Monroe County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
 Monroe County Courthouse inAberdeen | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
| Coordinates:33°53′N88°29′W / 33.89°N 88.49°W /33.89; -88.49 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1821 |
| Named after | James Monroe |
| Seat | Aberdeen |
| Largest city | Amory |
| Area | |
• Total | 772 sq mi (2,000 km2) |
| • Land | 765 sq mi (1,980 km2) |
| • Water | 7.0 sq mi (18 km2) 0.9% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 34,180 |
• Estimate (2024) | 33,483 |
| • Density | 44.7/sq mi (17.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 1st |
| Website | www |
Monroe County is acounty on the northeast border of theU.S. state ofMississippi next toAlabama. As of the2020 census, the population was 34,180.[1] Itscounty seat isAberdeen.[2]
The county is named in honor ofJames Monroe, the fifth President of the United States.[3] Part of the county east of theTombigbee River originally made-up part of theAlabama Territory, belonging to Marion County, until new lines of demarcation put it in the State of Mississippi in 1821.[4]
In 1889, an African-American man,Keith Bowen waslynched by a mob in the Lebanon community six miles south of Aberdeen after he was found in a white girl's bedroom at 3:00 AM."[5]
In 1922,William Baker, an 18-year-oldAfrican-American man waslynched in Monroe County by a white mob.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 765 square miles (1,980 km2) is land and 7.0 square miles (18 km2) (0.9%) is water.[7]
In 1922, the Commissioner of Agriculture for the county published a report in a local newspaper which described in some detail the soil conditions and agriculture of the county.[8] He described the areas as the Black Lands and the soil asblack lime, a "stiff" soil, derived from the Selma chalk formation and extremely rich in potassium and phosphorus.[8]
Sweet clover is an indigenous wild ground cover in the county.[8]
U.S. Highway 45
U.S. Highway 278
Mississippi Highway 6
Mississippi Highway 8
Mississippi Highway 25
Mississippi Highway 145| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 2,721 | — | |
| 1830 | 3,861 | 41.9% | |
| 1840 | 9,250 | 139.6% | |
| 1850 | 21,172 | 128.9% | |
| 1860 | 21,283 | 0.5% | |
| 1870 | 22,631 | 6.3% | |
| 1880 | 28,553 | 26.2% | |
| 1890 | 30,730 | 7.6% | |
| 1900 | 31,216 | 1.6% | |
| 1910 | 35,178 | 12.7% | |
| 1920 | 32,613 | −7.3% | |
| 1930 | 36,141 | 10.8% | |
| 1940 | 37,648 | 4.2% | |
| 1950 | 36,543 | −2.9% | |
| 1960 | 33,953 | −7.1% | |
| 1970 | 34,043 | 0.3% | |
| 1980 | 36,404 | 6.9% | |
| 1990 | 36,582 | 0.5% | |
| 2000 | 38,014 | 3.9% | |
| 2010 | 36,989 | −2.7% | |
| 2020 | 34,180 | −7.6% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 33,483 | [9] | −2.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] 1790-1960[11] 1900-1990[12] 1990-2000[13] 2010–2020[14] | |||
As of the2020 United States census, the county had a population of 34,180. The median age was 43.1 years. 22.1% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.4% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 89.2 males age 18 and over.[15][16]
The racial makeup of the county was 66.2%White, 30.2%Black or African American, 0.2%American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%Asian, <0.1%Native Hawaiian andPacific Islander, 0.6% from some other race, and 2.6% fromtwo or more races.Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 1.4% of the population.[16]
17.5% of residents lived in urban areas, while 82.5% lived in rural areas.[17]
There were 13,981 households in the county, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 45.0% were married-couple households, 18.5% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.8% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 16,714 housing units, of which 16.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 76.8% were owner-occupied and 23.2% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.0% and the rental vacancy rate was 29.4%.[15]
As of thecensus[18] of 2000, there were 38,014 people, 14,603 households, and 10,660 families residing in the county. Thepopulation density was 50 people per square mile (19 people/km2). There were 16,236 housing units at an average density of 21 units per square mile (8.1 units/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 68.37%White, 30.77%Black orAfrican American, 0.10%Native American, 0.17%Asian, 0.01%Pacific Islander, 0.11% fromother races, and 0.47% from two or more races. 0.69% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
There were 14,603 households, out of which 34.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.00% weremarried couples living together, 17.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 24.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.80% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.20% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 27.60% from 25 to 44, 22.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.70 males age 18 and over.
