List of municipalities in Mississippi

Map of the United States with Mississippi highlighted

Mississippi is a state in the Southern United States. According to the 2020 United States Census, Mississippi is the 32nd-most populous state, with 2,949,965 inhabitants and the 31st largest by land area, spanning 46,923.27 square miles (121,530.7 km2) of land.[1] Mississippi is divided into 82 counties and contains 300 municipalities, consisting of cities, towns, and villages.[2][3] Mississippi's municipalities cover 4.3% of the state's land mass and are home to 50.5% of its population.[1]

Municipalities in Mississippi are classified according to population size. At time of incorporation, municipalities with populations of more than 2,000 are classified as cities, municipalities containing between 301 and 2000 persons are classified as towns, and municipalities between 100 and 300 persons are classified as villages.[3] Places may be incorporated to become a city, town, or village through a petition signed by two-thirds of the qualified voters who reside in the proposed municipality.[3] The major function of municipal governments are to provide services for its citizens such as maintaining roads and bridges, providing law, fire protection, and health and sanitation services.[3]

As of the 2020 United States Census, the largest municipality by population in Mississippi is Jackson, with 153,701 residents, and the smallest is Satartia, with 41 residents.[1] The largest municipality by land area is Jackson, which spans 111.05 sq mi (287.6 km2), while Sidon is the smallest, at 0.12 sq mi (0.31 km2).[1] The city of Natchez is the oldest municipality in Mississippi, incorporated on March 10, 1803, and the city of Gluckstadt is the state's newest municipality, incorporated in June 2021.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c d "GCT–PH1 – Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 – State — Place and (in selected states) County Subdivision". 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  2. ^ "Mississippi: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing" (PDF). 2010 United States Census. United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. III–2. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Municipal Government" (PDF). State of Mississippi. Secretary of State. October 2014. p. 381. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 26, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Gluckstadt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).