Arkansas vs Mississippi

The two states, county by county

Both maps share one density scale, so the same shade means the same number of people per square mile on either side of the border. Darker counties are denser. Select a county to open its page.

Side by side

Population and density

Arkansas has 3,088,354 residents, about the same as Mississippi's 2,943,045. Arkansas ranks 33rd and Mississippi 35th of the 50 states and DC. Both average about 63 people per square mile.

Land area

Arkansas has 51,992 square miles of land, 11% more than Mississippi's 46,925. The largest county-equivalent in Arkansas is Union County at 1,039 square miles; in Mississippi it is Yazoo County at 922.

Counties

Mississippi is divided into 82 county-equivalents and Arkansas into 75, so an average Mississippi county covers 572 square miles against 693. The typical county in Arkansas has 18,130 residents, against 21,443 in Mississippi. The most populous are Pulaski County (401,209) and Harrison County (213,730).

23 county names appear on both sides of the border: Benton, Calhoun, Carroll, Clay, Franklin, Greene, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Newton, Perry, Pike, Scott, Stone, Union, Washington. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The typical county household income is about the same in both: $50,387 in Arkansas and $48,950 in Mississippi. The highest county incomes are Benton County ($92,632) in Arkansas and Madison County ($82,057) in Mississippi, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Little Rock and Jackson are 208 miles apart in a straight line; from Little Rock the initial bearing is 144°, SE. On June 21, 2026, Little Rock gets 14 h 29 min of daylight and Jackson 14 h 16 min; on December 21 the figures are 9 h 49 min and 10 h 02 min. Month by month tables are on the Little Rock and Jackson daylight pages.

Where they sit

Both are in the South region, but Arkansas is in the West South Central division and Mississippi in the East South Central division. By county internal points, Arkansas spans 1 UTM zone and Mississippi 2.