The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 17 local governments in DeSoto County. This page lists the ones whose offices are elected.
Kind of government
Census count (2022)
Listed on this page
County government
1
1
Cities, towns, villages and townships
5
0
School districts (school boards)
1
0
Special districts (elected boards)
10
0
Census Bureau, 2022 Census of Governments: Government Units Listing (census.gov).
About these counts
The Census Bureau counts every independent local government once, in the county it assigns it to: the one it mostly serves or where it's based. A city or district that crosses county lines is counted in only one county, so it may be listed on this page but counted elsewhere, or the other way around. Many special districts, such as housing authorities, have appointed boards, and some places have more than one elected body, so the two columns measure different things. School systems run by a county, city or the state aren't counted as separate governments, though their boards may be listed here; in some states the Bureau counts community or state colleges as school districts. The counts are as of 2022.
Who lives in DeSoto County
191,301people
37.3median ageU.S.: 38.9
$85,297 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
9.7%below the U.S.: 12.5%
29%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$269,600median home valueU.S.: $332,700
3.2%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
4%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
7.3%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
8.3%U.S.: 8.4%
51.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
25.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 5.8% · White 56.4% · Black 32.6% · Asian 1.3% · Other or more than one race 3.9% (Hispanic or Latino people can be of any race; the other groups are non-Hispanic.)
Census Bureau, 2020–2024 5-year estimates (data.census.gov).
About these figures
The American Community Survey asks about 3.5 million households a year about who lives there, their work, income, schooling and housing. The 5-year estimates pool 2020–2024 answers so that every county and district has enough of them. They're estimates with a (larger for smaller places), and they're different from the once-a-decade census count. "Median" means half are above and half below. Household income is before taxes and includes everyone in the household. The unemployment share here is the survey's five-year average, so it differs from the monthly rate in the BLS jobs report. Race and Hispanic origin are as people describe themselves.
Health insurance means any coverage, private or public (such as Medicaid or Medicare), when people answered; the share is of everyone except people on active military duty and people living in institutions such as prisons and nursing homes. The housing shares are of renting households, and of homeowners with a mortgage, for whom the Census Bureau can compute them (households with no income, or renters who pay no cash rent, are left out). Rent here is gross rent, rent plus utilities; owner costs include the mortgage, property taxes, insurance, utilities and fees.
Jobs in DeSoto County
3.2%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.4%. Mississippi: 3.3%.
94,527people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
97,666in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.2%
3,139
94,527
97,666
August 2026
3.2%
3,078
93,842
96,920
July 2026
3.7%
3,640
94,685
98,325
June 2026
4.0%
3,943
94,290
98,233
May 2026
3.4%
3,358
95,542
98,900
April 2026
3.1%
3,101
95,420
98,521
March 2026
3.6%
3,595
95,978
99,573
February 2026
3.9%
3,917
95,270
99,187
January 2026
3.5%
3,435
94,673
98,108
December 2025
2.9%
2,956
97,518
100,474
November 2025
3.3%
3,328
96,646
99,974
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.4%
3,434
96,809
100,243
August 2025
3.8%
3,756
96,257
100,013
July 2025
4.1%
4,100
96,441
100,541
June 2025
4.2%
4,161
95,573
99,734
May 2025
3.5%
3,487
96,133
99,620
April 2025
3.2%
3,236
96,773
100,009
March 2025
3.5%
3,513
96,474
99,987
February 2025
3.7%
3,710
95,990
99,700
January 2025
3.5%
3,520
95,986
99,506
December 2024
3.1%
3,194
98,210
101,404
November 2024
3.2%
3,224
97,417
100,641
October 2024
3.2%
3,139
96,505
99,644
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.6%
3,564
96,418
99,982
2024
2.9%
2,848
96,350
99,198
2023
2.7%
2,578
94,223
96,801
2022
3.1%
2,994
94,015
97,009
2021
4.3%
4,048
90,881
94,929
2020
5.9%
5,378
85,996
91,374
2019
4.4%
4,123
89,014
93,137
2018
3.9%
3,512
87,133
90,645
2017
3.9%
3,455
85,242
88,697
2016
4.3%
3,724
83,131
86,855
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, : BLS publishes county figures only that way, so they rise and fall with the seasons; compare a month with the same month a year earlier rather than with the month before. Mississippi's figure above is on the same basis; seasonally adjusted, as in BLS's monthly state release, it was 3.3% in September 2026. The latest month is preliminary and is revised the next month, and BLS revises earlier years each spring. People are counted where they live. October 2025 wasn't collected during the 2025 federal government shutdown, so 2025's yearly average covers 11 months.
Crime reported in DeSoto County
206.8 per 100,0002021. Mississippi: 255.4.
1,738.9 per 100,0002021. Mississippi: 1,860.4.
7murders2021, 393 violent crimes in all.
