De SotoMS
2 of its places are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Is De Soto a good place to live?
38% of residents live below the poverty line in De Soto, above both the Mississippi town median (21%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Only one of the 100 Mississippi towns we compare has a higher share of homes lived in by their owners than De Soto. Its National Register listings include Carmichael House and Covington House. De Soto has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes De Soto stand out
Where De Soto beats most towns.
178 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in De Soto.
Fewer middle-aged adults than Mississippi overall
The share of adults 25 and older in De Soto who hold a bachelor’s degree or more: 20%. Among 102 Mississippi towns, just 7 have a lower age of the median resident than De Soto.
| De Soto | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 30.7 years | 37 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 20% | 25% | 29% |
Ages · share of residents
Education · adults 25 and older
Women and men · all residents
Somewhere between 3% and 100% women
The Census survey reached too few of De Soto’s residents to say more: its margin here is ±51.9 points. Across Mississippi, 51.5% of residents are women.
| De Soto | MS | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 29.2% | 12.1% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.5% | 11.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 0% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 37.6% | 12.6% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 0% | 12.6% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 0% | 12% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.1% | 12.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 0% | 10.4% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 18.5% | 6.8% | 7% |
| No diploma | 16.1% | 12.9% | 10.4% |
| High school | 12.7% | 29.9% | 26% |
| Some college | 40.7% | 21.2% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.2% | 10.9% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 20.3% | 15.3% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 0% | 9.9% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 200, single groups can be off by several points
Most of De Soto’s workers head elsewhere: there are 0.1 jobs for each of them
The top destinations are Quitman (21%), Meridian (17%) and Laurel (10%). Half the trips to work are shorter than 30 miles.
Where working residents work
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Top of a high hazard risk in De Soto: inland flooding
De Soto’s FEMA hazard score comes in at 76 of 100. A third of the town’s expected losses from natural hazards come from inland flooding, followed by tornadoes at 19%.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
De Soto: mild winters and hot summers
July afternoons reach 92°, January nights drop to 36° and snow is almost unheard of.
Typical low → high °F
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
A smaller share of adults in De Soto binge drink than in the typical Mississippi or U.S. town
Of the 102 Mississippi towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than De Soto. For adults in the town, the share who get no exercise outside work is 44%. This Mississippi town beats the Mississippi average on 4 of 31 CDC measures and trails it on 17.
| De Soto | Mississippi towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 16% | 12% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 44% | 36% | 25% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 13% | 16% |
| What stands out | De Soto | MS |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 8.8% | 13.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 86% | 79.7% |
| More adults with COPD | 15.5% | 8.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Everything we know about De Soto
Moving to De Soto: who provides what
De Soto is unincorporated, so Clarke County and regional agencies provide most services.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
100% of working residents leave De Soto for work
Where De Soto’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of De Soto; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 De Soto residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Mississippi.
About De Soto
Census-designated place in Mississippi, United States
De Soto is a census-designated place and unincorporated community in Clarke County, Mississippi, United States. Pern the 2020 Census, the population was 274.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.8 sq mi
- Elevation
- 213 ft
Questions about De Soto
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is De Soto, MS a good place to live?
De Soto has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real. 2 of its places are on the National Register of Historic Places.
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