County outline
Where Tishomingo County is located
Area breakdown
Land accounts for 95.5% of Tishomingo County’s measured area and water for 4.5%. Its combined area converts to 1,151.3 square kilometers or approximately 284,492 acres.
Green: land · blue: water
| Measurement | Square miles | Square kilometers | Acres |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land | 424.297 | 1,098.924 | 271,550.1 |
| Water | 20.222 | 52.375 | 12,942.1 |
| Total | 444.519 | 1,151.299 | 284,492.2 |
How Tishomingo County compares
By original Census land area, Tishomingo County ranks #65 of 82 in Mississippi and #2386 of 3,222 nationally. National rankings include the 50 states, District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Its land area is 0.748 times the Mississippi county-equivalent median of 567 square miles. It accounts for 0.9% of the combined county land area in the state.
See the complete Mississippi ranking · What counts as a county equivalent?
Population and density of Tishomingo County
The Census Bureau estimates that 18,639 people lived in Tishomingo County on July 1, 2025. That ranks #1,960 of 3,222 county equivalents nationally and #48 of 82 in Mississippi. Since the April 1, 2020 estimates base of 18,855, the population has declined by 216 (−1.1%), compared with −0.2% for Mississippi as a whole.
With 424.3 square miles of land, that is 44 people per square mile (17 per km²), placing Tishomingo County #1,669 nationally for density and #38 in Mississippi. The median county equivalent has 47 people per square mile; the Mississippi median is 43. Put another way, there are about 15 acres of land per resident.
| July 1 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estimate | 18,848 | 18,743 | 18,624 | 18,513 | 18,603 | 18,639 |
| Change | — | −105 | −119 | −111 | +90 | +36 |
U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates. Estimates are revised each year and are not decennial census counts. Density divides the whole population by the whole county’s land area, so it describes an average, not how settlement is distributed within the county. Population sources and methods.
Cities and towns in Tishomingo County
6 incorporated places lie at least partly in Tishomingo County. Together they are home to 6,436 people (34.5%); the other 12,203 (65.5%) live outside any incorporated place, in unincorporated communities and rural areas.
The largest is Iuka city, with 3,105 residents in the county.
| Incorporated place | Population 2025 | Since 2020 | Land mi² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iuka cityCounty seat | 3,105 | −1% | 9.694 |
| Belmont town | 1,820 | −2.2% | 4.729 |
| Burnsville town | 857 | −0.8% | 4.771 |
| Tishomingo town | 365 | −2.1% | 0.853 |
| Golden town | 185 | −1.6% | 0.58 |
| Paden village | 104 | −1% | 0.9 |
Population: U.S. Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates, counting only the part of each place inside Tishomingo County. Land: 2026 Census Gazetteer, for the whole place even where it extends into other counties. How communities are listed.
Metropolitan area
Tishomingo County is not part of any metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area in the Office of Management and Budget’s July 2023 delineation; 1,306 other county equivalents are also outside one. These areas are built around an urban core of at least 10,000 people plus the counties tied to it by commuting, so counties outside them are generally rural.
ZIP codes
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Tishomingo County; 5 of them have most of their land inside the county, and the others mainly cover neighboring areas.
383263882738833388343883838846388473885238873
ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are the Census Bureau’s approximations of USPS ZIP Code service areas, from the 2020 Census relationship files. Lighter codes have less than half of their land in this county. Post-office-box and single-address ZIP Codes have no tabulation area.
Counties bordering Tishomingo County
Tishomingo County shares a land border with 7 county equivalents, including 4 in Alabama and Tennessee. It has more land than 2 of them. The largest neighbor is Lauderdale County (668 mi²) and the smallest is Alcorn County (400 mi²). Together with its neighbors, Tishomingo County forms a block of 4,244.6 mi² of land, of which it holds 10%.
| Bordering county equivalent | Land mi² | Size vs. Tishomingo | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale CountyAlabama | 668 | 1.6× larger | Compare |
| Franklin CountyAlabama | 634 | 1.5× larger | Compare |
| Colbert CountyAlabama | 593 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Hardin CountyTennessee | 577.5 | 1.4× larger | Compare |
| Itawamba County | 532.8 | 1.3× larger | Compare |
| Prentiss County | 415 | about the same | Compare |
| Alcorn County | 400 | 1.1× smaller | Compare |
How big is Tishomingo County compared with U.S. states?
