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Starkville, MS

Last updated
Key Indicators
A quick look at key numbers

Population

25,721
Source: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS) 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates

Median Age

26
years ∙ half population younger than 26, half older

Diversity Index

Low High
58.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

7%
foreign-born population
93%Native
7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Starkville is a city within Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States.
Location
City in Oktibbeha County, MS, US
Co-ordinates
DEC33.463261° N, 88.827796° W
DMS33° 27′ 47.74″ N, 88° 49′ 40.07″ W

Population Density & area

925.2/sq mi (357.7/km²)
Total Area
27.9 sq mi (72.3 km²)
Land Area
27.8 sq mi (71.9 km²) · 99.46%
Water Area
0.1 sq mi (0.4 km²) · 0.54%

Demographics & Living

Who lives here, how households are formed, and community composition

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

49.4% male
Male 49.4%
Female 50.6%
males per 100 females
Starkville 97.8
Oktibbeha County 98.1
Mississippi 94.2

Nativity

7%
foreign-born population
93%Native
7% Foreign-born
% Foreign-born
Starkville 7%
Oktibbeha County 4.9%
Mississippi 2.4%
Age Distribution
How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

26
years ∙ half population younger than 26, half older
Starkville
26
Oktibbeha County
25.5
Mississippi
38.6

Dependency ratio

Low High
41.5
dependents per 100 working-age adults
Starkville 41.5
Oktibbeha County 42.3
Mississippi 68

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group
Median age
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Age Group
Children (Under 18) 18% 17.5% 23.3%
Working age (18-64) 70.7% 70.3% 59.5%
Senior (65+) 11.3% 12.2% 17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio 41.5 42.3 68
Child dependency ratio 25.4 24.9 39.2
Old-age dependency ratio 16 17.4 28.8
Racial & Ethnic Composition
Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White
52.7%
Black
36%
Asian
4.6%
Hispanic
3.8%
Other
2.9%
Note: White, Black, and Asian refer to individuals belonging to a single race and not of Hispanic origin. Hispanics may be of any race.

Diversity Index

Low High
58.9%
chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity
Starkville 58.9%
Oktibbeha County 57.2%
Mississippi 56.1%
Note: The Diversity Index (DI), based on the Blau Index, measures the probability that two randomly selected individuals differ in race and ethnicity. Values range from 0 (no diversity) to 1 (high diversity) and are shown as percentages.

RACIAL & ETHNIC COMPOSITION

Race & Ethnicity
Percentage of Starkville population
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Hispanic or Latino 3.8% 2.4% 3.7%
Mexican 2.5% 1.4% 2%
Puerto Rican 0% 0% 0.3%
Cuban 0.5% 0.3% 0.1%
Other Hispanic / Latino 0.8% 0.8% 1.3%
Not Hispanic or Latino 96.2% 97.6% 96.3%
One race 93.9% 93.6% 93.3%
White 52.7% 54.7% 55.2%
Black or African American 36% 35.4% 36.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% 0.2% 0.4%
Asian 4.6% 3.2% 1%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.1% 0% 0%
Some Other Race 0.2% 0.1% 0.3%
Two or more races (Multiracial) 2.3% 4% 3%
Household & Families Composition
Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

42.8% family
Family 42.8%
Non family 57.2%
% family households
Starkville 42.8%
Oktibbeha County 50.8%
Mississippi 65.3%

Average household size

2.05
persons per household
Starkville
2.05
Oktibbeha County
2.1
Mississippi
2.49

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households
Percentage of Starkville population
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Total households 12,004 21,840 1,145,431
Average houshold size 2.05 2.1 2.49
Family households 5,141 11,105 747,604
Average family size 2.86 2.75 3.12
Married couple family 3,393 7,792 498,140
Other families 1,748 3,313 249,464
Male householder 270 548 54,654
Female householder 1,478 2,765 194,810
Non-family households 6,863 10,735 397,827
One-person households 4,089 6,855 346,124
Male householder 1,868 3,306 158,618
Senior (65+) living alone 144 500 50,989
Female householder 2,221 3,549 187,506
Senior (65+) living alone 740 1,161 95,927
Other living arrangements 2,774 3,880 51,703

