Union County, Mississippi

County in MS, US

By Neilsberg Research

Last updated May 1, 2026

Key Indicators

A quick look at key numbers

Population

28,122

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

Median Age

38.3

years ∙ half population younger than 38.3, half older

Diversity Index

39.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Nativity

1.7%

foreign-born population

98.3%Native

1.7% Foreign-born

Geographic Context

Location, size, and surroundings

About

Union County is a county in Mississippi, United States.

Location

County in MS, US

Co-ordinates

DEC34.489533° N, 89.002339° W

DMS34° 29′ 22.32″ N, 89° 00′ 08.42″ W

Population Density & area

67.67/sq mi (26.13/km²)

Total Area

416.9 sq mi (1,079.8 km²)

Land Area

415.6 sq mi (1,076.4 km²) · 99.69%

Water Area

1.3 sq mi (3.4 km²) · 0.31%

Demographics & Living

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

Population Composition

Key characteristics of the population

Sex Distribution

48.9% male

Male 48.9%

Female 51.1%

males per 100 females

Union County 95.5

Mississippi 94.2

United States 98

Nativity

1.7%

foreign-born population

98.3%Native

1.7% Foreign-born

% Foreign-born

Union County 1.7%

Mississippi 2.4%

United States 14.1%

Age Distribution

How the population is spread across age groups

Median Age

38.3

years ∙ half population younger than 38.3, half older

Union County

38.3

Mississippi

38.6

United States

38.9

Dependency ratio

71.3

dependents per 100 working-age adults

Union County 71.3

Mississippi 68

United States 64.4

AGE DISTRIBUTION

Distribution of age group

Median age

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Age Group
Children (Under 18)	25%	23.3%	22%
Working age (18-64)	58.4%	59.5%	60.8%
Senior (65+)	16.6%	17.2%	17.2%
Dependency ratio
Total dependency ratio	71.3	68	64.4
Child dependency ratio	42.9	39.2	36.1
Old-age dependency ratio	28.4	28.8	28.3

Racial & Ethnic Composition

Racial and ethnic makeup and how it compares

Race & Ethnicity

White

76.5%

Black

13.6%

Asian

0.3%

Hispanic

4.9%

Other

4.7%

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

39.2%

chance two random people differ in race and ethnicity

Union County 39.2%

Mississippi 56.1%

United States 61.4%

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 Union County population

Racial and ethnic composition — Union County vs Mississippi vs United States. Source: ACS 2020-2024 5-Year Estimates.
	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Hispanic or Latino	4.9%	3.7%	19.3%
Mexican	4.6%	2%	11.3%
Puerto Rican	0%	0.3%	1.8%
Cuban	0%	0.1%	0.8%
Other Hispanic / Latino	0.2%	1.3%	5.5%
Not Hispanic or Latino	95.1%	96.3%	80.7%
One race	91.3%	93.3%	76.4%
White	76.5%	55.2%	57.4%
Black or African American	13.6%	36.3%	11.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native	0.3%	0.4%	0.5%
Asian	0.3%	1%	5.9%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0.2%
Some Other Race	0.6%	0.3%	0.6%
Two or more races (Multiracial)	3.8%	3%	4.3%

Household & Families Composition

Household size, type, and family structure

Household structure

67.8% family

Family 67.8%

Non family 32.2%

% family households

Union County 67.8%

Mississippi 65.3%

United States 64.2%

Average household size

2.83

persons per household

Union County

2.83

Mississippi

2.49

United States

2.53

Household & Family COMPOSITION

Households

Percentage of Union County population

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Total households	9,849	1,145,431	129,227,496
Average houshold size	2.83	2.49	2.53
Family households	6,680	747,604	82,990,528
Average family size	3.53	3.12	3.14
Married couple family	4,746	498,140	60,637,388
Other families	1,934	249,464	22,353,140
Male householder	396	54,654	6,572,819
Female householder	1,538	194,810	15,780,321
Non-family households	3,169	397,827	46,236,968
One-person households	2,616	346,124	37,140,836
Male householder	1,134	158,618	16,871,444
Senior (65+) living alone	370	50,989	5,225,110
Female householder	1,482	187,506	20,269,392
Senior (65+) living alone	784	95,927	10,089,070
Other living arrangements	553	51,703	9,096,132

Housing Profile

Housing stock, ownership, rentals, and cost burdens

Total housing units

12,250

housing units

Union County 12,250

Mississippi 1,341,114

United States 143,775,355

Occupancy status

80.4% occupied

Occupied 80.4%

Vacant 19.6%

vacancy rate

Union County 19.6%

Mississippi 14.6%

United States 10.1%

Housing Characteristics

How the housing supply is structured and used

Types of Housing unit

72%

Single family houses

72%

Apartments in multi-unit structures

6.9%

Mobile homes

21.2%

Boat, RV, van, etc

Median Year Built

1985

Half of houses were built before 1985, and half after.

