County · Mississippi

Jones County, Mississippi

Jones County, Mississippi. Jones County had 66,496 residents in 2025 by the Census Bureau's estimate, down 1.1% since 2020, a steeper fall than Mississippi's (−0.2%). It holds 8 places (4 cities, villages and boroughs and 4 census-designated) and 20 census tracts. GEOID 28067.

Jones County is one of the 2 counties of the Laurel, MS micropolitan statistical area (the Census Bureau's July 2023 delineation).

Residents, July 2025 estimate

66,496

Census Bureau estimate (no margin published)
2020 Census count: 67,246 · ACS 2020-2024: 66,472

Median household income

$52,216

±$4,367 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $56,447

Median home value

$143,100

±$16,546 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $169,800

Median gross rent

$869

±$41 (90% margin)
Mississippi: $954

How many people live in Jones County, and is it growing?

The 2020 Census counted 67,246 residents in Jones County. The Census Bureau estimates 66,496 for July 1, 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, a steeper fall than Mississippi's (−0.2%). The 2020-2024 American Community Survey puts the population at 66,472 over 695 square miles of land.

July 2020→2021 −411 (66,756)
2021→2022 −276 (66,480)
2022→2023 −323 (66,157)
2023→2024 −56 (66,101)
2024→2025 +395 (66,496)

Jones County in Mississippi. Boundaries: Census Bureau 2024.

Counts, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates, with the change from 2015-2019
Measure	Jones County	Mississippi	Change since 2015-2019
Total population	66,472	2,946,779	−1,880
Households	24,957±595	1,145,431	no clear change
Average household size	2.60±0.06	2.49	no clear change
Housing units	28,826±43	1,341,114	−269

Jones County's population since 2000

From 64,958 in 2000 to 66,496 in 2025: up 2.4%. The 2000, 2010 and 2020 figures are census counts. The 2005 figure is the Census Bureau's intercensal estimate, revised to fit the 2000 and 2010 counts and drawn on 2010 boundaries; 2015 and 2025 are July 1 estimates made from the census before them.

2000 Census 64,958
2005 (estimate) 65,871
2010 Census 67,761
2015 (estimate) 68,664
2020 Census 67,246
2025 (estimate) 66,496

Source: The 2000, 2010 and 2020 Census counts and the Census Bureau's population estimates (intercensal 2000-2010, Vintage 2020, Vintage 2025) · Census population estimates

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); PEP Vintage 2025 (CO-EST2025); 2020 Census · Check it at data.census.gov

What cities and towns are in Jones County?

Jones County holds 8 places: 4 cities, villages and boroughs (incorporated places) and 4 census-designated places. The largest is Laurel with 17,662 residents (2025 estimate). Places that cross a county line are listed with the share of their 2020 residents who live in this county.

Places in Jones County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Ring: estimate with a coefficient of variation over 40%.

Laurel	city	17,161	17,679±28	$47,661	$125,800	23.3%	100%
Ellisville	city	4,652	4,521±21	$32,100	$99,500	22.9%	100%
SharonGEOID 2866840	CDP	1,344	1,910±759	$102,188	not published	18.0%	100%
Sandersville	town	636	413±143	$52,667	$95,000	24.7%	100%
Soso	town	418	431±163	$51,250	$148,800	7.3%	100%
MoselleGEOID 2849160	CDP	304	89±95	not published	not published	0.0%	100%
OvettGEOID 2854680	CDP	183	333±273	$121,336	$194,000	0.0%	100%
EastabuchieGEOID 2820740	CDP	187	82±100	$124,861	not published	22.0%	67%

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026); 2020 place-by-county parts · Check it at data.census.gov

Who lives in Jones County?

The median resident of Jones County is 37.9 years old; 25.1% are under 18 and 17.8% are 65 or older. The largest group is non-Hispanic white residents at 62.9%, then non-Hispanic Black residents at 28.2%. 2.9% of residents were born outside the United States.

