Stone County, Mississippi Demographics 2026

Population Overview

Stone County is located in Mississippi with a total population of 18,515. It is the 48th most populous county out of 82 in Mississippi. The county encompasses 2 Census-designated places.

Age Demographics

The median age in Stone County is 39.3 years. This is 2% higher than the state median of 38.4 years.

Economy, Income & Housing

The median household income in Stone County is $59,307. This is 8% higher than the state median of $54,915. It is also 24% lower than the national median of $78,538. The poverty rate stands at 17.9%. This is 6% lower than the state poverty rate of 19.1%. The unemployment rate is 8.2%. This is 37% higher than the state rate of 6.0%. The median home value is $163,300. Housing costs are 1% higher than the state median of $161,400. With a home-value-to-income ratio of just 2.8x, Stone County is one of the most affordable housing markets in the area. 80.0% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied. This homeownership rate is 15% higher than the state average of 69.5%.

Race & Ethnicity

The largest racial or ethnic group in Stone County is White (non-Hispanic), making up 75.7% of the population. Black or African American residents account for 17.5%. The Black or African American population (17.5%) is well below the state average of 36.9%. The Asian population (0.4%) is well below the state average of 1.0%.

Education

14.6% of residents aged 25 and older hold a bachelor's degree or higher. This is 40% 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 88.0%.

Data Sources & Methodology

All figures for Stone 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.