Filter	Options
Data Source Override	Auto, Census PEP, SEER
Years	Census PEP: 2011 - 2025; SEER: 1990 - 2024
States	50 states + D.C.
Counties	All counties/county equivalents
Mississippi Regions	Central, Delta, North, South
Mississippi Districts	D-I through D-IX
Race	Source-specific Census PEP or SEER categories
Ethnicity	Hispanic, Non-Hispanic
Sex	Male, Female
Age (10-yr)	00-04, 05-14, 15-24, ... 75-84, 85+
Age (5-yr)	00-04, 05-09, 10-14, ... 80-84, 85+
SEER Ages	Single-year ages or custom ranges such as 00-04, 05-17, 18-64, 65-90

• Leave a filter blank or set to All to include everything for that category.
• The first Group By variable drives the bar chart categories and the map choropleth.
• Auto uses Census PEP for standard age bands and SEER for single-year/custom age requests.
• SEER custom or single-year age queries are available through 2024; Census PEP includes 2025 for standard age groups.
• Use the Table panel search, sorting, and export buttons to explore results after running a query.
• Download a PDF from the Report tab to share results offline.

Overview

The Population Explorer is an interactive dashboard for examining county-level population estimates across all states and D.C. It draws on Census PEP annual estimates for standard age bands and SEER single-age estimates for custom age requests, allowing users to filter, compare, and visualize population patterns across states and counties.

Data

Census PEP covers 2011 through 2025 with 5-year and 10-year age bands. SEER covers 1990 through 2024 with single-year ages that can be aggregated into user-defined ranges. Race categories differ by source, so the sidebar shows source-specific race and ethnicity choices.

How to Use the App

Use the sidebar filters on the Explorer tab to build a custom population query. After setting your selections, click GO! to generate the results.

Data Source Override

At the bottom of the filter criteria, Auto uses Census PEP for standard 5-year/10-year age-band queries and SEER for single-year or custom age ranges. You can also explicitly choose Census PEP or SEER.

State

Select one or more states. Mississippi is the default because the map and supplemental Region/District fields are Mississippi-specific.

Year

Select one or more years to include. Non-sequential selections are supported, so you can compare any combination of years side by side.

Geography Level

Optionally group counties by a geographic classification:

• Region — four broad Mississippi regions: Central, Delta, North, and South.
• District — nine public health districts (D-I through D-IX).
• Urban/Rural (Metro) — metropolitan vs. non-metropolitan designation.
• Urban/Rural (NCHS) — the six-level NCHS urban-rural classification scheme.

These supplemental geography levels are available when Mississippi is the only selected state. When a geography level is selected, the Geography Selection box activates so you can pick specific values. The County box will automatically populate with the counties that belong to your selection.

County

Select individual counties/county equivalents, or leave blank to include all counties in the selected state set.

Race

Select one or more racial categories to filter the data. Leave blank to include all races.

Ethnicity

Choose a specific ethnicity (Hispanic or Non-Hispanic) or select All to include both.

Sex

Choose Male, Female, or All.

Age Grouping

Choose All, 10-year, or 5-year groups for standard bands. Choose Single-year ages or Custom ranges to use SEER; custom ranges use comma-separated inclusive ranges such as 00-04, 05-17, 18-64, 65-90.

Group By

Choose up to four variables to cross-tabulate. The first variable selected becomes the row variable; additional variables become column groupings. For example, selecting Race then Year produces a table with race categories in the rows and year breakdowns across the columns. Available grouping variables include Year, State, County, Sex, Race, Ethnicity, Age, and Mississippi-specific Region/District fields.

Output Tabs

Table

Two views of the query results:

• Formatted — a styled table showing population counts (N), column percentages, and row percentages with bold totals.
• Interactive — a searchable, sortable DataTable for exploring the results. Use the search box to find specific values or click column headers to sort.

A query summary line below the table describes the active filters.

Graphs

Two charts are generated from the query results:

• Population by Group — a bar chart showing population counts and percentages by the primary grouping variable.
• Population Trend Over Years — a line chart showing population over time. When Year is included in the Group By selection, the chart tracks the queried data; otherwise it shows the all-state trend.