Age, origin and education, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates. Race groups are non-Hispanic; Hispanic includes any race.
Measure	Jones County	Mississippi	Change since 2015-2019
Median age	37.9±0.6	38.6	no clear change
Under 18 years	25.1%±0.1 pts	23.3%	–
65 years and over	17.8%±0.2 pts	17.2%	–
Hispanic or Latino (any race)	6.3%	3.7%	+1.8 pts
White alone, not Hispanic	62.9%±0.2 pts	55.2%	−1.7 pts
Black or African American alone, not Hispanic	28.2%±0.5 pts	36.3%	−1.1 pts
Asian alone, not Hispanic	0.4%±0.1 pts	1.0%	–
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, not Hispanic	0.2%±0.1 pts	0.4%	–
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, not Hispanic	0.0%±0.1 pts	0.0%	–
Two or more races, not Hispanic	2.0%±0.5 pts	3.0%	–
Some other race alone, not Hispanic	0.1%±0.1 pts	0.3%	–
Born outside the United States	2.9%±0.4 pts	2.4%	no clear change
Speak a language other than English at home (age 5+)	5.4%±0.9 pts	4.3%	–
Civilian veterans (age 18+)	6.1%±0.9 pts	6.8%	–
With a disability	17.5%±1.5 pts	17.8%	–
No health insurance coverage	11.9%±1.5 pts	11.0%	no clear change
High school graduate or higher (age 25+)	87.3%±1.3 pts	87.1%	–
Bachelor's degree or higher (age 25+)	20.7%±1.6 pts	25.1%	no clear change
Graduate or professional degree (age 25+)	8.1%±1.0 pts	9.9%	–
Moved from another state in the past year	1.1%±0.5 pts	2.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profiles DP02, DP05) · Check it at data.census.gov

What do households in Jones County earn?

Half of Jones County's 24,957 households earn less than $52,216 a year (±$4,367), against $56,447 in Mississippi. In 2015-2019 it was $51,412 in 2024 dollars; the margins of error cannot tell the two periods apart. 18.7% of residents live below the poverty line.

Income and poverty in 2024 dollars, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jones County	Mississippi	Change since 2015-2019
Median household income	$52,216±$4,367	$56,447	no clear change
Mean household income	$76,759±$4,610	$78,922	–
Per capita income	$29,510±$1,626	$31,549	no clear change
People below the poverty line	18.7%±2.4 pts	18.9%	no clear change
Children under 18 below the poverty line	26.5%±5.2 pts	26.0%	no clear change
Households receiving SNAP	14.2%±2.1 pts	13.5%	–
Households with a broadband subscription	77.2%±2.7 pts	84.1%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What does housing cost in Jones County?

Owners occupy 75.1% of Jones County's occupied homes and renters 24.9%. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $143,100 by its owner (±$16,546). The median renter pays $869 a month including utilities, and 38.1% of renters pay 35% or more of their income on rent.

Housing, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jones County	Mississippi	Change since 2015-2019
Median home value (owner-occupied)	$143,100±$16,546	$169,800	+$21,754
Median gross rent	$869±$41	$954	no clear change
Renters paying 35% or more of income on rent	38.1%±8.8 pts	42.1%	no clear change
Median monthly owner costs, with a mortgage	$1,235±$59	$1,394	–
Owner-occupied homes	75.1%±2.5 pts	70.0%	no clear change
Housing units	28,826±43	1,341,114	−269
Homeowner vacancy rate	1.2%±0.7 pts	0.8%	–
Rental vacancy rate	3.2%±2.4 pts	8.2%	–
Single-family detached homes	68.7%±2.4 pts	69.3%	–
Mobile homes	20.7%±2.2 pts	14.4%	–
Built 2020 or later	2.1%±0.7 pts	1.7%	–
Built 1939 or earlier	5.7%±1.3 pts	4.0%	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP04) · Check it at data.census.gov

How many new homes is Jones County building?

Builders took permits for 2 new housing units across Jones County in 2025 (2 single-family), 0.0 per 1,000 residents.

2019 5 units
2020 93 units
2021 81 units
2022 47 units
2023 48 units
2024 3 units
2025 2 units

Source: Building Permits Survey, annual county files 2019-2025, U.S. Census Bureau · Census Building Permits Survey

How do people in Jones County get to work?

82.3% of Jones County's workers drive alone and 4.4% work from home. The average trip to work takes 24.2 minutes. The unemployment rate in 2020-2024 averaged 4.0%.