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

14,407
housing units
Starkville 14,407
Oktibbeha County 25,618
Mississippi 1,341,114

Occupancy status

83.3% occupied
Occupied 83.3%
Vacant 16.7%
vacancy rate
Starkville 16.7%
Oktibbeha County 14.7%
Mississippi 14.6%
Housing Characteristics
How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

47.1%
Single family houses
Single family houses
47.1%
Apartments in multi-unit structures
49.9%
Mobile homes
3.1%
Boat, RV, van, etc
0%

Median Year Built

1990
Half of houses were built before 1990, and half after.
Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier
4%
Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969
15.7%
Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999
46%
Modern ∙ 2000 or later
34.3%
Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms
Physical characteristics of housing units
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Rooms per unit
Median rooms 4.7 5.1 5.7
1–3 rooms 24.5% 18.9% 9.4%
4–6 rooms 52.6% 56.1% 56.6%
7+ rooms 22.9% 24.9% 34%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio 2% 1.4% 1.6%
1 bedroom 13.8% 10% 6.1%
2 bedrooms 35.2% 30.1% 20.8%
3 bedrooms 31.8% 38.8% 51.6%
4+ bedrooms 17.2% 19.8% 19.9%
At a glance
Median year built 1990 1993 1987
Total housing units 14,407 25,618 1,341,114
Occupancy Profile
Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

33.9% owners
Renter-occupied 66.1%
Owner-occupied 33.9%
homeownership rate
Starkville 33.9%
Oktibbeha County 48%
Mississippi 70%

Average household size

2.33
Owner-occupied
1.9
Renter-occupied
owner-occupied average size
Starkville 2.33
Oktibbeha County 2.31
Mississippi 2.55

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Total occupied units 12,004 21,840 1,145,431
Year moved in
2020 or later 50.4% 40.6% 21.6%
2010 to 2019 28.8% 33.1% 37.9%
2000 to 2009 9.2% 10.5% 17.6%
1999 or earlier 11.7% 15.7% 22.9%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer 99.5% 98.9% 97.8%
1.01 to 1.50 0.5% 1.1% 1.6%
1.51 or more 0% 0% 0.6%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles 6.5% 5.4% 6.3%
1 vehicle 38% 33.9% 32.1%
2 vehicles 35.6% 36.2% 36.1%
3 or more vehicles 19.9% 24.4% 25.4%
House heating fuel used
Gas 34.4% 32.9% 39.2%
Electricity 65% 65.7% 58.9%
Solar 0% 0% 0%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc 0% 0.4% 0.1%
All other fuels 0.5% 0.8% 1%
No fuel used 0.1% 0.1% 0.7%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing 0% 0.1% 0.5%
Lacking complete kitchen 1% 1.5% 0.7%
No telephone service available 0.4% 0.2% 1.2%
Housing Value
What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$299,900
owner-occupied units
Median value(USD)
Starkville
$299,900
Oktibbeha County
$237,700
Mississippi
$169,800

Housing Cost Burden

19.5%
of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened
% Cost-Burdened Households
Owners with a mortgage
19.5%
Owners without a mortgage
8.5%
Renters
59.9%
Note: Households spending 30% or more of their income on housing costs are considered cost-burdened.

