The U.S. Census Bureau released the initial 2020 Census results showing a decrease in Winston County’s population.
Winston County’s population according to the 2020 Census is 17,714 which is down from the 2010 census number of 19,198. The drop of population shows a 7.7 percent drop. The new Census numbers show Mississippi overall had a net loss of about 6,018 residents from 2010 to 2020. That is a 0.2 percent decrease in a state of nearly 2,961,279 residents. This is only the third time a population decrease in Mississippi has been recorded. The first was a decrease of 6,496 recorded in 1920, and the second was a decline of 773 recorded in 1960. Mississippi was one of only three states to see a population decline in the 2020 census, though its decline was the smallest among them.
Across the United States an increase in the population has been in the metro areas in other states compared to a decade ago. The population of U.S. metro areas grew by 9% from 2010 to 2020, resulting in 86% of the population living in U.S. metro areas in 2020, compared to 85% in 2010. In addition, these once-a-decade results showed the nation’s diversity in how people identify their race and ethnicity.
“We are excited to reach this milestone of delivering the first detailed statistics from the 2020 Census,” said acting Census Bureau Director Ron Jarmin. “We appreciate the public’s patience as Census Bureau staff worked diligently to process this data and ensure it meets our quality standards."
Many rural counties scattered across the state lost population, including several that lost more than 5% of their residents. Population declines were recorded for 65 of Mississippi’s 82 counties as the state mirrored similar losses in rural areas across the country. Counties gaining the most people over the past decade were in coastal Mississippi. Mississippi was part of the national trend toward more racial diversity over the past decade.
A high-profile use of the new census figures is the drawing of new congressional and legislative election districts for U.S. House and state Legislature seats.
Republicans have control of that redistricting process in Mississippi as they hold the governor’s office and have commanding majorities in both chambers of the state Legislature.
Census data is also used to apportion multiple federal funding streams. In fiscal year 2015, census data were used to determine the allocation of $675 billion for 132 programs, including Medicaid, SNAP, the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, Head Start, and Highway Planning and Construction.
