County profile

Covington County

Mississippi · ACS 2020–2024

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Latest estimates

At a glance

U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates.

Total population
18,148
Median household income
$45,051
People below poverty
19.8%
Median home value
$105,100

Income

The median income of households in Covington County, Mississippi was $45,051. An estimated 6.7% of households had income below $10,000 a year and 3.4% had income of $200,000 or more.

Household Income in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than $10,000 6.7
$10,000 to $14,999 10.3
$15,000 to $24,999 12.3
$25,000 to $34,999 7.6
$35,000 to $49,999 17.3
$50,000 to $74,999 10.8
$75,000 to $99,999 11.4
$100,000 to $149,999 16.3
$150,000 to $199,999 4
$200,000 or more 3.4

Median Earnings for Full-Time Year-Round Workers by Sex in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Dollars
Male 59208
Female 37846

An estimated 67.6% of households received earnings. An estimated 33.5% of households received Social Security and an estimated 14.4 % of households received retirement income other than Social Security. The average income from Social Security was $20,247. These income sources are not mutually exclusive; that is, some households received income from more than one source.

Proportion of Households with Various Income Sources in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Earnings 67.6
Social Security 33.5
Retirement income 14.4
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 12.2
Cash public assistance income 1.8

Poverty and Participation in Government Programs

In 2020-2024, 19.8 % of people were in poverty. An estimated 23% of children under 18 were below the poverty level, compared with 27.5% of people 65 years old and over. An estimated 16.2% of people 18 to 64 years were below the poverty level.

Poverty Rates in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
People in poverty 19.8
Children under 18 years below poverty 23
People 65 years old and over below poverty 27.5
People 18 to 64 years below poverty 16.2

In 2020-2024, 17.9 % of households received SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). An estimated 53.6% of households that received SNAP had children under 18, and 28% of households that received SNAP had one or more people 60 years and over. An estimated 37% of all households receiving SNAP were families with a female householder and no spouse present.


Among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024, 90.4% had health insurance coverage and 9.6% did not have health insurance coverage. Private coverage was 59.7% and public coverage was 39.9%, respectively. The percentage of children under the age of 19 with no health insurance coverage was 4.7%.


In 2020-2024, Covington County, Mississippi had a total population of 18,148 - 8,718 (48%) females and 9,430 (52%) males. The median age was 37.3 years. An estimated 24.3% of the population was under 18 years, 32.1% was 19 to 44 years, 24.6% was 45 to 64 years, and 17.6 % was 65 years and older.

Population by Age and Sex for Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

Male Female
Under 5 878 335
5 to 9 728 544
10 to 14 748 432
15 to 19 636 371
20 to 24 672 569
25 to 29 438 659
30 to 34 712 652
35 to 39 617 833
40 to 44 356 316
45 to 49 448 421
50 to 54 557 605
55 to 59 475 684
60 to 64 677 586
65 to 69 463 606
70 to 74 420 375
75 to 79 403 267
80 to 84 145 341
85 and over 57 122

Hispanic Origin and Race

For people reporting one race alone, 60% were White; 34.8% were Black or African American; 10.8% were American Indian and Alaska Native; 0.2% were Asian; 23.9% were Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and 0% were Some Other Race. An estimated 3.2% reported Two or More Races. An estimated 2.6% of the people in Covington County, Mississippi were Hispanic or Latino. An estimated 59.4% of the people in Covington County, Mississippi were White alone, non-Hispanic. People of Hispanic origin may be of any race.


Households and Families

In 2020-2024, there were 7,323 households in Covington County, Mississippi. The average household size was 2.44 people.

Married-couple households made up 50.2% of the households in Covington County, Mississippi while cohabiting couple households made up 3.9% of households. Female householders with no spouse or partner present were 29.7% of all households, while 16.3% of households had male householders with no spouse or partner present. Some households had one person, as 12.3% of households were male householders living alone, and 12.5% were female householders living alone, for a total of 24.8% of all households.

In Covington County, Mississippi, 34.7% of all households had one or more people under the age of 18; 29.3% of all households had one or more people 65 years and over.

Types of Households in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Married-couple households 50.2
Cohabiting Couples 3.9
Male Householder
No spouse/partner present
16.3
Female Householder
No spouse/partner present
29.7

Marital Status

Among persons 15 and older, 54.5% of males and 52.4% of females were currently married.

Population 15 years and over Percent
Males
Percent
Females
Never married 32.9 20.3
Now married, except separated 54.5 52.4
Separated 1 3.7
Widowed 2.4 8.6
Divorced 9.2 15

Grandparents and Grandchildren

In Covington County, Mississippi, 481 grandparents lived with their grandchildren under 18 years old. Of those grandparents, 72.1% were responsible for the basic needs of their grandchildren.


Nativity and Foreign-Born

In 2020-2024, an estimated 98.9% of the people living in Covington County, Mississippi were U.S. natives. 82.9% of the Covington County, Mississippi population were living in the state where they were born.

Approximately 1.1% of Covington County, Mississippi residents in 2020-2024 were foreign-born. 11.2% of foreign-born were naturalized U.S. citizens and an estimated 68.4 % entered the country before the year 2010.

Foreign-born residents of Covington County, Mississippi come from different parts of the world. The bar graph below displays the percentage of foreign-born from each world region of birth in 2020-2024 for Covington County, Mississippi.

Region of Birth for the Foreign-Born Population in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Latin America 85
Asia 10.7
Europe 0
Africa 0
Northern America 4.4
Oceania 0

Language

Among people at least five years old living in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024, 2.5 % spoke a language other than English at home. Spanish was spoken by 2.1% of people at least five years old; 0.9% reported that they did not speak English "very well."

