The combination of inflation and increased work-from-home opportunities brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted migration patterns across the United States, the effects of which are still being felt in 2024 , according to the latest Census Bureau data.

In the first year of the pandemic, migration out of densely populated, expensive cities like New York and San Francisco was especially notable. Many moved to Sun Belt states where the weather is warmer and the cost of living significantly lower.

But by the second year of the pandemic, it became clear that not everyone who was moving wanted to go far. A 2022 analysis of movement out of crowded cities from Stateline showed that many people leaving city centers moved to nearby suburbs in the same state. In Texas, for example, moves out of Houston rose 62% in the first month of the pandemic; meanwhile, the western suburb of Katy saw more new residents move in than any other part of the country.

According to the latest data from the Census Bureau, released in September 2023, 53.5% of people who moved in 2022 did so within the same county and an additional 24.3% remained in state, meaning more than three-quarters of movers stuck close to home.

Many young people in particular are remaining in the state, town, or even house that they grew up in. Before the pandemic, the number of younger adults living with their parents was on the rise and those patterns have continued. A late 2023 survey released by Lending Tree found that 57% of millennials and Gen Zers live in their hometowns .

Many people choose not to leave the state they were raised in for reasons ranging from wanting to be close to family , to not having the resources to leave, to sticking with a lower cost of living.

In order to determine where people stay put in your home state, Stacker compiled a list of counties with the most born-and-bred residents in Mississippi using data from the Census Bureau . Counties are ranked by the highest percentage of residents who were born in the state according to the latest data, which is 2022 five-year estimates. The percentage of residents who were born in another state, a U.S. territory, and another country is also included.

Read on to find out where the most loyal Mississippi residents live.

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#50. Yazoo County

– Population: 27,467
– Born in Mississippi: 21,481 (78.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,078 (18.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 341 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 567 (2.1% of population)

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#49. Union County

– Population: 27,880
– Born in Mississippi: 21,847 (78.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,169 (18.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 134 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 730 (2.6% of population)

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#48. Lauderdale County

– Population: 72,741
– Born in Mississippi: 57,069 (78.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 14,270 (19.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 313 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,089 (1.5% of population)

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#47. Yalobusha County

– Population: 12,499
– Born in Mississippi: 9,881 (79.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,552 (20.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 32 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 34 (0.3% of population)

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#46. Warren County

– Population: 44,341
– Born in Mississippi: 35,414 (79.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 7,638 (17.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 233 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,056 (2.4% of population)

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#45. Wayne County

– Population: 19,760
– Born in Mississippi: 15,849 (80.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,052 (15.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 37 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 822 (4.2% of population)

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#44. Perry County

– Population: 11,511
– Born in Mississippi: 9,266 (80.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,862 (16.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 54 (0.5% of population)
– Born in another country: 329 (2.9% of population)

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#43. Marion County

– Population: 24,362
– Born in Mississippi: 19,647 (80.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 4,504 (18.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 30 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 181 (0.7% of population)

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#42. Lawrence County

– Population: 11,933
– Born in Mississippi: 9,727 (81.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,086 (17.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 38 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 82 (0.7% of population)

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#41. Hinds County

– Population: 226,541
– Born in Mississippi: 185,278 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 36,740 (16.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 827 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 3,696 (1.6% of population)

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#40. Scott County

– Population: 27,943
– Born in Mississippi: 22,858 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,386 (12.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 214 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,485 (5.3% of population)

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#39. Clarke County

– Population: 15,553
– Born in Mississippi: 12,724 (81.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,618 (16.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 58 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 153 (1.0% of population)

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#38. Monroe County

– Population: 34,168
– Born in Mississippi: 28,089 (82.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,673 (16.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 87 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 319 (0.9% of population)

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#37. Jones County

– Population: 67,152
– Born in Mississippi: 55,291 (82.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 9,826 (14.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 446 (0.7% of population)
– Born in another country: 1,589 (2.4% of population)

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#36. Choctaw County

– Population: 8,208
– Born in Mississippi: 6,779 (82.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,387 (16.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 31 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 11 (0.1% of population)

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#35. Leake County

– Population: 21,335
– Born in Mississippi: 17,808 (83.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,845 (13.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 132 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 550 (2.6% of population)

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#34. Lincoln County

– Population: 34,855
– Born in Mississippi: 29,130 (83.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,347 (15.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 100 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 278 (0.8% of population)

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#33. Chickasaw County

– Population: 17,024
– Born in Mississippi: 14,307 (84.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,264 (13.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 29 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 424 (2.5% of population)

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#32. Kemper County

– Population: 8,980
– Born in Mississippi: 7,558 (84.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,375 (15.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 22 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 25 (0.3% of population)

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#31. Issaquena County

– Population: 1,206
– Born in Mississippi: 1,016 (84.2% of population)
– Born in a different state: 190 (15.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 0 (0.0% of population)

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#30. Montgomery County

– Population: 9,803
– Born in Mississippi: 8,267 (84.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,488 (15.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 3 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 45 (0.5% of population)

