The Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments counts 9 local governments in Lauderdale 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
2
0
School districts (school boards)
3
0
Special districts (elected boards)
3
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 Lauderdale County
71,504people
39.7median ageU.S.: 38.9
$50,817 household incomeU.S.: $80,734
26.3%below the U.S.: 12.5%
23.6%of adults 25+ with a bachelor's degreeU.S.: 35.7%
$133,300median home valueU.S.: $332,700
5.8%unemployed (of the labor force)U.S.: 5.2%
1.8%born outside the U.S.U.S.: 14.1%
8%of adults are veteransU.S.: 6.2%
9.6%U.S.: 8.4%
52.9%of renting households pay of income on rentU.S.: 51.1%
29.5%of homeowners with a mortgage pay of income on housing costsU.S.: 28.1%
Race and Hispanic origin: Hispanic or Latino 2.5% · White 50.3% · Black 40.8% · Asian 0.7% · Other or more than one race 5.6% (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 Lauderdale County
3.5%September 2026, preliminary. A year earlier: 3.8%. Mississippi: 3.3%.
973people unemployedSeptember 2026, preliminary.
27,008people employedSeptember 2026, preliminary. Counted where they live, not where they work.
27,981in the September 2026, preliminary.
Yearly average unemployment rate, 2016–2025.
Every month, last two years
Month
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
September 2026 (preliminary)
3.5%
973
27,008
27,981
August 2026
3.3%
930
27,008
27,938
July 2026
3.9%
1,106
27,211
28,317
June 2026
4.3%
1,205
27,144
28,349
May 2026
3.6%
1,025
27,378
28,403
April 2026
3.4%
955
27,388
28,343
March 2026
3.9%
1,129
27,572
28,701
February 2026
4.4%
1,265
27,477
28,742
January 2026
3.8%
1,087
27,264
28,351
December 2025
3.2%
916
27,930
28,846
November 2025
3.8%
1,076
27,574
28,650
October 2025
not collected (2025 federal shutdown)
September 2025
3.8%
1,080
27,691
28,771
August 2025
4.2%
1,200
27,561
28,761
July 2025
4.4%
1,280
27,564
28,844
June 2025
4.4%
1,293
27,784
29,077
May 2025
3.8%
1,090
27,956
29,046
April 2025
3.3%
973
28,283
29,256
March 2025
3.6%
1,058
28,190
29,248
February 2025
3.9%
1,145
28,353
29,498
January 2025
3.7%
1,077
28,234
29,311
December 2024
3.4%
1,006
28,690
29,696
November 2024
3.5%
1,021
28,250
29,271
October 2024
3.4%
982
28,261
29,243
Yearly averages
Year
Rate
Unemployed
Employed
Labor force
2025 (11 months)
3.8%
1,108
27,920
29,028
2024
3.2%
919
28,017
28,936
2023
3.1%
887
27,675
28,562
2022
3.8%
1,122
28,068
29,190
2021
5.2%
1,540
27,907
29,447
2020
7.3%
2,167
27,358
29,525
2019
5.5%
1,691
28,842
30,533
2018
5.1%
1,575
29,131
30,706
2017
5.5%
1,731
29,861
31,592
2016
6.1%
1,896
29,126
31,022
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 Lauderdale County
308.2 per 100,0002025. Mississippi: 226.9.
948.7 per 100,0002025. Mississippi: 1,263.8.
13murders2025, 217 violent crimes in all.
Earlier years
Year
Violent
Rate
Property
Rate
2025
217
308.2
668
948.7
2019
208
279.7
1,885
2,534.6
2018
188
248.8
1,914
2,533.3
2017
239
310.0
1,997
2,590.1
2016
287
368.3
2,417
3,101.7
By police agency (2)
Agency
Year
Violent
Property
People served
Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office
2025
38
124
37,185
Meridian Police Department
2025
179
544
33,226
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
2.39 per 1,000 residents2025, 2 agencies serving 70,411 people.
168sworn officers2025, full-time, as of October 31.
57civilian staff2025, full-time.
Agencies counted (2), 2025
Agency
Officers
Civilians
People served
Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office
101
25
37,185
Meridian Police Department
67
32
33,226
Earlier years
Year
Officers
Per 1,000
Civilians
Agencies
2025
168
2.39
57
2
2024
109
1.56
88
2
2023
101
1.44
82
2
2022
107
1.50
91
2
2020
123
1.68
93
2
2019
126
1.69
95
2
2018
133
1.76
97
2
2016
126
1.62
99
2
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 Lauderdale County Chancery Clerk?
Carolyn Mooney is the Chancery Clerk of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk?
Renee Covert, Interim is the Circuit Clerk of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Constable, District 1?
Tommie L. Coker is the Constable, District 1 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Constable, District 2?
Ondray M. Harris, Jr is the Constable, District 2 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Constable, District 3?
Mike Myers is the Constable, District 3 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Constable, District 4?
Lee (Chuck) Roberts, Jr is the Constable, District 4 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Coroner?
Stella McMahan is the Coroner of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County County Prosecuting Attorney?
Tommy Horne is the County Prosecuting Attorney of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Election Commissioner, District 1?
Chuck Overby is the Election Commissioner, District 1 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Election Commissioner, District 2?
Brenda Faye Harris is the Election Commissioner, District 2 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Election Commissioner, District 3?
Awana Daniels Simmons is the Election Commissioner, District 3 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Election Commissioner, District 4?
Gloria Dancy is the Election Commissioner, District 4 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Election Commissioner, District 5?
Russell Keene is the Election Commissioner, District 5 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Justice Court Judge, District 1?
Nicki Lisi is the Justice Court Judge, District 1 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Justice Court Judge, District 2?
Labaron Hedgemon is the Justice Court Judge, District 2 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Justice Court Judge, District 3?
Paul Earley is the Justice Court Judge, District 3 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Justice Court Judge, District 4?
Buck Roberts is the Justice Court Judge, District 4 of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Sheriff?
Ward Calhoun is the Sheriff of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Tax Assessor?
Whitney Hodges is the Tax Assessor of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who is the Lauderdale County Tax Collector?
Doris Spidle is the Tax Collector of Lauderdale County, Mississippi.
Who are the Lauderdale County commissioners?
Justin "JJ" Anders (Supervisor, District 1); Craig Houston (Supervisor, District 2); Josh Todd (Supervisor, District 3); Joe Norwood (Supervisor, District 4); Kyle Rutledge (Supervisor, District 5).
What is the population of Lauderdale County?
About 71,504 people, with a median age of 39.7; the median household income is $50,817 and 26.3% live below the poverty line (Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
What is the unemployment rate in Lauderdale County?
3.5% in September 2026 (preliminary): 973 people unemployed in a labor force of 27,981, against 3.8% a year earlier (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted).
How many local governments are there in Lauderdale County?
9 in the Census Bureau's 2022 Census of Governments: 1 county, 2 municipal, 3 school district and 3 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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