Clarke County, Mississippi Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Clarke County is located in Mississippi with a total population of 15,424. It is the 56th most populous county out of 82 in Mississippi. The county encompasses 6 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Clarke County is 42.6 years. This is 11% higher than the state median of 38.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Clarke County is $46,054. This is 16% lower than the state median of $54,915. It is also 41% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 19.2%. This is about the same as the state poverty rate of 19.1%. The unemployment rate is 7.2%. This is 20% higher than the state rate of 6.0%. The median home value is $114,300. Housing costs are 29% lower than the state median of $161,400. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.5x, Clarke County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 84.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 21% higher than the state average of 69.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Clarke County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 62.9% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 34.4%. The Hispanic or Latino population (1.0%) is well below the state average of 3.6%. The Asian population (0.1%) is well below the state average of 1.0%.

Education

15.1% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 37% lower than the state rate of 24.2%. Nationally, 35.0% of adults hold at least a bachelor's degree. The high school graduation rate (or equivalent) is 86.4%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Clarke County come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) 5-Year Estimates (2019-2023), with comparisons drawn against Mississippi and national averages from the same dataset. See our methodology page for how each metric is defined, or data.census.gov for official tables with margins of error.