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Mississippi population by Race and Ethnicity

Mississippi the  34th largest U.S. state by population has a racially and ethnically diverse population. As of 2020, White(Non-Hispanic)  are the largest group in Mississippi followed by African Americans. 

also read about the Population of Mississippi

Ethnic and Racial Composition

In 2020, the White alone (non-Hispanic) population was the largest racial or ethnic group in Mississippi, comprising 55.35% of the total population. It was followed by the Black or African American population whose share was 36.44

Hispanic or Latino was the third largest group at 3.55%. Two or more races were at 3.57% and Asians at 1.09%

The ethnic composition of Mississippi  is as follows

Race and OriginActual PopulationPercentage 2020
White alone1,639,07755.35%
Black or African American alone1,079,00136.44%
Hispanic or Latino105,2203.55%
Two or more races83,4462.82%
Asian alone32,3051.09%
American Indians and Alaska Natives alone14,0190.47%
Some Other Race alone7,1740.24%
Native Hawaiian&  Pacific Islanders1,0370.04%
Total:2,961,279 

Source: US Census 2020

also read about Religion in Mississippi

*US Census recognized five racial categories (White, Black or African American, Asian American, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) as well as people of two or more races. It also classified respondents as "Hispanic or Latino" or "Not Hispanic or Latino", identifying Hispanic and Latino as an ethnicity (not a race), which comprises the largest minority group in the nation.

Ancestry in Mississippi

As per Census Studies and estimate American, English, Irish, German & French have made the five largest ancestry groups in Mississippi. In 2020, 10.2% of the population considered themselves to be of only American ancestry (regardless of race or ethnicity). Many of these were of English or Scotch-Irish or European descent; however, their families have lived in the state for so long that they choose to identify as having “American” ancestry or do not know their ancestry.

The Largest Ancestry in Mississippi is as follows

#ANCESTRYEstimatePercentage
1American303,08510.2%
2English199,8116.7%
3Irish190,4536.4%
4German145,6414.9%
5French65,5922.2%
6Italian46,9591.6%
7Scotch-Irish43,8071.5%
8Scottish42,9461.4%
9Subsaharan African20,7670.7%
10Dutch13,3750.4%
11Polish12,3030.4%
12Welsh10,0570.3%
13Arab8,7470.3%
14Norwegian7,4880.3%
15Swedish7,2430.2%
16French Canadian6,1590.2%
17Russian3,9890.1%
18Greek3,6280.1%
19West Indian 2,9940.1%
20Danish1,8900.1%
21Portuguese1,8220.1%
22Hungarian1,2370.0%
23Czech1,1160.0%
24Ukrainian8490.0%
25Swiss5030.0%
26Lithuanian3110.0%
27Slovak2710.0%

Source: US Census 2020

also read about the List of Counties and Cities in Mississippi

European Ancestry in Mississippi

Non-Hispanic Whites account for nearly 55.35% of Mississippi’s population. English, Irish, and German Americans have made up the three largest European ancestry groups in Mississippi. As per the Census report, English Americans made up 6.7%  of the population and numbered 199,811 members. 

Irish Americans made up 6.4 % of the population and numbered 190,453. German Americans made up 4.9% of the population and numbered 145,641 followed by French ancestry at 2.2% of the population and number 65,592

African Americans in Mississippi

African Americans are the second-largest group in Mississippi after non-Hispanic European Americans. As of  2020, those of African ancestry accounted for 36.44% of Mississippi’s population which makes it the largest percentage of African Americans in any state in the country.

The Jackson metropolitan area has one of the largest percentages of African Americans of any metro in America at 48%, however, the majority of Blacks live in many of the rural majority Black counties throughout the state. The largest concentration of Black counties is in the Mississippi Delta which lies in the western part of the state between the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers.

Hispanics and Latinos in Mississippi

Hispanics and Latinos are the third-largest groups in Mississippi after non-Hispanic European and Black Americans. Around 3.55% of Mississippi’s Population claim Hispanic or Latin American ethnicity.  The Hispanic population in Mississippi is the 41st largest in the nation. 

The Majority of Hispanics in Mississippi are of Mexican Ancestry (54%) followed by Puerto Rican  (18.6%), Cuban (3%), Salvorodian (1%), and Domnician (1%).

Asian Americans in Mississippi

Asian Americans are a sizable minority group in Mississippi. Americans of Asian descent formed 1.09 % of the population. Its ethnic Asian population has grown rapidly since the late 1990s; the majority are Indians, Filipinos, Vietnamese, and ethnic Chinese.

Multi-Race in Mississippi

Multiracial individuals are also visible minority in Mississippi. People identifying as multiracial comprise 2.82 % of the population and around 83,446  people. 

Race and Ethnicity in Mississippi 2024 | Ancestry in Mississippi