Historic ∙ 1939 or earlier

5.8%

Postwar & mid-century ∙ 1940 - 1969

21.2%

Late 20th century ∙ 1970 - 1999

48.9%

Modern ∙ 2000 or later

24.2%

Note: Median year built reflects occupied units only; distribution includes all units.

Housing Characteristics

Units, rooms & bedrooms

Physical characteristics of housing units

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Rooms per unit
Median rooms	5.8	5.7	5.5
1–3 rooms	6.7%	9.4%	15.1%
4–6 rooms	60%	56.6%	51.6%
7+ rooms	33.4%	34%	33.4%
Bedrooms
No bedroom / studio	3.1%	1.6%	2.9%
1 bedroom	3.1%	6.1%	10.9%
2 bedrooms	24.2%	20.8%	25%
3 bedrooms	53.2%	51.6%	38.7%
4+ bedrooms	16.5%	19.9%	22.4%
At a glance
Median year built	1985	1987	1981
Total housing units	12,250	1,341,114	143,775,355

Occupancy Profile

Who is inside and how they use it

Homeownership

74.7% owners

Renter-occupied 25.3%

Owner-occupied 74.7%

homeownership rate

Union County 74.7%

Mississippi 70%

United States 65.2%

Average household size

2.81

Owner-occupied

2.88

Renter-occupied

owner-occupied average size

Union County 2.81

Mississippi 2.55

United States 2.64

Housing Characteristics

Occupied unit characteristics

Tenure, crowding, and utilities

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Total occupied units	9,849	1,145,431	129,227,496
Year moved in
2020 or later	18.3%	21.6%	24.8%
2010 to 2019	35.6%	37.9%	39.6%
2000 to 2009	18.7%	17.6%	16.4%
1999 or earlier	27.4%	22.9%	19.1%
Occupants per room
1.00 or fewer	97.6%	97.8%	96.6%
1.01 to 1.50	1.1%	1.6%	2.2%
1.51 or more	1.3%	0.6%	1.2%
Vehicles availability
No vehicles	5.4%	6.3%	8.4%
1 vehicle	26.2%	32.1%	33.1%
2 vehicles	39.1%	36.1%	36.6%
3 or more vehicles	29.4%	25.4%	21.9%
House heating fuel used
Gas	49.8%	39.2%	51.4%
Electricity	47.6%	58.9%	41.3%
Solar	0%	0%	0.3%
Fuel oil, kerosene etc	0.1%	0.1%	3.9%
All other fuels	2.1%	1%	2%
No fuel used	0.4%	0.7%	1.2%
Selected characteristics
Lacking complete plumbing	0.1%	0.5%	0.4%
Lacking complete kitchen	0.1%	0.7%	0.8%
No telephone service available	0.6%	1.2%	0.9%

Housing Value

What owner-occupied units are worth

Median home value

$163,400

owner-occupied units

Median value(USD)

Union County

$163,400

Mississippi

$169,800

United States

$332,700

Housing Cost Burden

21.7%

of homeowners with a mortgage are cost-burdened

% Cost-Burdened Households

Owners with a mortgage

21.7%

Owners without a mortgage

4.9%

Renters

43.3%

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

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Property value
Median Value	$163,400	$169,800	$332,700
Under $100,000	28.1%	29.9%	11.4%
$100,000 - $200,000	34.5%	27.9%	15.8%
$200,000 - $300,000	22.1%	20.3%	17.8%
$300,000 - $500,000	12.8%	16.3%	26.9%
$500,000 - $1,000,000	1.1%	4.6%	20.9%
$1,000,000 and more	1.4%	0.9%	7.1%
Owner-occupied households
With a mortgage	51%	49.4%	60.6%
Without a mortgage	49%	50.6%	39.4%
Median monthly owner costs
With a mortgage	$1,126	$1,394	$1,963
Without a mortgage	$360	$432	$638
Gross rent
Median rent	$865	$954	$1,413

