county

Sharkey County, MS

Demographic and economic profile of Sharkey County, MS, sourced from the US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) via Data USA.

AI Overview

Sharkey County is a small, rural Mississippi county of 3,848 residents with an economy concentrated in agriculture, reflected in low wages—median worker earnings of $29,500—and a per capita income of $23,081. The labor force is limited, with only 55.7% participation, a 10.5% unemployment rate, and 15.4% of adults holding a bachelor's degree or higher. The county has seen a sharp population decline of 14.7% over five years, a poverty rate of 31.8%, and housing costs are among the lowest measurable, with a median home value of $108,000 and median gross rent of $622 per month.

Claude Sonnet 4.6 · generated Jul 6, 2026 · derived from cached Census, BEA & ACS data on this page

Population

3,848

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Household Income

$40,000

Data USA · as of 2024

Median Age

38.4 yrs

Data USA · as of 2024

Population Growth (5-year)

-14.7% since 2018

Sharkey County lost population at this rate over the prior 5-year ACS5 window.

Demographics

Race & Ethnicity

  • Black or African American Alone2,933 (75.7%)
  • White Alone904 (23.3%)
  • Two Races Excluding Some Other Race, & Three or More Races14 (0.4%)
  • Native Hawaiian & Other Pacific Islander Alone12 (0.3%)
  • Asian Alone6 (0.2%)
  • Some Other Race Alone3 (0.1%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Languages Spoken at Home

  1. 1.Spanish7

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population Under 18

25.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Working-Age (18–64)

56.2%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Population 65 and Over

18.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Foreign-Born Population

0.2%

Data USA · as of 2024

Veterans

85

Data USA · as of 2024

Economy

GDP per Capita

$27,604

Data USA · as of 2023

Cost of Living Index

—

Not yet cached

Per Capita Income

$23,081

Census ACS · as of 2023

Unemployment Rate

10.5%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Poverty Rate

31.8%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Top Industries

  1. 1.Educational Services, & Health Care & Social Assistance377
  2. 2.Retail Trade (Group)263
  3. 3.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining223
  4. 4.Transportation & Warehousing, & Utilities141
  5. 5.Public Administration (Group)114

Data USA · as of 2024

Top Occupations

  1. 1.Sales & Office Occupations367
  2. 2.Management, Business, Science, & Arts Occupations344
  3. 3.Natural Resources, Construction, & Maintenance Occupations305
  4. 4.Production, Transportation, & Material Moving Occupations305
  5. 5.Service Occupations236

Data USA · as of 2024

Specialized Industries (Location Quotient)

  1. 1.Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing & Hunting, & Mining (LQ 8.49×)204
  2. 2.Transportation, Warehousing, & Utilities (LQ 1.91×)168
  3. 3.Retail Trade (LQ 1.70×)278
  4. 4.Educational Services & Health Care (LQ 1.08×)382

Census ACS · as of 2023

Housing

Median Home Value

$108,000

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Gross Rent

$622/mo

Census ACS · as of 2023

Homeownership Rate

66.5%

Data USA · as of 2024

Home Value Distribution

  • $200,000 to $249,999116 (12.3%)
  • $100,000 to $124,99997 (10.3%)
  • $250,000 to $299,99994 (9.9%)
  • $70,000 to $79,99987 (9.2%)
  • $80,000 to $89,99977 (8.1%)
  • $10,000 to $14,99969 (7.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Higher

15.4%

Census ACS · as of 2023

High School Diploma or Higher

81.0%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Workforce

Labor Force Participation

55.7%

Census ACS · as of 2023

Median Worker Earnings

$29,500

Census ACS · as of 2023

Mean Commute Time

18.9 min

Data USA · as of 2024

Households Without a Vehicle

8.6%

Census ACS · as of 2023

How People Get to Work

  • Drove Alone1,190 (77.4%)
  • Carpooled200 (13.0%)
  • Bicycle55 (3.6%)
  • Other42 (2.7%)
  • Worked At Home29 (1.9%)
  • Walked20 (1.3%)

Data USA · as of 2024

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Data: US Census Bureau American Community Survey, served via Data USA and the Census Bureau API. See each metric tile for the specific dataset.