Census: Lafayette has second-highest growth in state

Published 11:04 am Tuesday, June 8, 2021

While Mississippi population decreased over the last decade, Lafayette County showed some of the highest growth in the state.

According to the 2020 US Census, Lafayette County showed a 14.36 percent increase in population in the last 10 years, though the county’s specific population number was not provided. Lafayette County is tied with Lamar County for having the second-highest growth in Mississippi.

DeSoto County saw the highest population growth in the state with a 16.36 increase.

Email newsletter signup

While the growth is a positive for Lafayette County, it also brings with challenges of handling the increase in population.

“It’s something to be proud of, and means we’re doing something right,” said Mike Roberts, president of the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors. “On the other hand, it presents its own challenges in itself with infrastructure, with police protection, fire protection, first responders and stuff like that. I think we’ve managed it well so far.

“It just means we have to be more diligent in our expenditures and where we spend money so that we make sure we got safe infrastructure, police protection and fire protection.”

As a state, Mississippi’s population is currently 2,961,279, which is a decrease of 6,018 (0.2 percent) since 2010. Mississippi is one of three states that saw a decline in population over the last decade, joining Illinois and West Virginia.