Education Profile

How educated is the community and how education pays off

Adults with a college degree

19.1%

of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degree or higher

Union County 19.1%

Mississippi 25.1%

United States 35.7%

Adults without a high school diploma

20.1%

of adults (25+) without a high school diploma

Union County 20.1%

Mississippi 12.8%

United States 10.4%

School Enrollment

Who is enrolled in school and at what level

School enrollment

6,768

population (age 3+) enrolled in school

Nursery / Preschool

3.1%

K–12

80.1%

College / Undergraduate

14.8%

Graduate / Professional

1.9%

College-going rate (18-24 yr olds)

30.3%

of 18-24-year-olds in college or graduate school

Union County

30.3%

Mississippi

39.5%

United States

40.9%

Enrollment & school type

Enrollment levels, college-going rate, and public vs private school split

Population 3+ currently enrolled in a school

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Total enrolled (age 3+)	6,768	726,919	80,089,790
Nursery / preschool	3.1%	5.9%	5.7%
K–12	80.1%	69.3%	67.6%
Kindergarten	6.1%	5%	5%
Elementary: Grades 1–4	24.6%	20.8%	19.8%
Elementary: Grades 5–8	25.3%	21.7%	21%
High School: Grades 9–12	24.1%	21.8%	21.7%
College or graduate school	16.8%	24.8%	26.7%
College, undergraduate	14.8%	19.9%	21%
Graduate, professional school	1.9%	4.9%	5.8%
College-going rate · 18-24 yr olds	30.3%	39.5%	40.9%
School type
Public school	87.1%	83.5%	82%
Private school	12.9%	16.5%	18%

Education Attainment by Level & Gender

What is the highest level of education completed among adults

Education attainment

18,528

population 25 years and over

Total adults (25+)

Less than 9th grade

7.9%

9th-12th, no diploma

12.2%

HS graduate

31%

Some college no degree

18.2%

Associates degree

11.5%

Bachelors degree

12.2%

Graduate or professional degree

6.9%

Attainment by gender

Male vs Female

Adults (25+) · Share within each education level

% male · % female

Less than 9th grade

57.8% · 42.2%

9th-12th, no diploma

53% · 47%

HS graduate

51.6% · 48.4%

Some college no degree

42% · 58%

Associates degree

48.2% · 51.8%

Bachelors degree

42.3% · 57.7%

Graduate or professional degree

38.5% · 61.5%

Educational Attainment Overview

Distribution and key education attainment rates for adults (25+)

Highest credential completed · adults 25+

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Population (25+)	18,528	1,972,266	230,807,303
Less than 9th grade	7.9%	4.3%	4.7%
9th–12th, no diploma	12.2%	8.5%	5.7%
High school diploma or GED	31%	29.9%	26%
Some college, no degree	18.2%	21.2%	19.1%
Associate's degree	11.5%	10.9%	8.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.1%	25.1%	35.7%
Bachelor's degree	12.2%	15.3%	21.6%
Graduate or professional	6.9%	9.9%	14.1%
High School or higher	79.8%	87.1%	89.6%

Earnings by education level

percentage as applicable

Median Earnings

$40,281

Median earnings for adults 25+, by level

Less than HS graduate

$37,536

HS graduate

$34,323

Some college or associates

$38,567

Bachelors degree

$71,351

Graduate or professional degree

$58,700

Poverty Rate

3.3%

for ages 25+, with bachelors degree or higher

Less than HS graduate

23.1%

HS graduate

17.5%

Some college or associates

6.3%

Bachelors degree or higher

3.3%

Outcomes by Education Level

Earnings and poverty rates across education levels (25+)

Adults 25+

	Union County	Mississippi	United States
Median earnings
Population 25+, with earnings	$40,281	$42,912	$52,696
Less than high school graduate	$37,536	$29,259	$32,485
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	$34,323	$35,321	$40,153
Some college or associate's degree	$38,567	$40,529	$47,260
Bachelor's degree	$71,351	$53,681	$70,044
Graduate or professional degree	$58,700	$65,353	$90,720
Poverty rates
Less than high school graduate	23.1%	32.8%	24.2%
High school graduate (includes equivalency)	17.5%	20%	14.4%
Some college or associate's degree	6.3%	13.2%	9.8%
Bachelor's degree or higher	3.3%	5.7%	4.5%

Insights for Union County, by topic

Income By year By race By age By gender

Population By year By race By age By gender

About Neilsberg Research

Neilsberg Research team are data scientists with expertise in processing, analysis and visualization of big data helping small businesses make right decisions.

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