The median income for a household in the county was $30,307, and the median income for a family was $36,749. Males had a median income of $30,232 versus $20,411 for females. Theper capita income for the county was $14,072. About 13.60% of families and 17.20% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 22.30% of those under age 18 and 21.70% of those age 65 or over.
As of 1922,[update] both the largestcreamery and the largest hog-feeding plant "in the South" were located in the county.[8]
As of 1922,[update]corn was the most important grain crop grown in the county.[8] Corn was typically planted after the planting and harvest of a crop of clover or oats.[8] At that time, oat crops typically yielded forty to sixty bushels per acre.[8] Other crops grown, either for harvest or pasture, includedwheat,rye,barley,rape,cotton,Japan clover.[8] Monroe had the largest acreage devoted to alfalfa production and exported more alfalfa hay than any other county in the state.[8]
As of 2021, US Silica operates abentonite mine located several miles south of Aberdeen, near the community of Darracott, where bentonite is extracted before being refined into petrochemicals and animal feed.[19]
Ever since 1980, when DemocratJimmy Carter carried the county by 18 points, Monroe has shifted to becoming a Republican stronghold, increasingly so in recent presidential elections.Donald Trump's 2024 performance was the best by a Republican since the lopsided 1972 election.[20]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 25 | 1.74% | 1,377 | 95.76% | 36 | 2.50% |
| 1916 | 82 | 4.60% | 1,684 | 94.55% | 15 | 0.84% |
| 1920 | 139 | 6.83% | 1,881 | 92.48% | 14 | 0.69% |
| 1924 | 121 | 4.88% | 2,326 | 93.83% | 32 | 1.29% |
| 1928 | 376 | 11.03% | 3,033 | 88.97% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 82 | 2.32% | 3,448 | 97.59% | 3 | 0.08% |
| 1936 | 55 | 1.69% | 3,199 | 98.22% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1940 | 94 | 2.80% | 3,263 | 97.11% | 3 | 0.09% |
| 1944 | 159 | 4.87% | 3,104 | 95.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 54 | 1.82% | 624 | 21.09% | 2,281 | 77.09% |
| 1952 | 1,417 | 28.75% | 3,512 | 71.25% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 705 | 15.25% | 3,630 | 78.50% | 289 | 6.25% |
| 1960 | 1,400 | 28.81% | 1,901 | 39.12% | 1,559 | 32.08% |
| 1964 | 5,627 | 85.10% | 985 | 14.90% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 1,167 | 11.08% | 1,506 | 14.30% | 7,856 | 74.61% |
| 1972 | 7,273 | 84.10% | 1,279 | 14.79% | 96 | 1.11% |
| 1976 | 4,737 | 42.17% | 6,097 | 54.27% | 400 | 3.56% |
| 1980 | 4,793 | 39.16% | 6,998 | 57.18% | 448 | 3.66% |
| 1984 | 7,387 | 62.28% | 4,437 | 37.41% | 36 | 0.30% |
| 1988 | 6,447 | 57.70% | 4,669 | 41.79% | 57 | 0.51% |
| 1992 | 5,994 | 49.03% | 4,933 | 40.36% | 1,297 | 10.61% |
| 1996 | 5,206 | 45.97% | 5,184 | 45.78% | 934 | 8.25% |
| 2000 | 7,397 | 55.37% | 5,783 | 43.29% | 180 | 1.35% |
| 2004 | 9,308 | 59.54% | 6,237 | 39.90% | 87 | 0.56% |
| 2008 | 10,184 | 58.21% | 7,169 | 40.98% | 143 | 0.82% |
| 2012 | 9,723 | 57.47% | 7,056 | 41.71% | 139 | 0.82% |
| 2016 | 10,167 | 64.01% | 5,524 | 34.78% | 193 | 1.22% |
| 2020 | 11,177 | 64.76% | 5,874 | 34.03% | 208 | 1.21% |
| 2024 | 10,861 | 67.59% | 5,090 | 31.68% | 118 | 0.73% |
Places adjacent to Monroe County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofMonroe County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Village | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This town also has portions in adjacent county or counties | |
33°53′N88°29′W / 33.89°N 88.49°W /33.89; -88.49
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