Skip to content
Beacon CRE

Pearl River County, MS: population growth, jobs and income

Pearl River County gained 350 residents between 2024 and 2025 (+0.6%).

Pearl River County had an estimated 59,363 residents in 2025, up 5.6% (3,158 more people) since 2020. That is faster than Mississippi as a whole (−0.1%), and the 6th fastest growth of 82 counties in Mississippi.

Data as of 2025 · updated

See page 1 free (PDF)

14-day full refund · Stripe, Apple Pay or Google Pay · Instant PDF + CSV · Sold by Simply Stats LLC (NC)

How we compute every number · Refund terms

In the Pearl River County report

One-time $99 PDF: everything on this page for Pearl River County, ranked against Mississippi and the U.S., plus these figures that are not on the free page:

  • Median gross rent$906/mo2020–24
  • Vacant homes, incl. seasonal and second homes14.0%2020–24
  • New homes permitted, last 12 months4182025-10/2026-09
  • Rent growth, 5 yearsIn the report
  • Permits in 5+ unit buildingsIn the report
  • IRS income moving in (net AGI)In the report
  • Neighbouring-county comparison tableIn the report

What's inside: 5 pages

  1. 1 Summary, headline numbers and ranks (free preview)
  2. 2 Ranks and the neighbouring-county table
  3. 3 Migration, with IRS mover and income flows
  4. 4 Rent, vacant homes, permits and employers
  5. 5 Every source and the methods
See every page of a sample report

Want Pro for Mississippi? Get notified

Headline numbers

What the numbers say

Net domestic migration added 384 people in 2025: more people moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out.

Private employers had 8,948 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +9.0% since 2018 (County Business Patterns).

Unemployment averaged 3.7% in 2025, 1.8 points lower than in 2019 (before the pandemic).

Builders were authorized to start 383 new homes in 2025, or 6.5 per 1,000 residents.

Median household income was $58,135 in the 2020–24 American Community Survey, +12.8% since 2016–20.

Across the 3,107 U.S. counties with a comparable estimate, its population growth ranks 542nd.

Part of the Picayune, MS micro area.

Get Pearl River County’s next numbers by email

Email me when Pearl River County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Pearl River County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Pearl River County population by year

Resident population, July 1 estimate (Census Bureau)
YearPopulationChange
202559,363+350
202459,013+848
202358,165+825
202257,340+815
202156,525+320
202056,205–

Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year.

What drove the change in Pearl River County

Pearl River County grew by 3,158 people since 2020; the largest part came from domestic migration (+3,642).

Components of population change, people (Census Bureau)
Component20252020–25Share
Natural changebirths minus deaths−127−972
International migrationfrom and to other countries+90+437
Domestic migrationfrom and to other U.S. counties+384+3,642
Census adjustmentbalancing residual+3+51
Total change+350+3,158

Census Bureau population estimates, components of change, each year July 1 to June 30. The components add up to the change in the estimate; the Census adjustment is the small balancing figure the Bureau publishes.

How it ranks

MeasureIn MississippiAmong U.S. counties
Population growth6th of 82542nd of 3,107
Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents12th of 82884th of 3,108
Private-sector job growth14th of 81779th of 3,092
Median household income17th of 822,225th of 3,107
Lowest unemployment rate26th of 821,179th of 3,108
New homes permitted per 1,000 residents6th of 78416th of 3,005

1st = highest (lowest for unemployment). Counties are ranked only against others with a figure for the same period.

Get the county report — $99

The County Growth and Demographics Report for Pearl River County, MS as a PDF, from federal data: population and migration, housing and rents, permits, private employers and jobs, unemployment, ranks in the state and the country, and neighbouring counties, with a source next to every number. Pay once, no subscription.

Add 2 neighbouring counties for $50: the St. Tammany Parish and Harrison County reports too, $149 for all 3.

Choose other neighbouring counties

Preview page 1 of the Pearl River County report (free, PDF) · See a full 5-page sample (PDF) · Other counties and options

Every purchase also includes a CSV of every table in the report, ready for a spreadsheet.

Refund terms: Terms. · How we compute every number

Neighbouring counties

Over 2020–25, Pearl River County's population change (+5.6%) was ahead of 7 of its 8 neighbouring counties and behind 1 (Stone County).

5 of its 8 neighbouring counties had a higher median household income than Pearl River County's $58,135 (2020–24).

Pearl River County, MS and its 8 neighbouring counties: public federal figures
CountyPopulation2025Population change2020–25Net domestic migration per 1,000 residents2025Homes permitted per 1,000 residents2025Median household income2020–24
Pearl River County, MS This county59,363+5.6%6.56.5$58,135
Hancock County, MS46,873+1.6%9.95.2$67,708
Stone County, MS19,654+7.2%12.52.6$61,413
Lamar County, MS67,403+4.7%2.60.7$70,909
Washington Parish, LA44,937−0.9%−2.20.0$45,380
St. Tammany Parish, LA279,108+5.3%2.63.9$81,202
Harrison County, MS217,136+4.0%6.210.6$59,479
Marion County, MS24,001−1.5%2.00.1$45,110
Forrest County, MS79,034+1.1%−3.60.9$53,640

Census Bureau population estimates and building permits, American Community Survey 5-year income. Rates per 1,000 residents. – means no figure, or a base too small for a change or rate (it would swing on a few people). A figure from another period shows its year and is left out of the comparison.

All 82 Mississippi counties · Every state

Questions

Is Pearl River County growing?

Yes. Its population grew 5.6% between 2020 and 2025, about 3,158 more people (Census Bureau population estimates). Mississippi as a whole changed −0.1% over the same years. That ranks 6th of 82 counties in Mississippi for population growth.

How many people moved to Pearl River County?

On net, about 384 people in 2025: that many more moved in from other U.S. counties than moved out (Census Bureau net domestic migration estimate).

What is the unemployment rate in Pearl River County?

It averaged 3.7% in 2025 (BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual average).

What is the population of Pearl River County?

About 59,363 people, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's population estimate for July 1, 2025.

How many jobs are in Pearl River County?

Private employers there had 8,948 paid employees in mid-March 2023, +9.0% since 2018 (Census Bureau County Business Patterns; government jobs and the self-employed are not counted).

What Beacon CRE covers in Mississippi

Map, parcel and listing layers cover North and South Carolina only for now. This page and the other Mississippi county pages carry the public federal growth figures.

Pearl River County data alerts

Email me when Pearl River County gets new Census numbers: population, building permits, jobs and income. About 4 emails a year, one click to stop.

We use your address only to email you when new data for Pearl River County is out: what changed, with a link to that county's report. No newsletter, no other sales emails. Delete it any time with the link in every email. We'll email you a link to confirm first; nothing starts until you click it. Privacy notice.

Sources and method

Each number shows its own period. Changes compare the latest period with five years earlier (or the earliest period available). Beacon CRE last refreshed these figures on 2026-11-05. Figures come from public federal statistics and are informational only, not investment advice. Check the source before relying on a number. Methodology: how we compute every number. More on every layer: data sources and licences.

Jobs outside North and South Carolina use County Business Patterns (paid private-sector employees in mid-March); wages and government jobs are not included.