Louisiana 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

Louisiana has 4,597,740 residents, 56% more than Mississippi's 2,943,045. Louisiana ranks 25th and Mississippi 35th of the 50 states and DC. Louisiana is the more crowded, with 106.4 people per square mile against 62.7, 70% more.

Land area

Mississippi has 46,925 square miles of land, 9% more than Louisiana's 43,213. The largest county-equivalent in Louisiana is Vernon Parish at 1,327 square miles; in Mississippi it is Yazoo County at 922.

Counties

Mississippi is divided into 82 county-equivalents and Louisiana into 64, so an average Mississippi county covers 572 square miles against 675. The typical county in Louisiana has 31,591 residents, against 21,443 in Mississippi. The most populous are East Baton Rouge Parish (453,022) and Harrison County (213,730).

11 county names appear on both sides of the border: Claiborne, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, Lincoln, Madison, Union, Washington, Webster. Use the FIPS code, not the name, when joining data across the two states.

Household income

The median county in Louisiana has a household income of $53,035, 8% above Mississippi's $48,950. The highest county incomes are Ascension Parish ($89,558) in Louisiana and Madison County ($82,057) in Mississippi, from SAIPE 2023.

Capitals and daylight

Baton Rouge and Jackson are 140 miles apart in a straight line; from Baton Rouge the initial bearing is 25°, NNE. On June 21, 2026, Baton Rouge gets 14 h 07 min of daylight and Jackson 14 h 16 min; on December 21 the figures are 10 h 11 min and 10 h 02 min. Month by month tables are on the Baton Rouge and Jackson daylight pages.

Where they sit

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