Percentage of the Population 5 years and over who Speak a Language other than English in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Spanish 2.1
Other Indo-European languages 0.1
Asian and Pacific Islander languages 0.3
Other languages 0

Geographic Mobility

In 2020-2024, 95.3 % of the people at least one year old living in Covington County, Mississippi were living in the same house one year earlier.

Geographic Mobility of Residents of Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Same house 95.3
Different house, same county 0.7
Different county, same state 2
Different state 2.1
Abroad 0

Education

In 2020-2024, 83 % of people 25 years and over had at least graduated from high school and 17.4% had a bachelor's degree or higher. An estimated 17% did not complete high school.

The total school enrollment in Covington County, Mississippi was 3,579 in 2020-2024. Nursery school enrollment was 158 and kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment was 2,837. College or graduate school enrollment was 584.

Educational Attainment of People in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Less than high school diploma 17
High school diploma or equivalency 32.5
Some college, no degree 21.2
Associate's degree 11.9
Bachelor's degree 11.7
Graduate or professional degree 5.7

Disability

In Covington County, Mississippi, among the civilian noninstitutionalized population in 2020-2024, 17.9 % reported a disability. The likelihood of having a disability varied by age - from 3.1% of people under 18 years old, to 17.4% of people 18 to 64 years old, and to 41.4% of those 65 and over.


Employment Status and Type of Employer

In Covington County, Mississippi, 51.4 % of the population 16 and over were employed; 46.8% were not currently in the labor force.

An estimated 78.8% of the people employed were private wage and salary workers; 16.5% were federal, state, or local government workers; and 4.8 % were self-employed in their own (not incorporated) business.

Class of worker Number Percent
Private wage and salary workers 5,730 78.8
Federal, state, or local government workers 1,198 16.5
Self-employed workers in own not incorporated business 347 4.8

Industries

In 2020-2024, the civilian employed population 16 years and older in Covington County, Mississippi worked in the following industries:

Percent by Industry in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, and mining 5
Construction 8.1
Manufacturing 19.1
Wholesale trade 3.1
Retail trade 12.6
Transportation and warehousing, and utilities 5.8
Information 0.9
Finance and insurance, and real estate and rental and leasing 4
Professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services 3.5
Educational services, and health care and social assistance 29.7
Arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation, and food services 2.8
Other Services, except public administration 3.1
Public administration 2.2

Occupations

Occupations for the Civilian Employed Population 16 Years and over in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

Civilian employed population 16 years and over Number Percent
Management, business, sciences, and arts occupations 2,034 28
Service occupations 1,045 14.4
Sales and office occupations 1,639 22.5
Natural resources, construction, and maintenance occupations 996 13.7
Production, transportation, and material moving occupations 1,561 21.5

Commuting to Work

An estimated 84.2% of Covington County, Mississippi workers drove to work alone in 2020-2024, and 5% carpooled. Among those who commuted to work, it took them on average 23.8 minutes to get to work.

Percent of Workers 16 and over Commuting by Mode in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Car, truck, van -- drove alone 84.2
Car, truck, van -- carpooled 5
Public transportation (excluding taxicab) 1.6
Walked 1.2
Other means 2.3
Worked from home 5.8

In 2020-2024, Covington County, Mississippi had a total of 8,397 housing units. Of these housing units, 63.7% were single-family houses either not attached to any other structure or attached to one or more structures (commonly referred to as "townhouses" or "row houses"). 3.7% of the housing units were located in multi-unit structures, or those buildings that contained two or more apartments. 32% were mobile homes, while any remaining housing units were classified as "other," which included boats, recreational vehicles, vans, etc.

Types of Housing Units in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Single-family houses 63.7
Apartments in multi-unit structures 3.7
Mobile homes 32
Boat, RV, van, etc 0.4

13.4% of the housing inventory was comprised of houses built since 2010, while 4% of the houses were first built in 1939 or earlier. The median number of rooms in all housing units in Covington County, Mississippi was 6.1 rooms, and of these housing units 75.6% had three or more bedrooms.


In 2020-2024, Covington County, Mississippi had 7,323 housing units that were occupied or had people living in them, while the remaining 1,074 were vacant. Of the occupied housing units, the percentage of these houses occupied by owners (also known as the homeownership rate) was 77.5% while renters occupied 22.5%. The average household size of owner-occupied houses was 2.51 and in renter-occupied houses it was 2.2.

1.9% of householders of these occupied houses had moved into their house since 2021, while 14.7% moved into their house in 1989 or earlier. Households without a vehicle available for personal use comprised 8.8% and another 22% had three or more vehicles available for use.

The following chart provides the primary fuel used to heat houses in Covington County, Mississippi:

House Heating Fuel Used in Covington County, Mississippi in 2020-2024

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Percent
Gas 25.7
Electricity 72.5
Fuel oil, kerosene, etc 0.5
All other fuels 1
No fuel used 0.4

In 2020-2024, the median property value for owner-occupied houses in Covington County, Mississippi was $105,100.

Of the owner-occupied households, 42.5 % had a mortgage. 57.5% owned their houses "free and clear," that is without a primary mortgage or loan on the house. The median monthly housing costs for owners with a mortgage was $1,180 and for owners without a mortgage it was $395.

For renter-occupied houses, the median gross rent for Covington County, Mississippi was $662. Gross rent includes the monthly contract rent and any monthly payments made for electricity, gas, water and sewer, and any other fuels to heat the house.