According to this recently released data, Mississippi was one of three states to lose population, despite the south being the fastest growing region in the country.

Mississippi has lost just over 6,000 residents over the past decade, leading to a 0.2 percent drop in population, from 31st to 34th. The southern region saw a 10.2 percent population increase from 2010 to 2020.

From previous censuses, from 2000 to 2010, Mississippi increased 4.3% according to 2010 census data.

West Virginia, which experienced the largest decline with nearly 60,000 residents, also experienced a population decline. As well as the State of Illinois which not only lost a little more than 18,000 inhabitants, but also one of its 18 seats in Congress.

Despite its loss of population, Mississippi will retain its four seats in the United States House of Representatives. The last time Mississippi lost a seat in Congress was in the 2000 census because of its weak growth relative to other states.

Mississippi’s total resident population of 2,961,279 has gained some diversity over the decade. About 37.8% of the total population is made up of black residents. Hispanic residents make up about 3.4% and Asian residents make up about 1.1% of the population. About 1.3% of residents identified two or more races. Whites still make up the majority of state residents at 56.4%.

A total of 1,488,000 addresses were counted during the last census, compared to 1,343,000 in 2010.

The total population of the United States is now 331,449,281, a growth of 7.4 percent from 308,745,538 in 2010. The most populous state, according to the data results, is California with a total population of 39,538,223. Wyoming was the least populated with 576,851 residents. Texas won the most numerically, up 3,999,944 to 29,145,505. The fastest growing state since the 2010 census was Utah with 3,271,616 total residents, a jump of 18 , 4%.

The Census Bureau’s mission is to provide quality data on American citizens and their economy. These data are used to determine the distribution of seats in Congress and the constituency of the legislature and schools, to determine the need for community services such as those for the elderly, vocational training and road maintenance. Additionally, census data informs how state and local governments will allocate money for education, public health, and transportation.

The US Census Bureau has experienced many setbacks due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, including restrictions on how it was able to collect data from citizens. The count was finally completed in October 2020.

Itawamba County completed its 2020 census with an auto-response rate of 63.1%, slightly lower than the 2010 auto-response rate of 63.4%.

More localized data results to help cities and counties redistribute will be released by August 16.