Tishomingo County has less land than any of the 50 states. Rhode Island, the smallest state by land area, has 1,033.9 mi², about 2.4 times as much. Mississippi’s county land could hold about 111 areas the size of Tishomingo County.
Another way to picture it: the same land area would fill a square about 20.6 miles (33.2 km) on each side. Real county shapes are rarely square, so this is a scale reference rather than a width or driving distance.
State figures are the sums of each state’s county-equivalent land measurements in the same Census release, so states and counties are compared on the same basis. Published state totals can differ slightly because of rounding. Compare all states · Counties bigger than entire states.
What stands out about Tishomingo County?
Tishomingo County has more land than 836 of the other 3,221 county equivalents in the dataset.
A median is the middle county-equivalent measurement, not the average of the largest and smallest. All three bars use the same linear scale. Very small areas may appear as a thin sliver; the labels retain their values.
Does including water change its rank?
Using land plus water places Tishomingo County at #2,365 nationally by total area, 21 places closer to the top than its land rank. The water assigned to this geography moves it ahead of some county equivalents with more land.
Its water share is 4.5%, compared with a national county-equivalent median of 1.2% — 3.4 percentage points higher. This describes the statistical geography’s land/water mix, not flood exposure or developable land.
Closest positions in the national land ranking
These entries sit immediately beside Tishomingo County in the national ranking. They can be in different states and are not necessarily geographic neighbors.
| Land rank | County equivalent | Land mi² | Comparison |
|---|---|---|---|
| #2385 | Caswell County, North Carolina | 425.5 | Compare |
| #2386 | Tishomingo County, Mississippi | 424.3 | This county |
| #2387 | Preble County, Ohio | 424.2 | Compare |
Calculated from the same Census release as the area table. Total-area order uses original ALAND + AWATER; water shares and chart labels use published square miles. Calculation details.
Representative coordinates
The Census internal point is 34.738835, -88.234827. It represents a location inside the geography; it is not necessarily the centroid or the address of a courthouse.
Source and precision
U.S. Census Bureau, 2026 Gazetteer Files, Counties. Original ALAND: 1,098,925,132 m²; AWATER: 52,373,918 m². Rankings use ALAND; exact ties use ascending GEOID. Tables preserve Census-published square miles to three decimals, with conversions based on those values.
Common questions
How big is Tishomingo County?
Tishomingo County, Mississippi has 424.3 square miles (1,098.9 km²) of land and 20.2 square miles of water, for a total area of 444.5 square miles. It ranks #2386 of 3,222 U.S. county equivalents by land area.
Is Tishomingo County the largest county in Mississippi?
No. Tishomingo County ranks #65 of 82 in Mississippi by land area. The largest is Yazoo County, with 922.3 square miles of land.
What counties border Tishomingo County?
Tishomingo County shares a land border with Colbert County, Alabama, Prentiss County, Alcorn County, Itawamba County, Lauderdale County, Alabama, Hardin County, Tennessee, and Franklin County, Alabama.
What is the population of Tishomingo County?
The Census Bureau estimates Tishomingo County had 18,639 residents on July 1, 2025, ranking #1,960 of 3,222 county equivalents. That is 44 people per square mile of land.
What is the county seat of Tishomingo County?
The county seat of Tishomingo County is Iuka.
What cities and towns are in Tishomingo County?
Tishomingo County has 6 incorporated places. The most populous five are Iuka city, Belmont town, Burnsville town, Tishomingo town, and Golden town; 12,203 residents live outside any incorporated place.
Is Tishomingo County part of a metropolitan area?
No. Tishomingo County is outside every metropolitan and micropolitan statistical area in the July 2023 OMB delineation.
How many ZIP codes are in Tishomingo County?
9 ZIP Code Tabulation Areas have land in Tishomingo County, and 5 of them have most of their land inside the county. Census ZIP Code Tabulation Areas approximate USPS ZIP Code areas.
How does Tishomingo County compare with U.S. states?
It has less land than every state. Rhode Island, the smallest, has 2.4 times as much land.
How many acres of land are in Tishomingo County?
The land measurement converts to approximately 271,550 acres. Including water, total area is approximately 284,492 acres. One square mile equals 640 acres.
Why might another source show a different area?
Check whether it reports land or total area, its Census vintage, and its rounding. Our guide explains how to reconcile county area figures.
Can this establish a property boundary?
No. Statistical measurements and generalized maps do not establish property lines. Consult the relevant local surveying or land-records authority.