Financial characteristics

Property value and housing costs
Tenure, crowding, and utilities
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Property value
Median Value $299,900 $237,700 $169,800
Under $100,000 6.8% 23% 29.9%
$100,000 - $200,000 19.1% 18.6% 27.9%
$200,000 - $300,000 24.1% 20.4% 20.3%
$300,000 - $500,000 35.4% 27.9% 16.3%
$500,000 - $1,000,000 14.2% 8.8% 4.6%
$1,000,000 and more 0.4% 1.3% 0.9%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage 54.4% 50.5% 49.4%
Without a mortgage 45.6% 49.5% 50.6%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage $1,861 $1,521 $1,394
Without a mortgage $531 $481 $432
Gross rent
Median rent $916 $915 $954

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

50.5%
of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher
Starkville 50.5%
Oktibbeha County 47%
Mississippi 25.1%

Adults without a high school diploma

7.4%
of adults (25+) without a high school diploma
Starkville 7.4%
Oktibbeha County 8.8%
Mississippi 12.8%
School Enrollment
Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

10,172
population (age 3+) enrolled in school
Nursery / Preschool
2.8%
K–12
33%
College / Undergraduate
50.8%
Graduate / Professional
13.4%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

70.1%
of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school
Starkville
70.1%
Oktibbeha County
77%
Mississippi
39.5%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split
Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Total enrolled (age 3+) 10,172 21,768 726,919
Nursery / preschool 2.8% 2.7% 5.9%
K–12 33% 28.4% 69.3%
Kindergarten 4.3% 4% 5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4 11.6% 8.6% 20.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8 9.2% 7.4% 21.7%
High School: Grades 9–12 7.8% 8.4% 21.8%
College or graduate school 64.2% 68.9% 24.8%
College, undergraduate 50.8% 56.6% 19.9%
Graduate, professional school 13.4% 12.3% 4.9%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds 70.1% 77% 39.5%
School type
Public school 89.7% 89.8% 83.5%
Private school 10.3% 10.2% 16.5%
Education Attainment by Level & Gender
What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

13,727
population 25 years and over
Total adults (25+)
Less than 9th grade
3.1%
9th-12th, no diploma
4.3%
HS graduate
20.8%
Some college no degree
12.6%
Associates degree
8.7%
Bachelors degree
23.6%
Graduate or professional degree
26.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female
Adults (25+) · Share within each education level
% male · % female
Less than 9th grade
35% · 65%
9th-12th, no diploma
51.6% · 48.4%
HS graduate
45.1% · 54.9%
Some college no degree
43.3% · 56.7%
Associates degree
60.4% · 39.6%
Bachelors degree
49.2% · 50.8%
Graduate or professional degree
46.6% · 53.4%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)
Highest credential completed · adults 25+
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Population (25+) 13,727 26,526 1,972,266
Less than 9th grade 3.1% 3.5% 4.3%
9th–12th, no diploma 4.3% 5.3% 8.5%
High school diploma or GED 20.8% 22.4% 29.9%
Some college, no degree 12.6% 12.8% 21.2%
Associate's degree 8.7% 9% 10.9%
Bachelor's degree or higher 50.5% 47% 25.1%
Bachelor's degree 23.6% 24.4% 15.3%
Graduate or professional 26.9% 22.6% 9.9%
High School or higher 92.6% 91.2% 87.1%
Earnings by education level
percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$42,710
Median earnings for adults 25+, by level
Less than HS graduate
$40,083
HS graduate
$28,199
Some college or associates
$36,743
Bachelors degree
$47,194
Graduate or professional degree
$54,075

Poverty Rate

8.4%
for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher
Less than HS graduate
39.8%
HS graduate
28.7%
Some college or associates
25.1%
Bachelors degree or higher
8.4%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)
Adults 25+
Starkville Oktibbeha County Mississippi
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings $42,710 $44,119 $42,912
Less than high school graduate $40,083 $41,442 $29,259
High school graduate (includes equivalency) $28,199 $31,399 $35,321
Some college or associate's degree $36,743 $37,454 $40,529
Bachelor's degree $47,194 $47,793 $53,681
Graduate or professional degree $54,075 $57,034 $65,353
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate 39.8% 24% 32.8%
High school graduate (includes equivalency) 28.7% 24% 20%
Some college or associate's degree 25.1% 17.3% 13.2%
Bachelor's degree or higher 8.4% 7.7% 5.7%

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