Meridian
Latest: 2024
Safe Republican — shifted 6.6pp toward Republicans in 2024 — 170K residents — 7 counties
Race & ancestry
| Group | % |
|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 51.7% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(12) | 1.7% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 38.1% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.5% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4) | 0.2% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 3.4% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.5% |
Religious adherence
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents |
|---|---|---|
| Evangelical Protestant | 45.4% | 69.9% |
| Mainline Protestant | 8.8% | 13.6% |
| Black Protestant | 7.9% | 12.2% |
| Catholic | 1.6% | 2.5% |
| Other | 1.1% | 1.8% |
| LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Non-religious | 35.1% | — |
Presidential results
| Year | Result |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Trump+23.5 |
| 2020 | Trump+17.0 |
| 2016 | Trump+19.3 |
| 2012 | Romney+11.9 |
| 2008 | McCain+15.1 |
| 2004 | Bush+25.1 |
| 2000 | Bush+22.2 |
| 1996 | Dole+10.0 |
| 1992 | Bush+17.3 |
Meridian is a media market that has a population of 169,830. In the 2024 presidential election, it voted Republican with a margin of R+23.5. Akashic Edge tracks 40 presidential elections here, dating back to 1868.
| Year | Dem % | Rep % | Margin | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 37.8% | 61.4% | R+23.5 | R+6.6 |
| 2020 | 41.0% | 58.0% | R+17.0 | D+2.3 |
| 2016 | 39.7% | 59.0% | R+19.3 | R+7.4 |
| 2012 | 43.7% | 55.6% | R+11.9 | D+3.3 |
| 2008 | 42.1% | 57.3% | R+15.1 | D+9.9 |
| 2004 | 37.2% | 62.3% | R+25.1 | R+2.8 |
| 2000 | 38.5% | 60.7% | R+22.2 | R+12.3 |
| 1996 | 42.3% | 52.3% | R+10.0 | D+7.3 |
| 1992 | 37.9% | 55.2% | R+17.3 | D+7.4 |
| 1988 | 37.4% | 62.1% | R+24.7 | D+4.1 |
| 1984 | 34.8% | 63.7% | R+28.9 | R+25.3 |
| 1980 | 46.7% | 50.3% | R+3.6 | D+0.8 |
| 1976 | 47.1% | 51.5% | R+4.4 | D+53.3 |
| 1972 | 20.1% | 77.9% | R+57.7 | R+73.1 |
| 1968 | 23.3% | 7.9% | D+15.4 | D+97.0 |
| 1964 | 9.2% | 90.8% | R+81.6 | R+99.0 |
| 1960 | 39.7% | 22.4% | D+17.4 | R+28.4 |
| 1956 | 68.7% | 22.9% | D+45.8 | D+10.1 |
| 1952 | 67.8% | 32.1% | D+35.7 | D+19.1 |
| 1948 | 18.4% | 1.8% | D+16.6 | — |
What defines Meridian?
It has a plurality-minority electorate (48% nonwhite) where demographic change is reshaping the political map.
Constituent Counties
Similar media markets
Nearest neighbors matched on the same place-page feature set used across the dossier system.
Counties in Meridian
2024 presidential results across the counties that make up this geography.
Sort:
| County | Pop. | Margin | Dem | Rep | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lauderdale | 72K | R+21.2 | 10,677 | 16,487 | 27,407 | 38.5% |
| Neshoba | 29K | R+50.9 | 2,622 | 8,154 | 10,861 | 15.3% |
| Newton | 21K | R+43.3 | 2,603 | 6,641 | 9,323 | 13.1% |
| Clarke | 15K | R+35.2 | 2,430 | 5,093 | 7,571 | 10.6% |
| Choctaw | 12K | R+23.9 | 2,515 | 4,103 | 6,656 | 9.3% |
| Sumter | 12K | D+41.1 | 3,725 | 1,542 | 5,307 | 7.5% |
| Kemper | 9K | D+16.9 | 2,381 | 1,691 | 4,086 | 5.7% |
7 countiesTotal votes: 71,211
Ask the Historian
Explore Meridian's political evolution with the Historian
Key Insights
High-confidence patterns distilled from this geography's election history.
- Has voted Republican in the last 5 presidential elections
- Latest election (2024) was a Republican landslide with a 23.5% margin
- College attainment is 20% — 13pp below the national average. Similar education levels correlate with Republican lean nationally
Who Lives Here
A race-first Census view with ancestry expansion where source coverage is strong enough to support detail.
Census race profile
Major Census race and ethnicity groups shown as a share of total population.
| Group | Meridian | National |
|---|---|---|
▶White (Non-Hispanic)(13) | 51.7% | 57.4% |
▶Black / African American(9) | 38.1% | 12.2% |
Multiracial / Other | 4.5% | 4.0% |
▶Native American / Alaska Native(3) | 3.4% | 0.9% |
▶Hispanic / Latino(12) | 1.7% | 19.3% |
▶Asian(6) | 0.5% | 6.0% |
▶Middle Eastern / North African(4) | 0.2% | 0.9% |
Method notes
Religious Adherents
Population that are religious adherents:
64.9%
Catholic-Evangelical edge: -71.9pp (vs national 4.5pp). A strongly Evangelical-leaning religious profile, which nationally correlates with Republican-leaning rural and exurban communities.
| Tradition | % Pop | % Adherents | US Pop | US Adherents |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.4% | 69.9% | — | — | |
| 8.8% | 13.6% | — | — | |
| 7.9% | 12.2% | — | — | |
| 1.6% | 2.5% | — | — | |
| 1.1% | 1.8% | — | — | |
LDS (Mormon) | 0.5% | 0.8% | — | — |
Non-religiousPopulation | 35.1% | — | — | — |
Who lives in the Meridian media market? 169,830 residents across 7 counties.
Demographics
Read this geography's profile in three layers: local, state (where available), and national baseline.
20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree — 13pp below the national average. Places with similar education levels vote R+15 on average nationally.
Population & electorate
Scale, voting-age share, and this geography's footprint inside the national electorate.
Total population
170K
Share of U.S. population
0.05%
Voting-age population
72.5%
Economic profile
Income, attainment, and ownership indicators that often shape coalition structure and turnout behavior.
Median household income
$49,592
Poverty rate
24.0%
College degree
20.4%
Homeownership
72.5%
Community profile
Age structure, language use, and nativity signals that explain how this geography differs from state and nation.
Median age
39.7 yrs
Age 18–29
15.7%
Age 65+
19.2%
Foreign born
1.3%
Non-English at home
4.5%
English only
95.5%
Turnout in Meridian
Estimated using 2020 Census voting-age population.
57.8%
-7.2pp
123,103
1988–2024
How competitive is Meridian?
Safe RAvg margin: R+19.9 (last 3 elections)
2008
R+15.1
2012
R+11.9
2016
R+19.3
2020
R+17.0
2024
R+23.5
11.7pp
0
R+17.4
Do voters in Meridian split their tickets?
Divergence between offices in the same election reveals persuadable voters.
Heavy splitting (0/100)
| Offices | Margin A | Margin B | Split |
|---|---|---|---|
| President vs Senate | R+23.5 | R+32.3 | 8.8pp |
Average divergence across office pairs: 31.3pp
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