Meridian, Mississippi - Demographics

Demographics

The city has experienced a highly inconsistent rate of growth over its lifespan. The population constantly increased from its founding until 1970, although varying from rates as high as 165% to as low as 0.2%. In the 1970 census the population decreased, then slightly increased by 1980, after which the population has continued to slowly decline. Between 1980 and 2000, the population declined over 16%. As of the census of 2000, the city's population was 39,968, and the population density was 885.9 inhabitants per square mile (342.0 /km2). In 2008, the city was the sixth largest in the state.

Meridian is the principal city in the Meridian micropolitan area, which as of 2009 consisted of three counties – Clarke, Kemper, and Lauderdale – and had a population of 106,139. There is a population of 232,900 in a 45-mile (72 km) radius and 526,500 in a 65-mile (105 km) radius.

While the overall population growth of the city has been inconsistent, there has been a steady growth in the number of non-white residents. The only decline in this group was between 1960 and 1970, when the city's overall population saw a large decline. As the number of non-white residents increased, the number of white residents decreased. Between 1980 and 2000, the number of white residents dropped by 11,030 (38.6%). Since the overall population of Lauderdale County has remained fairly constant, this data suggests that white residents have been moving to more rural or suburban areas. In the 2000 Census, the racial makeup of the city was 54.4% African American, 44.0% White, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% Native American, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.3% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.1% of the population.

According to the 2000 Census, of the 17,890 housing units inside city limits, 15,966 were occupied, 10,033 of them by families. 31.1% of occupied households had children under the age of 18, 36.2% were married couples living together, 23.3% consisted of a female householder with no husband present, and 37.2% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.06. The average household size has steadily decreased since 1970 when it was 3.04. On the other hand, Meridian's median age has increased from 30.4 in 1970 to 34.6 in 2000.

The median income for a household in the city was $25,085, and the median income for a family was $31,062. Males had a median income of $29,404 versus $19,702 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,255. About 24.6% of families and 28.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 40.8% of those under age 18 and 22.0% of those age 65 or over.