You’re probably never going to make enough money to live in the richest counties in Mississippi.
The median household income in DeSoto County, the richest county in Mississippi is $85,297, significantly higher than the US median of $74,580, which means based purely on math most people never make enough to live there.
And that’s okay because it’s still fun to look at the people living in the lap of luxury.
So we used Saturday Night Science and the most recent Census to rank home prices and incomes for all 82 counties in the Magnolia State. Let’s star gaze together.
What is the richest county in Mississippi? The richest county in Mississippi is DeSoto County. In contrast, the poorest county in the state is Holmes County, according to the Census data.
$85,297 median income · $298,836 median home price
$83,441 median income · $334,032 median home price
$79,357 median income · $265,117 median home price
$67,185 median income · $401,965 median home price
$70,909 median income · $264,022 median home price
$69,704 median income · $238,526 median home price
$67,708 median income · $232,472 median home price
$66,201 median income · $212,491 median home price
$67,863 median income · $201,406 median home price
$59,479 median income · $223,162 median home price
The receipts
Compare the top ten
Pick a metric. The bars rescale. The red line is Mississippi’s statewide median.
Mississippi statewide median: $56,447
Mississippi statewide median: $192,906
On the map
Where Mississippi’s richest counties are
Saturday Night Science
Methodology: How do you determine which Mississippi county is the richest?
To determine the richest county in Mississippi, we have to look at a handful of metrics that correlate with how rich people are. To do that, we made assumptions about what makes a county rich. For reference, we are trying to make the kind of argument you’d make at a bar using facts, Saturday Night Science.
With that in mind, we went to the American Community Survey data and Zillow for the most recent reporting period for data on the following:
- Average Home Price
- Median Income
We then ranked each county in Mississippi for each of the criteria from one to 82, with one being the richest.
Taking the average rank across the two criteria, we created a Rich Score with the county posting the lowest overall score being the “Richest County In Mississippi.”
The result is some of the places with the most expensive real estate and highest earners in the Magnolia State.
We updated this article for 2026. This report is our first time ranking the richest counties to live in Mississippi. The median Mississippi home is 39 years old — old enough that it pays to compare home warranty plans before something expensive breaks.
The full plate
Detailed List Of The Richest Counties In Mississippi
Click any column to sort. Search by county name.
| Rank | County | Population | Median Income | Average Home Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DeSoto County | 191,301 | $85,297 | $298,836 |
| 1 | Madison County | 111,647 | $83,441 | $334,032 |
| 3 | Rankin County | 158,854 | $79,357 | $265,117 |
| 4 | Lafayette County | 58,327 | $67,185 | $401,965 |
| 5 | Lamar County | 65,713 | $70,909 | $264,022 |
| 6 | Tate County | 28,321 | $69,704 | $238,526 |
| 7 | Hancock County | 46,167 | $67,708 | $232,472 |
| 8 | Jackson County | 145,249 | $66,201 | $212,491 |
| 9 | Lee County | 83,034 | $67,863 | $201,406 |
| 10 | Harrison County | 210,891 | $59,479 | $223,162 |
| 11 | Stone County | 18,894 | $61,413 | $201,655 |
| 11 | George County | 25,170 | $59,758 | $206,920 |
| 13 | Pearl River County | 57,458 | $58,135 | $193,922 |
| 14 | Marshall County | 33,979 | $53,458 | $216,684 |
| 15 | Union County | 28,122 | $55,505 | $197,435 |
| 16 | Carroll County | 9,686 | $59,327 | $174,370 |
| 17 | Smith County | 14,132 | $60,916 | $160,019 |
| 18 | Webster County | 9,972 | $58,789 | $162,162 |
| 20 | Tishomingo County | 18,660 | $53,040 | $189,935 |
| 20 | Forrest County | 78,272 | $53,640 | $186,726 |
| 20 | Lowndes County | 57,838 | $53,812 | $182,790 |
| 22 | Pontotoc County | 31,550 | $51,484 | $204,300 |
| 23 | Itawamba County | 24,036 | $55,546 | $161,732 |
| 24 | Greene County | 13,615 | $54,276 | $160,128 |
| 25 | Oktibbeha County | 51,771 | $46,695 | $275,090 |
| 26 | Warren County | 43,020 | $59,401 | $145,827 |
| 27 | Alcorn County | 34,289 | $51,260 | $181,276 |
| 27 | Simpson County | 25,691 | $56,381 | $151,652 |
| 29 | Lincoln County | 34,877 | $51,119 | $168,181 |
| 30 | Jones County | 66,472 | $52,216 | $159,236 |
| 31 | Monroe County | 33,747 | $51,866 | $157,592 |
