The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Mississippi For 2022


We used data and science to determine the places in Mississippi everyone wants to move to today.

Editor’s Note: Data has been updated for 2022. This is our ninth time ranking the fastest growing cities in Mississippi.

Is being in an area that's growing quickly a good thing or a bad thing?

Depends on who you ask. Some want bigger, more exciting cities like Jackson and Gulfport, while others want peace and quiet like in Saltillo and Ripley, thank you very much.

But today we're going to put opinions aside and just look at the cold hard facts -- over the past five years, which cities in Mississippi have the grown the fastest.

After getting knee deep in the Census's American Community Survey, we emerged with this set of cities in the Magnolia State that have people climbing over each other to get in.

These are the 10 fastest growing cities in Mississippi for 2022 according to the most recent census data:

What's the fastest growing city in Mississippi for 2022? Based on the most recent ACS data, Leakesville ranks as the fastest growing city in Mississippi. If you happen to be a resident of Leakesville, you're probably not too surprised to find it on our list.

If you're surprised--and you're wondering why these places are kind of a big deal--keep reading. We'll tell you what makes each of these 10 places in Mississippi are growing like weeds.

And if you already knew these places were happening, check out the best places to live in Mississippi or the Fastest Growing States In America.

For more Mississippi state reading:

The 10 Fastest Growing Cities In Mississippi For 2022

1. Leakesville

Overall SnackAbility

/10

Population: 5,443
Rank Last Year: 27 (Up 26)
Population 2010: 975
Percent Growth 458.3%
Absolute Growth: 4,468
More on Leakesville: Homes For Sale | Data

2. D'iberville

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 13,766
Rank Last Year: 1 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 8,905
Percent Growth 54.6%
Absolute Growth: 4,861
More on D'iberville: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

3. Oxford

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 27,662
Rank Last Year: 2 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 17,990
Percent Growth 53.8%
Absolute Growth: 9,672
More on Oxford: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Oxford, MS

4. Bay St. Louis

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 13,539
Rank Last Year: 3 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 9,349
Percent Growth 44.8%
Absolute Growth: 4,190
More on Bay St. Louis: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Bay St. Louis, MS

5. Pass Christian

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 6,079
Rank Last Year: 4 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 4,809
Percent Growth 26.4%
Absolute Growth: 1,270
More on Pass Christian: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Pass Christian, MS

Source: Public domain

6. Hernando

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 16,206
Rank Last Year: 5 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 13,253
Percent Growth 22.3%
Absolute Growth: 2,953
More on Hernando: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Hernando, MS

7. Flowood

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 9,213
Rank Last Year: 6 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 7,586
Percent Growth 21.4%
Absolute Growth: 1,627
More on Flowood: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Flowood, MS

8. Olive Branch

Overall SnackAbility

8
/10

Population: 38,270
Rank Last Year: 7 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 31,910
Percent Growth 19.9%
Absolute Growth: 6,360
More on Olive Branch: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Olive Branch, MS

9. Southaven

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 55,026
Rank Last Year: 8 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 46,743
Percent Growth 17.7%
Absolute Growth: 8,283
More on Southaven: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Southaven, MS

10. Brandon

Overall SnackAbility

7
/10

Population: 24,088
Rank Last Year: 9 (Down 1)
Population 2010: 21,072
Percent Growth 14.3%
Absolute Growth: 3,016
More on Brandon: Homes For Sale | Data | Photos

Brandon, MS

Methodology: How We Measured The Fastest Growing Cities In the Magnolia State for 2022

To figure out which cities are growing the most, we simply had to look at the growth rates for cities sine the beginning of the decade, according to the American Community Survey put out by the census every year. Specifically:

  • Current Population
  • Population in 2010
  • Growth rate from 2010 to Current (The latest available data which came out in Dec 2018)

We ranked all 63 Mississippi cities with a population over 5,000 people from highest growth rate to lowest.

The city with the highest growth rate during this time was crowned the fastest growing city in the Magnolia State.

And for those of you who are a little rusty with their statistics, you can calculate the growth rate by the following formula:

[Current Population - Population 2010] / [Population 2010]

Here's a graph of the cities in Mississippi with the largest percent increase in population:
Fastest Growing Cities in Mississippi Graph For 2022

Click to enlarge

Summary: These Places Grew Up So Fast In Mississippi, You Know?

So there you have it, the fastest growing cities in Mississippi are led by Leakesville which has been growing at a blistering pace this decade relative to other cities and towns around the state.

It'll be interesting to see if these places can keep growing at the same rate over the next couple of years. We'll be here to let you know!

These places have been growing (or shrinking) the slowest (fastest):

  1. Clarksdale
  2. Greenville
  3. Indianola

For more Mississippi reading, check out:

Detailed List Of Fastest Growing Places In Mississippi For 2022

Rank City Growth Population Population 2010
1 Leakesville 458.3% 5,443 975
2 D'iberville 54.6% 13,766 8,905
3 Oxford 53.8% 27,662 17,990
4 Bay St. Louis 44.8% 13,539 9,349
5 Pass Christian 26.4% 6,079 4,809
6 Hernando 22.3% 16,206 13,253
7 Flowood 21.4% 9,213 7,586
8 Olive Branch 19.9% 38,270 31,910
9 Southaven 17.7% 55,026 46,743
10 Brandon 14.3% 24,088 21,072

How Is The Area In ?

About Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar has been in the real estate business for almost ten years now. He originally worked for Movoto Real Estate as the director of marketing before founding HomeSnacks.

He believes the key to finding the right place to live comes down to looking at the data, reading about things to do, and, most importantly, checking it out yourself before you move.

If you've been looking for a place to live in the past several years, you've probably stumbled upon his writing already.

You can find out more about him on LinkedIn or his website.