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#29. Bolivar County

– Population: 30,688
– Born in Mississippi: 25,974 (84.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,905 (12.7% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 131 (0.4% of population)
– Born in another country: 678 (2.2% of population)

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#28. Newton County

– Population: 21,275
– Born in Mississippi: 18,014 (84.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,987 (14.0% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 25 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 249 (1.2% of population)

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#27. Grenada County

– Population: 21,474
– Born in Mississippi: 18,278 (85.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,929 (13.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 29 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 238 (1.1% of population)

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#26. Covington County

– Population: 18,323
– Born in Mississippi: 15,600 (85.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,455 (13.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 53 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 215 (1.2% of population)

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#25. Claiborne County

– Population: 9,044
– Born in Mississippi: 7,711 (85.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,184 (13.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 55 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 94 (1.0% of population)

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#24. Calhoun County

– Population: 13,193
– Born in Mississippi: 11,267 (85.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,420 (10.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 9 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 497 (3.8% of population)

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#23. Jasper County

– Population: 16,320
– Born in Mississippi: 13,952 (85.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,305 (14.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 63 (0.4% of population)

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#22. Franklin County

– Population: 7,690
– Born in Mississippi: 6,577 (85.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,092 (14.2% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 10 (0.1% of population)

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#21. Copiah County

– Population: 28,210
– Born in Mississippi: 24,130 (85.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,629 (12.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 66 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 385 (1.4% of population)

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#20. Simpson County

– Population: 25,889
– Born in Mississippi: 22,194 (85.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,132 (12.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 88 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 475 (1.8% of population)

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#19. Attala County

– Population: 17,842
– Born in Mississippi: 15,301 (85.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,482 (13.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 59 (0.3% of population)

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#18. Winston County

– Population: 17,741
– Born in Mississippi: 15,226 (85.8% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,466 (13.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 9 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 40 (0.2% of population)

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#17. Clay County

– Population: 18,598
– Born in Mississippi: 16,005 (86.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,509 (13.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 84 (0.5% of population)

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#16. Tallahatchie County

– Population: 12,621
– Born in Mississippi: 10,886 (86.3% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,443 (11.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 96 (0.8% of population)
– Born in another country: 196 (1.6% of population)

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#15. Washington County

– Population: 44,604
– Born in Mississippi: 38,536 (86.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 5,630 (12.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 80 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 358 (0.8% of population)

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#14. Coahoma County

– Population: 21,264
– Born in Mississippi: 18,375 (86.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,529 (11.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 41 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 319 (1.5% of population)

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#13. Noxubee County

– Population: 10,261
– Born in Mississippi: 8,881 (86.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,182 (11.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 119 (1.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 79 (0.8% of population)

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#12. Jefferson Davis County

– Population: 11,291
– Born in Mississippi: 9,818 (87.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,417 (12.5% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 17 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 39 (0.3% of population)

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#11. Smith County

– Population: 14,310
– Born in Mississippi: 12,448 (87.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,730 (12.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 11 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 121 (0.8% of population)

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#10. Jefferson County

– Population: 7,207
– Born in Mississippi: 6,276 (87.1% of population)
– Born in a different state: 817 (11.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 44 (0.6% of population)
– Born in another country: 70 (1.0% of population)

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#9. Webster County

– Population: 9,942
– Born in Mississippi: 8,691 (87.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,179 (11.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 72 (0.7% of population)

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#8. Neshoba County

– Population: 28,970
– Born in Mississippi: 25,404 (87.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 3,268 (11.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 86 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 212 (0.7% of population)

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#7. Quitman County

– Population: 6,113
– Born in Mississippi: 5,413 (88.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 689 (11.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 1 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 10 (0.2% of population)

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#6. Sunflower County

– Population: 25,867
– Born in Mississippi: 22,921 (88.6% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,677 (10.3% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 69 (0.3% of population)
– Born in another country: 200 (0.8% of population)

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#5. Leflore County

– Population: 27,920
– Born in Mississippi: 25,054 (89.7% of population)
– Born in a different state: 2,347 (8.4% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 45 (0.2% of population)
– Born in another country: 474 (1.7% of population)

SevenMaps // Shutterstock

#4. Holmes County

– Population: 16,848
– Born in Mississippi: 15,253 (90.5% of population)
– Born in a different state: 1,530 (9.1% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 8 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 57 (0.3% of population)

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#3. Carroll County

– Population: 9,930
– Born in Mississippi: 9,080 (91.4% of population)
– Born in a different state: 850 (8.6% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 0 (0.0% of population)

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#2. Sharkey County

– Population: 3,910
– Born in Mississippi: 3,598 (92.0% of population)
– Born in a different state: 310 (7.9% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 2 (0.1% of population)
– Born in another country: 0 (0.0% of population)

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#1. Humphreys County

– Population: 7,744
– Born in Mississippi: 7,194 (92.9% of population)
– Born in a different state: 524 (6.8% of population)
– Born in U.S. territories: 0 (0.0% of population)
– Born in another country: 26 (0.3% of population)

This story features data reporting by Karim Noorani and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 49 states.

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