The Town Files

Lafayette County, Mississippi

58,327 people. The median home is worth $315,400 (typical Mississippi town: $124,700) and the median household earns $67,185.

Towns in Lafayette County

Towns in Lafayette County

TownPeopleMedian homeIncomeMedian age
Oxford25,416$385,700$64,45130.3
University4,696——19.1

People and housing

Lafayette CountyTypical Mississippi town
Median home value$315,400$124,700
Median rent$1,085$820
Median household income$67,185$45,965
Median age30.737.3
Bachelor's degree or higher46.5%19.4%
Below the poverty line18.5%22.9%

Jobs and pay

25,442 jobs in 2024, average pay $50,652 a year.

Largest industries in Lafayette CountyHotels & restaurants4,828 jobs · $22,845Health care & social assistan…3,270 jobs · $60,935Retail3,148 jobs · $29,722Manufacturing1,548 jobs · $58,482Professional & technical serv…1,084 jobs · $74,465Administrative & support803 jobs · $26,263
BLS QCEW 2024.
Unemployment rate in Lafayette County0%2%4%6%8%10%2000200420082012201620202023 2.5%
BLS LAUS via USDA ERS, annual averages.

Storms since 1996

NOAA recorded 454 storm events in Lafayette County from 1996 to 2026, with 8 deaths.

Storm events in Lafayette County by type since 1996Hail82Heat73Drought27Tornado13Lightning11Flash Flood27Strong Wind8Winter Storm13Excessive Heat25Winter Weather15
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

Federal disaster declarations

Lafayette County has been included in 21 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
May 4, 2021Severe Ice StormDR-4598: Severe Winter Storms
April 16, 2020Severe StormDR-4536: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024; BLS QCEW and LAUS; NOAA Storm Events; FEMA OpenFEMA (not endorsed by FEMA).