| 32 | Leake County | 21,319 | $50,728 | $163,553 |
| 33 | Neshoba County | 28,932 | $57,013 | $140,641 |
| 34 | Franklin County | 7,622 | $52,939 | $148,959 |
| 35 | Winston County | 17,536 | $53,031 | $141,865 |
| 35 | Panola County | 32,808 | $45,945 | $188,484 |
| 37 | Perry County | 11,449 | $49,634 | $156,862 |
| 37 | Tippah County | 21,523 | $52,542 | $141,599 |
| 39 | Covington County | 18,148 | $45,051 | $173,288 |
| 40 | Walthall County | 13,839 | $48,905 | $155,251 |
| 41 | Yalobusha County | 12,419 | $49,151 | $148,409 |
| 41 | Newton County | 21,093 | $50,540 | $142,059 |
| 43 | Benton County | 7,589 | $46,016 | $157,538 |
| 44 | Choctaw County | 8,118 | $50,919 | $135,165 |
| 45 | Prentiss County | 25,184 | $49,724 | $139,713 |
| 46 | Lauderdale County | 71,504 | $50,817 | $124,823 |
| 47 | Hinds County | 218,533 | $49,402 | $132,560 |
| 48 | Attala County | 17,526 | $51,639 | $117,169 |
| 48 | Copiah County | 27,855 | $49,089 | $133,248 |
| 50 | Clay County | 18,383 | $43,125 | $149,429 |
| 51 | Jasper County | 16,059 | $48,660 | $134,993 |
| 52 | Grenada County | 21,217 | $48,804 | $132,498 |
| 52 | Tunica County | 9,475 | $39,364 | $155,893 |
| 54 | Marion County | 24,193 | $45,110 | $137,754 |
| 54 | Kemper County | 8,729 | $46,431 | $134,992 |
| 56 | Chickasaw County | 16,915 | $43,586 | $135,255 |
| 57 | Scott County | 27,718 | $48,786 | $123,939 |
| 58 | Wayne County | 19,718 | $37,619 | $143,318 |
| 59 | Amite County | 12,565 | $37,222 | $143,287 |
| 60 | Calhoun County | 12,922 | $43,125 | $124,022 |
| 61 | Clarke County | 15,314 | $46,108 | $106,868 |
| 62 | Montgomery County | 9,602 | $41,748 | $124,290 |
| 63 | Adams County | 28,803 | $43,644 | $116,583 |
| 63 | Lawrence County | 11,786 | $43,531 | $118,729 |
| 65 | Bolivar County | 29,534 | $39,585 | $124,660 |
| 66 | Pike County | 39,602 | $43,814 | $105,338 |
| 66 | Sharkey County | 3,872 | $40,000 | $120,584 |
| 68 | Yazoo County | 24,835 | $39,295 | $113,234 |
| 69 | Wilkinson County | 8,162 | $35,311 | $121,394 |
| 70 | Issaquena County | 928 | $31,429 | $125,878 |
| 70 | Sunflower County | 24,333 | $39,956 | $100,505 |
| 72 | Tallahatchie County | 11,764 | $37,466 | $109,214 |
| 73 | Washington County | 42,765 | $42,165 | $62,040 |
| 73 | Jefferson County | 7,068 | $38,305 | $101,820 |
| 75 | Jefferson Davis County | 11,117 | $38,548 | $96,084 |
| 76 | Noxubee County | 10,025 | $33,833 | $108,870 |
| 77 | Leflore County | 27,141 | $35,277 | $79,439 |
| 78 | Humphreys County | 7,395 | $33,731 | $86,252 |
| 78 | Coahoma County | 20,540 | $37,461 | $47,484 |
| 80 | Claiborne County | 8,582 | $31,897 | $94,521 |
| 81 | Quitman County | 5,774 | $32,412 | $79,071 |
| 81 | Holmes County | 16,191 | $32,538 | $76,673 |
Source: U.S. Census ACS + Zillow via Saturday Night Science. All 82 Mississippi counties.
Summary
Summary: The Richest Counties In Mississippi For 2026
Living in Mississippi can vary from one part of the state to the next, with pretty extreme variance in home prices and incomes across counties.
The richest counties in Mississippi are DeSoto County, Madison County, Rankin County, Lafayette County, Lamar County, Tate County, Hancock County, Jackson County, Lee County, and Harrison County.
Now you know the parts of the state where Goodwill will have the best goodies, and that’s what you came here to learn at the end of the day.
You are welcome. Not sold on Mississippi? Take the two-minute Find Your Place quiz and see which state actually fits you.
Questions and answers
Richest Counties In Mississippi FAQs
What is the richest county in Mississippi?
DeSoto County is the richest county in Mississippi for 2026, with a median household income of $85,297. Madison County and Rankin County are next.
What are the richest counties in Mississippi?
The richest counties in Mississippi are DeSoto County, Madison County, Rankin County, Lafayette County, Lamar County, Tate County, Hancock County, Jackson County, Lee County, and Harrison County. We ranked all 82 Mississippi counties on average home price and median income.
How much do people make in DeSoto County?
The median household in DeSoto County earns $85,297 a year, against a Mississippi statewide median of $56,447. The US median household income is $74,580.
What do homes cost in the richest counties of Mississippi?
The median home across the ten richest Mississippi counties is $251,274, versus $192,906 statewide. In DeSoto County, the typical home runs $298,836.
What is the poorest county in Mississippi?
Holmes County is the poorest county in Mississippi by this ranking, coming in last of the 82 counties we scored on income and home prices.
