With a burgeoning school system, access to health care and a thriving business sector, Lamar County has established a spot as the second-fasting growing county in Mississippi, behind only DeSoto County and ahead of counties such as Madison, Stone and Lafayette.
According to www.usafacts.org, the population of Lamar County in 2021 was 65,353, which is a 16.5 percent increase from the population of 56,109 in 2010. For comparison, the United States population grew by 7.3 percent, while Mississippi’s population shrank by 0.7 percent during that period.
“We believe it’s several reasons – we have one of the best school systems in the state, and we have a governing body that I believe is not overly intrusive and does a great job of running the county and keeping up the county’s roads and infrastructure,” Lamar County administrator Jody Waits said. “Access to health care in our area is second to none, and I think all these things are what makes Lamar County attractive, and it’s just a beautiful place to live, with the rolling hills and the pine forests.”
Data from the United States Census shows that the population of Lamar County was 55,658 in April 2010. That number rose to 64,222 in the latest census, which was conducted in 2020.
Those numbers, broken down by demographics, are as follows:
- White alone: 74.5 percent
- Black or African American: 22.2 percent
- American Indian and Alaska native: 0.3 percent
- Asian: 1.4 percent
- Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander: 0.1 percent
- Two or more races: 1.4 percent
- Hispanic or Latino: 3.2 percent
The U.S. Census Bureau lists the median household income of the county at $63,925, with the per capita income in the past 12 months at $35,024.
As far as education, 89.6 percent of residents over the age of 25 have a high school diploma or higher, and 32.8 percent of that age group have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Waits said the growth is consistent throughout the county, which consists of four cities – Sumrall, Lumberton, Purvis and parts of Hattiesburg – along with its unincorporated parts.
“We have growth in all areas of the county, and every district has experienced growth fairly evenly,” he said. “At one point, a decade or so ago, the growth in the Sumrall area really took off, and that still continues to grow, along with the Purvis area, and even south of the Purvis area toward Lumberton.
“Even though the Oak Grove area is one of the more densely populated areas of the county, there’s still continued growth there.”
And while that steady growth is indeed good news for the county, it can also create strain on the services that are offered to residents, as county officials stretch those offerings among more residents.
“Folks move in, new businesses move in, and we don’t see the realization of those tax dollars until another tax cycle,” Waits said. “But their needs are current – they all need to drive on the roads, they need the services of the sheriff’s department or the ambulances or the court systems, the tax office, the libraries.
“We experience that growth there, and it becomes our challenge to keep up with that, and continue to improve and grow those facilities and services with the tax dollars at hand. But that’s a good problem to have in our county, and we’re glad for it. So we’re working hard to continue providing more amenities to the people who are moving in.
That includes an upcoming tennis/pickleball facility adjacent to Oak Grove High School, which is a joint project between the Lamar County School District, the Lamar County Board of Supervisors, and the City of Hattiesburg, which have all contributed funding. Initially, the plan was to have four to six courts at the complex, but officials upped that number to eight to accommodate other members of the community in addition to the high school.
“We’ve (also) got a new soccer field complex and walking track in the Purvis area that’ll soon be open, and plans for other things throughout the county,” Waits said. “I would think that our growth would continue; at least, we’re planning on it to continue.
“Our region in general is such a great region, when you combine all of the adjoining counties and the cities that lie within Lamar County. They’re all attractive, and job creation within this area continues to grow, and jobs create the need for places for people to live. With the schools, I think all that is in place to continue for at least the next decade.”
