The Town Files

DeSoto County, Mississippi

191,301 people. The median home is worth $269,600 (typical Mississippi town: $124,700) and the median household earns $85,297.

Towns in DeSoto County

Towns in DeSoto County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Southaven54,648$236,300$78,48336.2
Olive Branch39,711$290,000$100,60638.0
Horn Lake26,736$171,400$53,31133.5
Hernando17,138$315,900$76,95038.6
Lynchburg2,466$222,300$88,75041.5
Bridgetown2,281$344,500$139,22435.2
Walls1,351$193,300$58,92035.4

People and housing

DeSoto CountyTypical Mississippi town
Median home value$269,600$124,700
Median rent$1,451$820
Median household income$85,297$45,965
Median age37.337.3
Bachelor's degree or higher29.0%19.4%
Below the poverty line9.7%22.9%

Jobs and pay

72,666 jobs in 2024, average pay $45,687 a year.

Largest industries in DeSoto CountyTransportation & warehousing16,548 jobs · $48,203Retail11,195 jobs · $34,864Hotels & restaurants9,304 jobs · $21,787Health care & social assistan…6,982 jobs · $59,521Administrative & support4,942 jobs · $36,809Wholesale trade3,541 jobs · $60,664
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in DeSoto County0%2%4%6%8%2000200420082012201620202023 2.8%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 663 storm events in DeSoto County from 1996 to 2026, with 9 deaths.

Storm events in DeSoto County by type since 1996Hail141Heat91Flood12Drought23Tornado14Lightning9Flash Flood74Winter Storm26Excessive Heat43Winter Weather17
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

DeSoto County has been included in 16 FEMA declarations since 1953.

DeclaredIncidentDeclaration
February 6, 2026Winter StormDR-4899: Severe Winter Storm
January 24, 2026Winter StormEM-3640: Severe Winter Storm
October 22, 2021HurricaneDR-4626: Hurricane Ida
August 28, 2021HurricaneEM-3569: Hurricane Ida
April 5, 2020BiologicalDR-4528: Covid-19 Pandemic
March 13, 2020BiologicalEM-3474: Covid-19
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).