Mississippi Population Declines

For the third year in a row, the Census Bureau estimates that Mississippi’s population fell, as more people again moved away from the magnolia state than moved in. Mississippi lost about 1,300 people from July 1, 2016, to July 1, 2017, falling to 2.98 million people. Mississippi was one of eight states to lose population, along with neighboring Louisiana. The state with the largest percentage decline was Wyoming. There were 6,500 more births than deaths in Mississippi in 2017, but the state lost almost 8,000 people to out-migration. John green, a university of Mississippi professor who directs the school’s center for population studies, says people are leaving Mississippi in search of better opportunities elsewhere.