[3] The Oxford, MS Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Lafayette County.

As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 55,813 people, 18,721 households, and 11,111 families residing in the county.

The largest European ancestry groups in Lafayette county are:[14] Many people in Mississippi may claim Irish ancestry because of the term "Scots-Irish", but most of the time in Mississippi this term is used for those with Ulster Scots roots rather than Irish Catholics.

29.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

However, it is not as heavily Republican as other counties in north Mississippi, particularly those in the Memphis area.

The Democrats have received at least 40 percent of the vote in every election since 1988, a period when much of north Mississippi swung hard to the GOP, except for 2024.

They are also the primary law enforcement agency for all locales excluding Oxford, and work in tandem with the Oxford Police Department and The University of Mississippi's University Police Department in those jurisdictions.

[18] At the time he was the longest serving Sheriff in the history of the United States, having held the position for 46 years.

[22] After the November 2019 elections, Joey East became the sheriff of Lafayette County, following his father.

Northwest Mississippi Community College operates the Lafayette-Yalobusha Technical Center.