.4%
Dem 19,642 votes Rep
2012 REP +15.5%
41.3% 56.8%
Dem 17,191 votes Rep
2008 REP +12.4%
43.3% 55.7%
Dem 18,460 votes Rep

Vote Share Over Time

About Lafayette County, Mississippi

Lafayette County, Mississippi has a total population of 58,327, making it the 914th most populous county in the United States. The median age in Lafayette County is 30.7 years, which is 21.1% below the national median of 38.9 years.

The median household income in Lafayette County is $67,185, which ranks #1,416 of 3,222 counties nationwide. This is 10.6% below the national median of $75,149. The poverty rate is 18.5%, higher than the national rate of 12.6%. The unemployment rate stands at 2.1%.

The median home value in Lafayette County is $315,400, 11.9% above the national median. Renters in Lafayette County pay a median gross rent of $1,085 per month. The homeownership rate is 63.8%, compared to the national rate of 64.4%.

In Lafayette County, 46.5% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 38.0% above the national average of 33.7%. Health insurance coverage stands at 90.7% of the population. The average commute time for workers is 24.2 min.

Lafayette County is a diverse community. The largest racial or ethnic group is White (non-Hispanic) at 68.5% of the population, followed by Black (non-Hispanic) (22.6%) and Hispanic or Latino (3.7%).

All data for Lafayette County, Mississippi comes from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates. These figures are estimates based on survey sampling and are subject to margin of error. For the most detailed and up-to-date data, visit the Census Bureau's official data portal.