Work and commuting, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Measure	Jones County	Mississippi	Change since 2015-2019
In the labor force (age 16+)	55.6%±1.8 pts	57.4%	–
Unemployment rate	4.0%±1.0 pts	5.8%	no clear change
Drove alone to work	82.3%±1.9 pts	81.8%	–
Carpooled	10.7%±1.8 pts	9.2%	–
Public transportation	0.3%±0.2 pts	0.3%	–
Walked	1.3%±0.6 pts	1.3%	–
Worked from home	4.4%±1.1 pts	5.9%	+3.4 pts
Mean travel time to work	24.2 min±2.0	25.6 min	+2.5 min

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) (Data Profile DP03) · Check it at data.census.gov

What are Jones County's census tracts?

Jones County is divided into 20 census tracts. Among those with a reliable estimate, median household income runs from $32,753 (Tract 9510) to $85,015 (Tract 9504.01).

Census tracts of Jones County, ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates; sort by any column

Tract 9501.0128067950101	Sharon (14%)	4,432	3,967±804	$58,667	$87,400	$570	17.7%
Tract 9501.0228067950102	Sandersville (30%)	2,135	1,921±375	$39,906	$93,900	$718	26.0%
Tract 9502.0128067950201	–	2,741	2,604±571	$78,417	$171,400	$858	6.7%
Tract 9502.0228067950202	Soso (20%)	2,788	2,178±211	$65,522	$116,300	$882	10.6%
Tract 9503.0128067950301	Ellisville (5%)	4,768	5,361±905	$74,545	$219,100	$813	15.7%
Tract 9503.0228067950302	Laurel (4%)	3,475	3,246±592	$61,286	$220,000	$1,140	11.7%
Tract 9504.0128067950401	Laurel (71%)	3,758	4,446±700	$85,015	$207,700	$1,048	14.7%
Tract 9504.0228067950402	Laurel (74%)	5,354	4,195±967	$43,333	$119,400	$935	31.9%
Tract 950528067950500	Laurel (96%)	3,839	3,690±612	$39,045	$137,800	$958	27.0%
Tract 9506.0128067950601	Laurel (85%)	4,760	4,539±876	$38,255	$71,300	$583	32.8%
Tract 9506.0228067950602	Laurel (83%)	2,241	2,097±447	$44,992	$112,800	$939	22.7%
Tract 950728067950700	Laurel (70%)	3,037	4,253±1,043	$45,444	$75,200	not published	18.1%
Tract 9508.0128067950801	–	2,868	2,719±549	$69,799	$135,200	$760	6.6%
Tract 9508.0228067950802	–	2,462	2,156±777	$53,942	$151,900	not published	7.2%
Tract 9509.0128067950901	–	3,497	3,515±646	$42,483	$133,900	$632	18.7%
Tract 9509.0228067950902	Ovett (8%)	4,258	4,330±592	$71,198	$166,600	$661	5.1%
Tract 951028067951000	Ellisville (91%)	3,975	3,890±328	$32,753	$98,000	$892	24.7%
Tract 9511.0128067951101	Ellisville (8%)	2,986	2,714±475	$65,994	$163,700	not published	13.6%
Tract 9511.0228067951102	Moselle (7%)	3,859	4,651±793	$53,563	$136,000	$554	31.4%
Tract 980028067980000	–	13	0±14	not published	not published	not published	–

Source: American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) · Check it at data.census.gov

How does Jones County compare with Mississippi's other counties?

Jones County's rank among Mississippi's counties with a reliable estimate (1 = highest)
Measure	Rank
Population	10th of 82
Growth 2020-2025	32nd of 82
Residents per square mile	15th of 82
Median household income	30th of 82
Median home value	26th of 82
Median gross rent	23rd of 81
Poverty rate	52nd of 82
Bachelor's degree or higher	23rd of 82
Median age	61st of 82

Every county in Mississippi

Source: PlainCities ranks from the American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates, U.S. Census Bureau (released January 2026) and PEP Vintage 2025 · How ranks are computed

How these figures are made: methodology and release checks · reading a margin of error · every state · corrections

Not on this page: crime, weather and schools for Jones County are other agencies' records. Crime: the FBI's Crime Data Explorer · climate: NOAA's U.S. Climate Normals · schools: the National Center for Education Statistics' school search.