Jefferson County, Mississippi | |
|---|---|
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 Location within the U.S. state ofMississippi | |
 Mississippi's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:31°44′N91°02′W / 31.73°N 91.03°W /31.73; -91.03 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Mississippi |
| Founded | 1799 |
| Named after | Thomas Jefferson |
| Seat | Fayette |
| Largest city | Fayette |
| Area | |
• Total | 527 sq mi (1,360 km2) |
| • Land | 520 sq mi (1,300 km2) |
| • Water | 7.3 sq mi (19 km2) 1.4% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 7,260 |
• Estimate (2024) | 6,900 |
| • Density | 14/sq mi (5.4/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−6 (Central) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−5 (CDT) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Website | www |
Jefferson County is acounty located in theU.S. state ofMississippi; its western border is formed by the Mississippi River. As of the2020 census, the population was 7,260,[1] making it the fourth-least populous county in Mississippi. Until 1825, its firstcounty seat was located atOld Greenville, which no longer exists,[2] before moving toFayette.[3] The county is named forU.S. PresidentThomas Jefferson.[4] One of the first of two counties organized in theMississippi Territory in 1798 along withAdams County, it was first namedPickering County and included what would becomeClaiborne County.[5] Originally developed as cotton plantations in theantebellum era, the rural county has struggled with a declining economy and reduced population since the mechanization of agriculture and urbanization of other areas. In 2020, its population of 7,260 was roughly one-third of the population peak in 1900. Within the United States, in 2009 rural Jefferson County had the highest percentage ofAfrican-Americans of any county. It was the fourth-poorest county in the nation.[6]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 527 square miles (1,360 km2), of which 520 square miles (1,300 km2) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km2) (1.4%) is water.[7]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 2,940 | — | |
| 1810 | 4,001 | 36.1% | |
| 1820 | 6,822 | 70.5% | |
| 1830 | 9,755 | 43.0% | |
| 1840 | 11,650 | 19.4% | |
| 1850 | 13,193 | 13.2% | |
| 1860 | 15,349 | 16.3% | |
| 1870 | 13,848 | −9.8% | |
| 1880 | 17,314 | 25.0% | |
| 1890 | 18,947 | 9.4% | |
| 1900 | 21,292 | 12.4% | |
| 1910 | 18,221 | −14.4% | |
| 1920 | 15,946 | −12.5% | |
| 1930 | 14,291 | −10.4% | |
| 1940 | 13,969 | −2.3% | |
| 1950 | 11,306 | −19.1% | |
| 1960 | 10,142 | −10.3% | |
| 1970 | 9,295 | −8.4% | |
| 1980 | 9,181 | −1.2% | |
| 1990 | 8,653 | −5.8% | |
| 2000 | 9,740 | 12.6% | |
| 2010 | 7,726 | −20.7% | |
| 2020 | 7,260 | −6.0% | |
| 2024 (est.) | 6,900 | [8] | −5.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[9] 1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11] 1990-2000[12] 2010-2013[13] | |||
| Race | Num. | Perc. |
|---|---|---|
| White | 891 | 12.27% |
| Black or African American | 6,138 | 84.55% |
| Native American | 10 | 0.14% |
| Asian | 14 | 0.19% |
| Pacific Islander | 5 | 0.07% |
| Other/Mixed | 128 | 1.76% |
| Hispanic orLatino | 74 | 1.02% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 7,260 people, 2,448 households, and 1,488 families residing in the county.
Jefferson County School District operates public schools in all of the county.[15]
It is in the district ofCopiah–Lincoln Community College, and has been since 1967.[16]
Jefferson County is overwhelmingly Democratic, and has supported Democratic candidates in presidential elections with at least 80% of the vote since Bill Clinton in 1992, who won 79%. Republicans have not garnered even 25% of the vote in presidential elections since 1972 (when Jefferson was one of only three counties in Mississippi to vote forGeorge McGovern).
The last Republican to win the county wasBarry Goldwater. Although Goldwater lost nationally in a landslide, he carried the state of Mississippi (and also Jefferson County) in a landslide, winning over 87% of the vote and carrying every county.[note 1] Jefferson County supported him with 95% of the vote. Goldwater's lopsided victory was the result of Mississippi'sdecades-long suppression of the voting rights of African Americans, which only began to be reversed with the passage of theVoting Rights Act of 1965.[note 2]
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 1912 | 2 | 0.46% | 408 | 94.66% | 21 | 4.87% |
| 1916 | 3 | 0.65% | 456 | 99.13% | 1 | 0.22% |
| 1920 | 14 | 3.15% | 430 | 96.63% | 1 | 0.22% |
| 1924 | 50 | 9.14% | 497 | 90.86% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1928 | 63 | 7.05% | 830 | 92.95% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1932 | 24 | 3.07% | 753 | 96.29% | 5 | 0.64% |
| 1936 | 9 | 1.01% | 884 | 98.88% | 1 | 0.11% |
| 1940 | 7 | 0.87% | 801 | 99.13% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1944 | 25 | 3.16% | 766 | 96.84% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 14 | 1.41% | 15 | 1.51% | 967 | 97.09% |
| 1952 | 610 | 53.09% | 539 | 46.91% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 189 | 19.65% | 440 | 45.74% | 333 | 34.62% |
| 1960 | 137 | 12.52% | 229 | 20.93% | 728 | 66.54% |
| 1964 | 1,258 | 94.80% | 69 | 5.20% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1968 | 147 | 4.35% | 2,121 | 62.75% | 1,112 | 32.90% |
| 1972 | 1,131 | 43.37% | 1,457 | 55.87% | 20 | 0.77% |
| 1976 | 782 | 22.83% | 2,562 | 74.78% | 82 | 2.39% |
| 1980 | 751 | 20.17% | 2,871 | 77.09% | 102 | 2.74% |
| 1984 | 856 | 21.88% | 3,049 | 77.94% | 7 | 0.18% |
| 1988 | 702 | 20.64% | 2,693 | 79.18% | 6 | 0.18% |
| 1992 | 562 | 15.96% | 2,796 | 79.39% | 164 | 4.66% |
| 1996 | 489 | 15.68% | 2,531 | 81.15% | 99 | 3.17% |
| 2000 | 600 | 17.61% | 2,786 | 81.75% | 22 | 0.65% |
| 2004 | 630 | 18.16% | 2,821 | 81.32% | 18 | 0.52% |
| 2008 | 551 | 12.30% | 3,883 | 86.71% | 44 | 0.98% |
| 2012 | 468 | 10.56% | 3,951 | 89.13% | 14 | 0.32% |
| 2016 | 490 | 12.69% | 3,337 | 86.45% | 33 | 0.85% |
| 2020 | 531 | 13.59% | 3,327 | 85.13% | 50 | 1.28% |
| 2024 | 541 | 16.40% | 2,727 | 82.66% | 31 | 0.94% |
Media related toJefferson County, Mississippi at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Jefferson County, Mississippi | ||||||||||||||||
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Municipalities and communities ofJefferson County, Mississippi,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
31°44′N91°02′W / 31.73°N 91.03°W /31.73; -91.03
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