2021 is the latest year with complete reporting here: at least one of the county's police agencies didn't send the FBI a full year of figures since, so later totals would be undercounts.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2021
393
206.8
3,304
1,738.9
2020
336
179.7
3,693
1,974.8
2019
256
139.2
3,859
2,098.8
2018
137
75.6
2,689
1,483.3
2017
193
108.7
3,502
1,972.7
2016
206
117.6
3,914
2,233.8
By police agency (6)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Southaven Police Department
2025
155
958
58,174
Olive Branch Police Department
2025
83
491
47,568
DeSoto County Sheriff's Office
2025
48
162
46,760
Horn Lake Police Department
2025
21
383
26,533
Hernando Police Department
2025
20
61
18,873
Walls Police Department
2021
4
13
1,476
Crimes to the county's city and county police agencies (FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, Return A), per 100,000 people they serve. Years with incomplete reporting are left out. Crime in Mississippi · the U.S.
Police staffing
2.60 per 1,000 residents2024, 6 agencies serving 196,279 people.
511sworn officers2024, full-time, as of October 31.
189civilian staff2024, full-time.
2024 is the latest year every agency here sent the FBI its staff count.
Agencies counted (6), 2024
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
DeSoto County Sheriff's Office
185
123
45,204
Southaven Police Department
139
31
57,537
Olive Branch Police Department
87
4
47,178
Horn Lake Police Department
49
15
26,378
Hernando Police Department
47
16
18,579
Walls Police Department
4
0
1,403
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2024
511
2.60
189
6
2023
494
2.53
221
6
2022
490
2.56
211
6
Full-time employees of the county's city police departments and sheriff's office, as each reported them to the FBI (Uniform Crime Reporting, Law Enforcement Employees), per 1,000 people in the areas those agencies serve (the FBI's population figures). A year is shown only when every one of these agencies sent a count; a count under half or over double the agency's own counts in nearby years is treated as not sent. Towns policed under contract by another agency are counted through that agency. State police, campus and other agencies aren't included. Sheriffs' offices often also run the county jail and courthouse security, so their staff counts include those jobs.
Quick answers
Who is the DeSoto County Chancery Clerk?
Misty T. Heffner is the Chancery Clerk of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Circuit Clerk?
Dale K. Thompson is the Circuit Clerk of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Constable, District 1?
Lawrence Vaughn, Jr is the Constable, District 1 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Constable, District 2?
Brad Hodge is the Constable, District 2 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Constable, District 3?
Keith Combes is the Constable, District 3 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Constable, District 4?
Bobby Holloway is the Constable, District 4 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Constable, District 5?
Lee Hodge is the Constable, District 5 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Coroner?
W. Josh Pounders is the Coroner of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County County Prosecuting Attorney?
James E. Holland is the County Prosecuting Attorney of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Election Commissioner, District 1?
Billy Johnson is the Election Commissioner, District 1 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Election Commissioner, District 2?
Tim Snyder is the Election Commissioner, District 2 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Election Commissioner, District 3?
Chad Engelke is the Election Commissioner, District 3 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Election Commissioner, District 4?
Sissie Ferguson is the Election Commissioner, District 4 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Election Commissioner, District 5?
David H. Ross is the Election Commissioner, District 5 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Justice Court Judge, District 1?
Doug Hollowell III is the Justice Court Judge, District 1 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Justice Court Judge, District 2?
Ben Murphy is the Justice Court Judge, District 2 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Justice Court Judge, District 3?
William H. Lantrip is the Justice Court Judge, District 3 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Justice Court Judge, District 4?
Brad Russell is the Justice Court Judge, District 4 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Justice Court Judge, District 5?
Karen Sanders Carter is the Justice Court Judge, District 5 of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Sheriff?
Thomas E. Tuggle II is the Sheriff of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Tax Assessor?
Jeff Fitch is the Tax Assessor of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who is the DeSoto County Tax Collector?
Joey Treadway is the Tax Collector of DeSoto County, Mississippi.
Who are the DeSoto County commissioners?
Jessie L. Medlin (Supervisor, District 1); Mark Gardner (Supervisor, District 2); Ray Denison (Supervisor, District 3); Lee P. Caldwell (Supervisor, District 4); Robert Foster (Supervisor, District 5).
What is the population of DeSoto County?
About 191,301 people, with a median age of 37.3; the median household income is $85,297 and 9.7% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in DeSoto County?
3.2% in September 2026 (preliminary): 3,139 people unemployed in a labor force of 97,666, against 3.4% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in DeSoto County?
17 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 5 municipal, 1 school district and 10 special district governments.
Officeholders as of May 6, 2026, from the Mississippi Secretary of State's County Offices and Directory; each name links to its source. Officials change between elections (appointments, resignations), and the body's own website is the authority. Party is shown only for offices elected on a partisan ballot.
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