Map

An interactive Leaflet map of Mississippi counties is available when Mississippi is the only selected state. For non-Mississippi or multi-state selections, the app shows a map-unavailable message while tables, charts, and reports still work. If the first Group By variable is a geographic classification (Region, District, or Urban/Rural), the map displays a color-coded choropleth. Use the opacity slider to adjust the fill transparency.

Report

Download a PDF report that compiles the query summary, data table, and charts into a single document.

Example Queries

1. Racial composition over time: Select one or more states, set standard years, Group By to Race then Year. The table shows race-by-year counts with row and column percentages; the line chart tracks each racial group over time.
2. Delta vs. non-Delta counties: Select Mississippi, set Geography Level to Region, select Delta in Geography Selection. The county box fills with Delta counties. Group By Region to see the population breakdown on the map as a choropleth.
3. Age distribution by sex: Set Age Grouping to 10-year, Group By to Age (10-yr) then Sex. The table cross-tabulates age groups against sex with percentages; the bar chart shows the distribution.
4. Custom age ranges: Set Data Source to Auto, Age Grouping to Custom ranges, enter 00-17, 18-44, 45-64, 65-90, and Group By Age (selected) then Sex. Auto resolves the query to SEER and preserves the custom range order.

Available Filters

Filter	Options
Data Source Override	Auto, Census PEP, SEER
Years	Census PEP: 2011–2025; SEER: 1990–2024
States	50 states + D.C.
Counties	All counties/county equivalents
Mississippi Regions	Central, Delta, North, South
Mississippi Districts	D-I through D-IX
Race	Source-specific Census PEP or SEER categories
Ethnicity	Hispanic, Non-Hispanic
Sex	Male, Female
Age (10-yr)	00–04, 05–14, 15–24, … 75–84, 85+
Age (5-yr)	00–04, 05–09, 10–14, … 80–84, 85+
SEER Ages	Single years or custom ranges through 90+

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Tips

• Leave a filter blank or set to All to include everything for that category.
• The first Group By variable drives the bar chart categories and the map choropleth.
• Use Auto unless you need to force Census PEP or SEER for comparison.
• SEER single-year/custom age queries are available through 2024; Census PEP standard age-band queries include 2025.
• Use the Table tab's search and sorting to explore results after running a query.
• Download a PDF from the Report tab to share results offline.

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Methodology & Definitions

Population Estimates

County-level Census PEP estimates are produced annually by the U.S. Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program. SEER adjusted county population estimates are maintained separately and provide single-year ages for custom grouping.

Geographic Classifications

Region

Mississippi counties are grouped into four regions: Central, Delta, North, and South.

District

Nine public health districts (D-I through D-IX) used by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

Urban/Rural (HRSA)

Metropolitan vs. non-metropolitan designation based on OMB metro area definitions.

Urban/Rural (NCHS)

Six-level classification from the National Center for Health Statistics ranging from large central metro to non-core.

Race & Ethnicity

Race categories are source-specific. Census PEP includes six race categories in this app; SEER uses bridged race categories: White, Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Asian/Pacific Islander. Ethnicity is reported separately as Hispanic or Non-Hispanic.

External data sources and related tools are available from the Resources menu in the top navigation bar.

About the Developer

The Mississippi Population Explorer was developed and is maintained by +++ .

This dashboard is designed to provide accessible, interactive access to county-level population data for researchers, policymakers, and the public.

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Feedback & Questions

Have a question, found a bug, or want to suggest a feature? We welcome your feedback.

• For data-related inquiries, please reference the specific query filters you used.
• For technical issues, include your browser and a description of the problem.
• For feature requests, describe the use case you have in mind.

The data presented in this dashboard is derived from publicly available U.S. Census Bureau population estimates. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the developers make no warranty regarding the completeness or correctness of the data.

This tool is intended for informational and research purposes only. Users should verify critical figures against official Census Bureau publications before using them in formal reports or policy decisions.